A Brief Beekeeping History

Beekeeping is recognized as among some of the oldest activities of all time.It has had many changes in how it is operated over the years and people can easily trace just how far it has come.Although bees have been in existence for many years now, it was much easier to keep them years back as opposed to how it is today.By looking at some of the benefits of bees to humans over the years, we can get an idea of how important bees are to the environment and people.Some Cave paintings and drawings in Spain and Africa are a good indicator that people in those areas kept bees 15,000 years ago.Bees were mainly kept because the produced honey, which was used as a source of food.It was used for sweetening drinks and foods and making anti-bacterial agents as well as wine.They also used bees to collect wax, which served as an ingredient for medicine, a binding agent and for making candles and mead.

Bees could only be found in certain areas like the forests or other isolated places.This made the process of collecting wax and honey difficult and hence prompted people to make their own hives to bring the bees closer to them.History dictates that Egypt was one of the places that made the initial beehives, which were made out of anything that could create dark compartments where the bees would work.Other civilizations to be referenced as having made their own beehives are the Romans and the Ancient Greeks.This practice became even more useful because hives could be used again as opposed to the traditional ones that were destroyed after honey collection.

The first portable hive was made by an Italian who had migrated into the United States.He drew most of his inspiration from reading a beekeeping book published in the early 1850s and says that he understood how bees made their own honeycombs.This made it easier for him to create a hive, which evolved into the modern one. Another advantage is that the combs could be slid out of the hive for inspection or honey gathering then put right back without destroying them.This ensured that no more bee colonies or beehives would be destroyed when collecting honey.Throughout the years, people have devised ways in which they can live comfortable with bees and ensure they produce more honey while helping the environment through pollination.