Honeybees are among the first creatures that man domesticated, and yet, they are still basically 'wild'. The science of commercial beekeeping has been part of man's experience on planet Earth for at least two three thousand years. Indeed, on the walls of the sun temple of Nyuserre Ini from before 2400 BC, workers are depicted blowing smoke into hives as they are removing honeycombs.

In the sketch above we see St Sebastion standing before the popular shaped beehive, a conical basket called a skep - derived from the Anglo Saxon "Skeppa" which means literally, basket. You can't see in this picture, but its made of woven wicker bands or skets with a daub or clay mud coat , or it could be fashioned from long straw coiled and stitched with blackberry briar. The straw skep is said to have started with tribes west of the Elbe in Germany.

It has been argued that the main product of medieval beekeeping was not the honey, but rather the beeswax. This energy rich natural substance was used by chandlers to make candles for the Church right up until the Reformation in 1536. King Henry's policies had a diminishing effect on the beeswax candle market in England. But of course all through history there was honey produced, but in very small amounts and was still the reserve of the nobility. It was used in baking confectionery and making sweet tasting folk remedies, wood polish and the manufacture of Mead, which is the oldest alcoholic drink. By some accounts, mead was the weakest of a number of honey beverages, collectively known as Meth or Hydromel. The strongest drink was Methaeglen, a favourite of Elizabeth. So significant was the drink to the royal court in 1580 that the Welsh mead makers seemed to be above the law.

Today the business of being a full time beekeeper is much different than in medieval times because we don't have to destroy the hive to harvest the honey. We use wooden beehives with eight frame honey supers above a metal queen excluder.

Being a modern apiarist is chock full of hazards, the least of which is the stinging pain you might feel in your workplace. The small profits realized by producing honey are more painful, and the task of educating modern consumers through business storytelling is a long and but rewarding process. In short, the demand for organic ingredients has to increase in a 'buy local' economy where the consumer can access the nearby honey producer and skip the distributor and especially the honey packer who sells foreign honey mixed with local honey directly to big box supermarkets.

Here are images from the annual honey harvest near Campbellford Ontario. The crop was smaller this summer, but was flavourful with exotic hints of Goldenrod, Loosestrife, and Buckwheat flower honey.

Purchasing local honey direct from the regional beekeeper will probably end up being more affordable than consuming the stuff you see packed in plastic tubs in the grocery stores because of the modern food distribution markup chain. The existing corporate inventory management systems in the markets put a premium on perishable agricultural produce and level a nearly 100% mark-up on farm products. I love the sight of those yellow harvest apples spilling onto the ground beside the solar fencer in front of the beekeeper - this is harvest time in a Canadian apiary.  The modern beekeeper uses a powerful leaf blower to force the bees out of the eight frame honey supers. This is the one big the difference between medieval and modern apiarists - the modern beekeeper can harvest honey without destroying the beehives.  Below is a picture of a beekeeper about to remove the metal queen excluder that keeps the Queen down below in the brood chambers of the beehive. This is the part that will be wrapped tight in tar paper and plastic to survive the winter

And I cant stop thinking that this place is what the entire world would look like just ten or twelve years after the fall of man. Look at the countryside and marvel at the sheer beauty of Mother Nature, and how the mist makes everything so absolutely tranquility. Given enough time, it wouldn't matter if this was once busy residential, commercial or industrial land, or a busy dog park in the city, this is what the entire countryside would look like without any property maintenance by humans. Just honeybees. Read more about the annual honey harvest business story on Smojoe with plenty more pictures.  Beekeeping in the 21st century is a big business in Canada because we have the best honey in the world (and you can thank the white clover plant for that).