Beekeeping is a hobby and a lifestyle. One has to know well the habits and needs of bees. Sometimes I get stung, sometimes I hear them sing. A beekeeper must really love them in order to look after them well. The bees will repay this love by giving him their greatest treasure - the honeycomb.
Tadeusz Jałowiecki, beekeeping champion fromapiaryOdrano-Wola near Grodzisk Mazowiecki puts on a white suit and goes on a tour of the apiary. He doesn't use gloves. - In 30 years I have not learned to protect my hands. Even if they sting me, I'm not worried. Their venom immunizes me against many diseases, she says. Singingbees . Beekeeping is captivating. It is not only a passion, a hobby, but a lifestyle. - Someone who does not love nature, is afraid of animals, will not fit in this profession. Not a cunning man - explains Mr. Tadeusz. - Because it's not a profitable business. If I didn't have a pension it would be hard to earn my bread producinghoney . I would have to steal all supplies from the bees. And this must not be done, because this way (when the weather deteriorates and they cannot collect nectar) I would condemn them to death in winter - assures the beekeeper.
Fascination with bees
Mr. Tadeusz's fascination began in the 1970s. He worked at the Institute of Precision Mechanics, refereed football matches, grew nutria, and was a postman. - These were all conscious choices, I made them myself. However, I became a beekeeper by chance. You could say that beekeeping chose me. I only wish that it was so late, because it is a great satisfaction - he laughs. It was like this: he visited the farm of a well-known beekeeper from Masovia (90-year-old!) And, out of curiosity, he watched that one "walks by the hives". The master carefully looked into each of the white houses. He talked with his charges, checked whether the bees were he althy. I asked for a beekeeping hat (with a net against stings) and I followed him, watching what and how he was doing - says Mr. Jałowiecki.
ProblemOver 4% the population is allergic to bee venom. It is located in the abdomen of the bee and only with the help of a stinger is it transmitted to the human body. Therefore, for some people (allergic), the sting is very dangerous, it can even result in death. People who are allergic to productsBees can eat some types of honey, but they should not use propolis and pharmaceuticals made from it.
Beekeeping draws you
- I thought then that I would like to have at least one bee family. And I bought one ul. Today, after 30 years, I have 50 of them, he says. It produces honey and breeds queen bees. Behind the house of Tadeusz Jałowiecki there is a beautiful view of the fields. The yard where the apiary is located is surrounded by fruit trees. In the middle, in neat rows, a regular bee settlement was built. - It's a new type of hive. I have just replaced them - he says satisfied. The buzzing of insects echoes him. - It's an amazing society. A bit like our human! Queen and workers Bees are associated with the production of honey. Meanwhile, nature assigned them yet another extremely important task: by collecting nectar, they pollinate the flowers of plants. - If it weren't for the bees, many plants would not bear fruit and produce no seeds. Thanks to them, there are over 700 species - explains Robert Pilichowski, a beekeeper from Izabelin.
ImportantWhat else comes from the hive:
- Royal jelly- energy and vitamin bomb - a product with which bees feed the larvae of bees and drones. The queen gets royal jelly all her life.
- Propolis- bee putty - resin collected by bees from flower buds and bark of deciduous and coniferous trees. Bees are used to fill all the gaps and holes in the hive (they must keep the temperature inside about 37 degrees Celsius) and to protect against the development of microorganisms. It has a disinfecting effect. On the basis of propolis, many preparations with antiseptic properties are made.
- Beeswax- a product for building combs - beekeepers use it to make candles.
Habits of bees
Has been researching the behavior and habits of bees for years. - It is a miracle of architecture - he is delighted, presenting an empty honeycomb. - It is durable, although brittle, it takes up a small area, although it can hold three kg of honey! Remarkable structure and extraordinary builders. The bee family has the fewest individuals in winter, around 25,000, and the most in summer, when the season is high and they have to collect nectar - up to 70,000. Generations change every four weeks in the hive. The normal worker bee has a short life (only three to five weeks). The queen, popularly known as the mother, plays the most important role in the society of bees. She is the greatest. No wonder - fed with royal jelly, a real energy and vitamin bomb - it reaches dimensions even twice as large as a worker. He lives the longest (from 2 to 4 years) and all the time he foldseggs from which babies of bees hatch; workers' daughters - we see them in the meadows and fields - and sons of drones - their only role is to fertilize the mothers of other families, and after completing this mission they die. The Queen only leaves the hive once in her life - in time for the mating season. In just 40 minutes, it is fertilized by 8-10 drones from other families. That must be enough for her to lay eggs all her life. Workers have a short but intense life. They still collect nectar and bring it to the hive. - Hence the proverb "hardworking like a bee".
