the Beeginning of Beekeeping..

Beekeeping began as early as 30B.C. In Greece & Egypt, early bee hives were made of pottery & shaped like giant thimbles. The Romans used hives made from things like logs, brick, & even dung (ewww, don't think my neighbors would appreciate me doing that kind). In Europe, they used wicker skeps. It wasn't until the invention of "movable frame" hives around the mid 1800's that modern beekeeping began.

There are 4 main species of honey bee (Apis). All of them live in large colonies & store yummy honey for Winter supplies. The species who's honey humans have harvested for centuries is the Western, or European, honey bee (Apis mellifera). Now you know to thank the Western bee for that yummy sweet goodness we put in our teas, recipes, soaps, & lotions. Something tells me they don't wear cowboy boots in that hive though ...