Humans Bees Beekeeping through the Ages Why Yummy

Humans & Bees Beekeeping through the Ages

Why? Yummy honey

Latin: apis Etymology - Uncertain. Possibly from Egyptian bjt (“honey bee”). Proto-Indo-European *bʰi reconstructible from Germanic and Balto-Slavic evidence gave Old English bēo (English bee), but would have entered the Latin then as the reduced form /af/ from /? fj/. Alternatively, one can assume modification of initial obstruent due to a taboo (common for Proto-Indo. European flora). Other theories speculate on Osco. Umbrian borrowing, from an original *akuis (“sharp, stinging”) (confer Latin aqui- in aquifolius, aquilinus; Osco. Umbrian reflex of Proto-Indo-European labiovelar */kʷ/ that gives Latin <qu> is regularly /p/).

When did it all start? Probably as long ago as humans have existed Graphic depictions of beekeeping exist in rock paintings from 15, 000 years ago Image to right was dated as 8, 000 years old & found in a cave near Valencia in Spain.

Egyptians 4, 500 years ago, Egyptians began to “domesticate” the bees (bees have never truly been domesticated) Sun temple depicts people using smoke to calm the bees to remove honeycomb - circa 2400 BCE.

Egyptian Beekeeping (from tombs) Two jars in Tutankhamun's tomb were labeled as containing honey, but none was found in the jars. Beeswax & honey used in mummification.

Greeks Mother Earth goddess, Artemis, was depicted as half woman, half bee Aristotle observed bees in his History of Animals. In it, he identified the three types of bees – queen, drone, worker & observed bee development in the comb. Alexander the Great embalmed with honey & wax.

Romans Copied Egyptian/Greek beekeeping methods. Interestingly, although writing exist about beekeeping, few pictures or artifacts from Roman times exist. Virgil, among other Roman writers, talked about bees. Roman writings included recipes for sugar syrup for feeding the bees. 60 AD Comella (Roman) described beekeeping tools, including a smoker and a hive tool very much like the ones used today.

Mayans When the Spanish landed, they found the Mayans keeping bees (and were surprised!) Tended Meliponine bees, which were stingless Mayans used honey medicinally Mayans had several bee gods

Ancient China Earliest written recording of bees (feng) found on inscriptions on animal bones dating from 3000 BCE First recorded professional beekeeper - Jiang-qi (158 CE -167 CE). Supposedly trained other beekeepers. Kept apis cerana (Eastern honeybee) in wooden boxes Apis mellifera introduced 1911

Beekeeping in Medieval Europe Bees were kept in skeps (Anglo-Saxon for “basket”) Mentioned in book about Norman conquest First skeps were German Beeswax for candles was as important as honey, especially before the Reformation (church needed lots!) Different fermented honey drinks were made – Hydromel was favorite of Elizabeth I

Sugar starts to displace honey – late Middle Ages 1300 AD, Marco Polo returns from Asia with sugar cane Sugar cane cheaper source of sweetener Mead replaced by cheaper beer and imported wine – lower class drink/medicine

Book about Honey as medicine – circa 1480

Beekeeping in European Renaissance EARLY SCIENCE & BEES 1586, Luis Méndez de Torres - Spain - first described the queen bee as a female that laid eggs. • In 1609, Charles Butler - England - identified the drones as male bees. • In 1637, Richard Remnant - England - recognized that the worker bees were females.

Apis Mellifera comes to America Brought by settlers to Virginia in 1622 Brought to Massachusetts in 1638 Native Americans called bees the “white man’s flies” Beeswax was a recorded Virginia export in the 1700 s Bees were feral until the 1800 s No bees on the West Coast until mid-1800 s Mormons took bees to Utah in 1840 s Bees shipped to California via Cape Horn

Bees were patriots

Karl von Frisch Studied honey bees for 50 years Focused on bee perception Identified the waggle dance Won 1973 Nobel Prize for his work on bees.

Frisch’s Dancing Bees

Eva Crane Trained as quantum mathematician Became a beekeeper when she and her husband got a hive as a wedding present during WWII Wrote over 180 articles, books, & papers about bees Two important books in beekeeping (written in her 70 s & 80 s): Bees and Beekeeping: science, practice and world resources (1990) & The World History of Beekeeping and Honey Hunting (1999)

Tools of the trade Beekeeping supplies

Artificial Hives Humans began “keeping” bees in artificial hives before written history – Used hollow logs, pottery hives, wooden boxes, and skeps

Early top bar hives Beekeepers did use top bar hives so that they could remove comb. The Greek hive at right was used in 1600 s

Gedde Hive First hive patent granted circa 1657 to John Gedde by Charles II of England Had removable inner frame

The Leaf Hive Francis Huber (Switzerland) invented the first known moveable hive in 1789. With his servant, Furnes (Huber was blind), he made many observations – bees lay eggs, queens mated in flight, etc.

Other Pre-Langstroth Hives In the 1800 s, beekeepers continued to try to segregate the laying area from the honey so as not to destroy the hive during honey extraction. Got 10 -15 lbs of honey/year

Langstroth Hive Lorenzo Langstroth, a depressed minister, started keeping bees in the mid-1800 s. Based on his observations, he developed a hive with hanging frames. Coined the term “bee space”

Hive Improvements The addition of the Hoffman frame completed the evolution of the modern beehive.

Smokers Moses Quinby invented the first bellows smoker around 1857

Smokers Improved upon by TF Bingham in 1880 s Essentially the same as the Quinby, except Bingham added the wooden face to the bellows For a definitive look at historic bee smokers – watch “The History Bee Smokers – with Paul Jackson” on You. Tube

Veils Below: Circa 1568 (Belgium) Above: Circa 1905 (Texas)

Decappers 1945 photo – John Mc. Fayden w/automatic honeycomb decapper

Extraction Egyptians collected comb in cow skin & crushed it by stepping on the skin Inevitably, bees were killed to get honey Wax presses used Austrian Major Francesco de Hruschka invented the first centrifugal honey extractor in 1865. Supposedly, the idea came to him as he watched his son swing a bucket of honey around.

Extractors A. I. Root of Ohio is credited with building an extractor for Langstroth hive frames. Wrote ABC & XYZ of Bee Culture & started Bee Culture magazine

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