Bee flower

History of Bees

By jacobbeaty
  • Ancient Egyptian bees may well have been more agressive than the placid Italian bee, which has become the the dominant variety in modern times. Aristophanes of Byzantium, the head of the library at Alexandria
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    Ancient Egyptian bees may well have been more agressive than the placid Italian bee, which has become the the dominant variety in modern times. Aristophanes of Byzantium, the head of the library at Alexandria

    The beekeepers approached the hives with shaven heads, as the bees reacted very violently to the smell of perfumed oil applied to the hair.[14] Apiarists are never shown using protective gear and relied on smoke blown into the hives to keep the bees peaceful.
  • A beehive owner named Senchons wanted her donkey returned to her, so that she could move her hives into the pastures.
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    A beehive owner named Senchons wanted her donkey returned to her, so that she could move her hives into the pastures.

    Sometimes the hives had to be transported to higher lying land, to prevent them from being destroyed in the annual Nile inundation, as the so-called bee-keepers' petition dating from the middle of the third century
  • Spanish import the first European honey bees to South America.
    Jan 1, 1538

    Spanish import the first European honey bees to South America.

  • George Wheler – an English clergyman and travel writer, discovers and describes Greek hives

    George Wheler – an English clergyman and travel writer, discovers and describes Greek hives

  • Bees gather nectar from flowers with which honey is made.

    Bees gather nectar from flowers with which honey is made.

    It wasn’t until 1700 that it was understood bees gather nectar from flowers with which honey is made. Prior to this time, it was thought the honey was collected by the bees ready-made in the flowers!
  • Johann Dzierzon, a Polish apiculturist, devised the first practical movable-comb beehive.

    Johann Dzierzon, a Polish apiculturist, devised the first practical movable-comb beehive.

    Which allowed manipulation of individual honeycombs without destroying the structure of the hive. Dzierzon discovered the phenomenon of parthenogenesis in bees (- in 1835 Dzierzon discovered that drones are produced from unfertilized eggs. Dzierzon's paper, published in 1845, proposed that while queen honey bees and female worker bees were products of fertilization, drones were not, and that the diet
  • L.L. Langstroth of Philadelphia USA – the "father of American beekeeping had access to translations of Dzierzon's works.

    L.L. Langstroth of Philadelphia USA – the "father of American beekeeping had access to translations of Dzierzon's works.

    Built upon the design of Dzierzon, and others (such as Francis Huber of Switzerland), and designed a completely movable frame hive. Langstroth has been credited with discovering the "bee space," although it had already been implemented by Jan Dzierżon. However, Langstroth made many contributions to industrialized beekeeping – honey was the major sweetener in America at
  • 1890 – William Broughton Carr, English inventor and beekeeper, invented the WBC beehive.

    1890 – William Broughton Carr, English inventor and beekeeper, invented the WBC beehive.

    Learn more about the different types of honey bee hives.
  • Abbé Warré published “Beekeeping For All”

    Abbé Warré published “Beekeeping For All”

    In the book he outlines plans for a a top bar bee hive. Warré also advocates far less interference with hives and bees. Read more about this and about Natural Beekeeping.
  • China dumped honey into the american economy

    China dumped honey into the american economy