Beekeeping

"Owning bees that look after themselves and keeping bees according to modern methods are widely different practices. Bees have been kept by man in various ways for centuries, but in the United States the science of beekeeping began when the hive with movable frames was patented on October 5, 1852, by , who has been called the father of modern beekeeping."

"Bees were collected from natural nests for use in beekeeping in parts of Western Europe, as in other regions. Records from legal proceedings in various parts of Luxembourg between 1459 and 1738 (Poos, 1978) show that wild colonies were much sought, and that a substantial value was placed on them in law. For instance in 1663 a colony was classed with a calf or a young partridge, which was worth twice as much as a piglet, lamb or kid. It seems that from 1459 onwards, and probably before, the bees were wanted (to populate hives ...) rather than honey or , and that by the mid-1400s had largely been superseded by hive beekeeping in Luxembourg."

"Appreciating the role that bees and their products have played in requires a cultural immersion. The honey bee can be found in many of the earlier examples of Egyptian writing. During the , shortly after the construction of the and the , we find carved reliefs showing that the Egyptians had already mastered the art of beekeeping and were processing honey (Kritsky 2010)."

"Those beekeepers who are also engaged in general farming or who specialize in one or two farm crops are usually too busy elsewhere to give the bees the necessary attention at the time when they most require it and consequently few of this class of beekeepers rise to the ranks of the specialists. This is not so true of amateur beekeepers, since some of the many occupations which they follow usually permit the time and study necessary to the making of the proficient beekeeper."