A Short History of Beekeeping

By Cynthia Taylor

How Beekeeping Has Changed Through The Years

Beekeeping is one of the oldest practices in the world, and by examining its changes over the years we can start to understand how important it is to today's world.

With all of the many problems affecting honeybee colonies today, it is worth looking back through time to witness the huge role that bees have played in our own development. Without their help we simply wouldn’t be able to live the lives we do, and the sheer length of time that we have been keeping bees shows just how important they are.

Early Beekeeping Practices

In parts of Africa and Spain, ancient cave paintings exist that clearly depict people collecting honey from beehives. These date back to around 13,000 BC, meaning for the last 15,000 years bees have been providing humans with their services. This is a truly amazing figure that lets us begin to understand just how important the relationship is.

Uses of Honey and Wax

The main reason for keeping bees was the honey and wax that were produced. Honey was originally used to sweeten a range of food and drinks, such as wine and bread, and was also used as an ancient antibacterial agent. Wax was used as a binding agent in paints as well as being used in medicines, candles and mead, which was a popular drink in monasteries.

The First Beehives

It was not long before beehives were being created to keep bees. Originally honey was collected from wild hives, and this method is still used in many parts of the world, including Africa and Nepal. However, the benefits of creating beehives soon became apparent, which led to the practices that we see today.

Egypt is recognized as one of the earliest civilizations to gather honey in basic hives, which were made from anything that could provide a dark space for the swarm to settle in, although the Romans and the ancient Greeks also documented numerous references to beekeeping. However, the problem with these ancient hives was that they had a serious drawback: when the honey was collected, the colonies were destroyed.