Medieval Blog: Medieval European Beekeeping (6th-16th century)

 decided to start off the series with beekeeping simply because honey is my favorite food resource in a beloved medieval game of mine. It's very common to come across wild and cultivated hives, they're almost in every vilage. So, this is a personal passion I want to learn more about and teach others. Plus bees are very cute

General info:

Art of beekeeping was spread almost across the entire Europe, namely: Germany, France, Bohemia - everywhere. The art itself is very ancient, so it's no wonder. Primary resources medieval people valued were honey and wax. 

Values:

Both were incredibly valuable in medicinal fields, thanks to honey's anticeptic properties. Outside of that, honey was predominantly used for food preservation and sweetening, as sugar was difficult to access. Sugar was only imported into Europe from the South and Middle East, making it very expensive and sparse, and medieval people didn't have access to sugar beet either. Thus, honey became prime cooking ingredient for pastries and such.

Wax was in high demand with Catholic churhc and churches, for they preferred wax candles over animal fat candles, which were considered impure. Monasteries became centers of beekeeping, producing a large yield ot support their own candle needs and to generate additional income selling wax.

"Housing" and care:

The colonies were housed in skeps (straw domes), log gives and, in dire situations, variety of other accessible containers (e.g. large pots). 

Skeps were in use for approx. 2,000 years. They were also made of clay, mud, or animal dung. The entrance at the bottom allowed bees to come and go. Skeps provided a dark, enclosed cavity that emulated hollow trees, bees' natural environment. However skepts have downsides too: beekeepers couldn't inspect colonies, honey removal was difficult - the colony would likely die during the harvest.

Later on the skeps were replaced by little house-like domes with a removable top. They were either fashioned out of wood or reinforced straw, the lid allowing less destructuve harvest

Following exerpts on feeding and harvest comes from a 10th century Byzantine manuscript (Geoponika):

"As food for young bees put out wine mixed with honey, in basins, and in these place leaves of many-flowered savory so that they do not drown. To feed your swarms in the best possible way whenever they stay at home because of wintry weather or burning heat and run out of food, pound together raisins and savory finely and give them this with barley cakes. When the first ten days of spring are past, drive them out to their pastures"

Author's note: 

This be not all that I have unearthed, yet for the first chronicle of the medieval age, I deemed it sufficient. Would ye fair folk desire a shorter second part, or prefer a different theme? Pray, in the comments, reveal what ye wish to read next.

Also I abandoned lancelot english for clarity. Sometimes people are confused abt I'm saying, so convential english. If you want lancelot enlgish back, let me know

---

Sources:

Background: https://utpictura18.univ-amu.fr/en/notice/23784-beekeeping-virgil-georgics-4-lyon-ms-pa-27-f51

(changed, but I'm leaving the manuscript link anyway)

Info: 

- https://medievalists.gumlet.io/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/medieval-beekeeping-e1434940970327.jpg?compress=true&format=webp&quality=80&w=376&dpr=2.6

- https://primalbee.com/de/blogs/modern-beekeeping/a-brief-history-of-beekeeping

Further research: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/354937438_Beekeeping_in_late_medieval_Europe_A_survey_of_its_ecological_settings_and_social_impacts