Apiculture
Apiculture is the maintenance of honey bee colonies. In Slovenia beekeeping dates back to over three hundred years ago, around the same time as the French Revolution..
HistoryEarly beekeepers were essentially hunters who, may have stumbled upon fresh honey accidentally while chopping a tree or, elsewhere in the wild.
At a time when the first railroads had yet to be built, in rural Slovenia, beekeeping had already began to evolve. Slovenes, from all walks of life, began moving around entire hives, sometimes seasonally, or closer to their homes, learning to better harvest bees. |
|
Beekeeping TodayAs with other artisanal crafts such as wine or cheese making, apiculture is not only an art, but also a science. Many variables come into play when producing honey. From surrounding plant life, to the location of the hives, or actual position of a bee house.
Despite its size, Slovenia, counts the largest number of beekeepers and apiaries per capita. It is also the largest exporter of queen bees in the world today. As they did in the past, Slovenes live close to their bees. |
|
Apiary ArtAs Slovenia industrialized, new technologies and different creative forms of expression emerged. Painting of panels on the facades of beehives was not only a trend, but an actual movement that branched out into different stylistic schools. The first examples of this art form date back to 1758.
However, to this day a full repertoire of the diversity of these panels, has yet to be complete. |
|