Hardworking as a bee
This also applies to us beekeepers. During the harvest season, we get up at four or five in the morning and go to bed around two in the morning. Only someone who loves this job is able to withstand such a fate - Tadeusz Jałowiecki laughs. Although the queen is the most important in the hive, it is not a monarchy, but a truly democratic system. In fact, it is the workers who decide whether the queen is he althy and full of vitality. Then they protect it and treat it with due respect. But if they do not like, for example, her broken wing ( although it does not fly anyway, because it is too thick and too heavy) or twisted leg - that is, if they find any fault in her genetic material - they can start to educate the new queen in secret. Rebellion in the hive - It is not true that the bees recognize their owner - says Robert Pilichowski. - They live too short and will not have time to get used to us. - And such tricks that the bees sit on a man and do not harm him, is a fiction and, in addition, an unethical act - Tadeusz Jałowiecki is outraged. - Any beekeeper could do this by sticking a queen mother to his chest in a special cage. It secretes pheromones, thanks to which her daughters will find her by the smell and sit on our body to the last bit. When they fly out of the hive, they take with them a supply of honey. Therefore, they are not able to sting anyone. However, no self-respecting beekeeper shows off in this way - he says. How much honey can be taken from a particular bee family depends on the "character" of their queen. - It is best that she should be gentle, hardworking, honey and not swarming, that is, do not rebel and run away from the hive with part of the family. That is why they are bred artificially - say the beekeepers unanimously. The formation of a swarm is a rebellion in the hive. The old queen flies out with some of the daughters, and in her place the worker bees breed a new one. When a swarm is formed, as in every shift, they have no time collecting nectar and making honey They are unemployed.genetically - explains Pilichowski. To prevent swarming, beekeepers must provide their families with adequate space in the hive and know how much honey to collect so that they are still motivated to work. - Not too much, not too little. It takes experience. A mistake may lead to the loss of the family - assures Robert Pilichowski. Honey and pollen of flowers are used to feed the young larvae, so if there is too much food, the bees start to "get bored" and … swarm.
Honey - a mixture of water and simple sugars
The season starts in spring when everything is blooming. Bees fly out to meadows, orchards and forests. They collect pollen (transfer it to the hive on their legs) and nectar from flowering plants or honeydew (aphid excrement). They process the nectar in the stomach, enriching it with enzymes and organic acids. They spit it out into the bee chamber (0.13 mg into each of the small cells of the comb). Then they return to the meadow to collect more nectar and pollen. Harvesting for bees lasts until autumn. The nectar “ripens by evaporating the water. It takes three or four days (depending on species and weather). After this time, you can extract the honey and pour it into the jars. - Honey is a mixture of water and simple sugars. For this natural sweet product to be made from it, the solution must mature, i.e. evaporate as much as 60 percent. water. It shows how much work the bees have to put in to make this sweet miracle happen - explains Tadeusz Jałowiecki. Each tablespoon of honey is a treasury of enzymes, vitamins, trace elements, proteins, carbohydrates and organic acids, helpful in the treatment of many diseases. However, improper storage can lead to the loss of these valuable properties. - We should keep it in a dark place and in a tightly closed container so that it does not absorb moisture and odors. The best temperature is 6-10 C - says Robert Pilichowski. - Usually, after some time, honey, as a supersaturated solution of sugars, begins to change into a solid phase, called croup. It is a mixture of glucose crystals in a solution of fructose and other simple sugars. This crystallization process proves the high quality of the product, and is not a defect of it, as laymen believe - assures Jałowiecki. If you want the honey to be liquid again, just put the jar in a container with water at 40 C. After an hour, it will become liquid. - Let's not expose it to a sun-heated window sill - warns Jałowiecki. - Light causes the precipitation of valuable substances. For the same reason, hot tea and milk should not be sweetened with honey. If we like it, let's use it for summer drinks. And let it stand for a few hours (we will increase its enzymatic activity many times over). Sweetened liquidshoney should be drunk slowly, in small sips. - It's worth knowing about honey - emphasizes Robert Pilichowski. - Its composition may support the treatment of certain ailments. However, you need to know which ingredients help in the treatment of allergies or have a good effect on the heart. If we eat it regularly, we will avoid many diseases and improve our immunity - recommends Tadeusz Jałowiecki.
Bad honey
Bad honey is one that has been produced by bees, but not naturally, i.e. from nectar or honeydew. The fraudster beekeeper fed them with sugar water or with special artificial food. As a result, the counterfeit honey is sweet but does not smell. It is dense but does not crystallize. The color does not correspond to its type.
You must do it
Advantages of propolis
Propolis (bee putty) is produced by bees from resinous substances collected from plant buds and from bees' secretions. It regenerates and strengthens the body's immunity. Recently, it has been eagerly used by dentists because its antibacterial properties increase the effectiveness of the use of toothpastes, especially in gum diseases. The advantages of propolis are used in Colgate Herbal Propolis toothpaste - the only toothpaste of this type on the market, which is a composition of herbs and bee putty. Fluoride and calcium protect against cavities. The paste formula is completed with mallow and mint extracts. Colgate Herbal Propolis not only strengthens the teeth, but also the gums.
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