Dueep Jyot Singh - The Ancient Tradition of Beekeeping: Bees in Your Backyard

Bees in Your Backyard

Dueep Jyot Singh

Farming Series

Mendon Cottage Books

JD-Biz Publishing

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When I tell you offhand to give me yourimmediate response the moment you hear the word Honeybee, yourresponse is going to be honey," about 99.9% of the time. And thenafter that, you are going to say beeswax. But the product of abeehive is not restricted to just these two items. It also hasroyal jelly, pollen, and propolis.

All of these products have traditionally beenin use by mankind for the propagation of good health, beauty, andproducts in use around the house and as a health food formillenniums, going back to prehistoric times.

So this book is going to tell you all abouthow you are going to be introduced to bees, and if you areenterprising enough to keep them in your backyard, you are soongoing to be called an apiarist, keeping a number of your hives inyour apiary.

I was visiting a prosperous family farmpassed on through generations, belonging to some Greek friends andwas admiring their poultry, their ducks, their livestock, and theirhorses, when I just happened to say, Where are your bees? And Igot a look of surprise.

Naturally I returned it back because I wasunder the impression that beekeeping methods have come down theages in older civilizations in Europe, especially when everybodyknows that in ancient Greece agriculture it was a very highlyrespected farming tradition.

In fact, even today archaeologists have foundbee extractors, bee smokers, and other beekeeping paraphernaliagoing back to prehistoric times.

That is because so many people have begun toforget the traditional art of beekeeping, because of lack ofknowledge. Also, I do not think that there are many trainingcenters in highly developed countries where sericulture is taughtto the local populations in order to add significantly to thefamily kitty in terms of financial prosperity.

That is because bees have been given bad PR.because of people who are ignorant, or through rather stupidreasons, because a Kenyan friend told me that her village stoppedbeekeeping about 300 years ago, because about 300 years ago, somepeople from Europe came there, and decided that this was aheathenish practice, especially the giving of honey as a brideprice and the drinking of fermented honey in celebrations wassinful and unacceptable in the eyes of God!

Believe it or not, this is true, and hashappened throughout Africa, since the 17th centurybecause in many parts of Europe, ignorance about beekeeping meantthat there was some fool somewhere who would prevent this traditionfrom being practiced by an indigenous people because he saidso.

This is how beekeeping practices in Kenya,Ethiopia, and even Egypt, where beekeeping was traditionallypracticed as early as 3000 BC, if you go by the Egyptian wallmurals, was eradicated by unaware and ignorant people who wanted toimpose their own notions of civilized practice on an ancientpeople.

Traditional beehive in Ethiopia

However, in many parts of the East, wheresuch people are not given due acknowledgment and their interferencein the local tradition and culture was not encouraged, even todaysericulture is a way of life. For example, in many parts of Asia,villages are known by the quality of bees and the honey produced bythem.

They keep those bees in their backyards, andit is the job of the women of the family to take care of thebees.

My favorite uncle and aunt had 12 hives,which they kept on the terrace of their house, and not in thegarden because their pet labrador, Oscar, had this curious habit ofinspecting the garden from corner to corner every single day, twicea day without fail.

But he was not allowed onto the terrace tohis great indignation. So one fine day, when he was showing hisindignation because his dearly beloved Master disappeared upstairsand locked the door for about 3 to 4 hours every day, uncle decidedto give him a talking to.

Incidentally people who keep dogs hold longconversations with them and the conversation went something likethis, to our great amusement.

Uncle all right then Oscar, if you arereally so curious, you can go up and inspect whatever is there.

Oscar wagging his tail oh thank you,thank you, thank you so much. I really was so curious about thatarea upstairs, and I will be back soon, do not you worry.

Uncle but be careful, Oscar, curiositykilled the cat. Do not come yelping to me when you find yourselfstung.

Oscar Who, me, master, who could harm me,master? I am the most well behaved dog in the neighborhood, and thewhole World is my friend.

Less than a minute later, we heard a seriesof yelps, and there was Oscar scooting down the stairs to gocreeping under the bed. He had gone and stuck his nose into abeehive.

He had to be coaxed out so that we couldremove the bee stings three from his little nose and apply somehoney on that poor little mistreated, inflamed organ. And unclekept on, I told you so, did not I, my baby, but you have to beshown things! And Oscar muttering oh shut up

Incidentally, after this incident, Oscarbecame quite good friends with the bees. Everything was forgottenand forgiven, because the beekeeper told the bees that Oscar was avaluable member of the family and introduced him to theirbeehives!

I found this whole procedure fascinating, anduncle told me that this is traditional bee lore. When you arekeeping bees, you have to tell them everything which is going on inyour family, including births, happy occasions, and even deaths.Otherwise they are not going to consider themselves part of thefamily, and they are not going to return to the hive again nextseason.

I used to go on their terrace, very often,and I was never stung, because somehow the bees knew that I was notafraid of them. Nor would I harm them ever. One day, I came downfrom the terrace, and my cousin shrieked -she was terrified of them that there were some bees on my jacket and I had better hit themor just fling them away from me.

Instead, to her great surprise, I said theyare not going to do anything to me, went into the garden, leanedagainst the nearest flowering tree, and the bees calmly walked frommy jacket to the plant, humming away gladly. My cousin looked at mewith acute dismay and scowled, do not tell me that they arecrazy after you too, sis, they are crazy after mom and dad, Oscar,grandpa and everybody else, except me, so what is theexplanation?