Beekeeping in Belarus: history of development and current state, problems

During Soviet times, beekeeping in Belarus was one of the most developed industries compared to other Soviet republics. Then special events were held to support beekeeping and promote the sale of products. Even 30 decades ago, thanks to a large number of bees, huge areas of agricultural crops were pollinated, as a result of which the yield increased several times.

History

A kind of forestry arose in the Belarusian Polissya. Due to its great economic importance and wide distribution, beekeeping determined the vector of development of this forest region for several centuries.The name of the beekeeping craft comes from the word "bort" - this is a hollow artificially hollowed out in a tree for bees. At first, the inhabitants of this region bred forest bees in their own hollows.

The trade was developed from wild beekeeping, when people accidentally found nests of wild insects, destroyed them and took honey.

In the 15th and 16th centuries, honey and other bee products were the main exports from this region. In those days, on the territory of modern Belarus there were more than a million boards, the marketable output of which amounted to about 500 thousand pounds every year. Bortnichestvo was then considered one of the most profitable industries. Abroad, the inhabitants of the region supplied wax, first to Lithuania, and from there the goods were transported throughout Europe. The beekeepers of the Belarusian Polissya have developed their own unique method of making beetroots, as well as the tools necessary for collecting honey and caring for insects.

With the beginning of mass deforestation, which occurred at the end of the 18th century, such a branch of the economy as beekeeping lost its former leading position, it was replaced by log beekeeping. However, it was not possible to reach the previous volumes of honey production. At that time, there was a swarming system, which consisted in the fact that in the autumn the most powerful families of insects were destroyed.

Weak families were left for wintering, which, in the end, led to the degeneration of the local variety of wild bees, since most of the wintering insects did not survive until spring. In addition, this approach had a negative impact on the development of pressure cookers, the bees began to lay brood not in new, but in old combs.

During deck beekeeping, hollows were hollowed out not in the tree itself, but in its cut off part, after which they were attached to the tree or special stands were created for this.

What is the state of beekeeping in Belarus?

Beekeeping in Belarus began to decline in the middle of the 19th century, with the advent of Soviet power, it was possible to increase the level of production of honey and other products obtained from bees, but since the 90s of the last century, this industry has been in a deplorable state . Previously, bees pollinated vast areas of crops, thereby increasing their yield. When beekeeping reduced its volumes, it also affected the grown plants, after which it was decided to plant crops that do not need pollination.

Today, according to unofficial data, there are about 300 thousand bee colonies in the Republic of Belarus, and the product they produce is not enough even for local residents, not to mention export deliveries to other countries.

Restraints to development

The following points should be attributed to the deterrent factors for the development of beekeeping in the republic:

• insufficient government funding;
• lack of incentive for the development of this industry;
• insufficient implementation of modern technologies, which makes it impossible to automate many processes;
• lack of proper selection;
• high mortality of insects due to illiterate conditions;
• lack of supportive legal framework;
• lack of special education facilities.

In connection with the adopted "Sanitary and Veterinary Rules" it has become more difficult to place beehives, since the regulatory document states that they should be no closer than 500 meters from roads. As a result, entire areas fell out of the possible territories for the development of beekeeping.

In addition, there is an acute shortage of production of high-quality fetal queens for sale to the population at affordable prices. As a result, beekeepers import fetal material from abroad, no more than 5% of farms can change old queens for young ones of Belarusian origin.

Deforestation and environmental pollution also had a negative impact on the development of the industry in the republic.

The path to the development of the industry

Today, experts are sounding the alarm and suggesting ways out of the industry from the crisis. Indeed, thanks to beekeeping, it is possible to significantly replenish the state budget by exporting the product abroad. In addition, if you do not take action, beekeeping as a form of management can die completely.

Mother-bearing apiaries

Mother-bearing apiaries are the first step towards the revival of the industry in Belarus.They are small farms where they breed bees and increase colonies. Thanks to this technique, the number of insects in one bee colony increases significantly, which in turn allows you to collect large amounts of honey.

Breeding work

An important step in the development of beekeeping in any region is breeding work that improves the quality of breeding material. The simplest form of this work is to improve the productive and breeding characteristics of the bees of the zoned breed through mass selection. In this case, the most purebred and productive colonies are selected for breeding.

The second breeding method that can be developed in the region is the crossing of two zoned breeds. In this case, first-generation crossbreeds outperform the parent breed by 25-30%.

Beekeeping legislation

Today, it is necessary to develop legislation that would support domestic beekeepers and create favorable conditions for the development of the industry in the region. At the moment, the "Law on personal subsidiary plots" in force in Belarus does not contain special provisions on beekeeping.

What breeds of bees live in the country?

In Belarus, as a rule, Carpathian bees are bred. Description of insects and their productive characteristics:

• comes from a dark European bee;
• the body color of the insect is dark gray, without yellowness;
• there is a slight pubescence on the underside of the body;
• medium sizes;
• high winter hardiness, due to the fact that the formation of the breed took place in a harsh climate;
• insects work even in cold weather and collect nectar from several honey plants, so it is difficult to get monomed from this breed;
• one family collects up to 50 kg of honey per season;
• The nature of the breed is peaceful, so some beekeepers work with them without wearing masks.

Thanks to the development of the Carpathian breed, Belarusian beekeepers manage to support the industry, as it is a productive species. During the season, the uterus is able to lay up to 3000 eggs.

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