"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 rather than honey or , and that by the mid-1400s had largely been superseded by hive beekeeping in Luxembourg."