Definition, history and importance of apiculture
.If we analyze etymologically the word apiculture we know that comes from latin´s Apis (bee) y Culture (crop), we mean, the science dedicated to the crop of beas or to the breed of beas, because it´s about animals.
A complete definition would the one that defines it as "the aplicated science which studies the meliferan bee and gets economical proffits by using technology".
Apiculture is born when men tries to know the world of bees. For that, they chose a hollow trunk and tried to keep a colony. There are evidences from the year 2500 B.C of bees advantages on egyptian hieroglyphics. It is in the year 1500 B.C when it is written about bees, being this one the first written evidence (HITITA), in Spain the first written evidence of the importance of apiculture comes from the year 1100 B.C., with the Tarteso Empire, settle down in Andalucia.
After Arabians had documented their experiences at bees management, and more especifically Adu Zacarias in the 9th Volume of his Agriculture Treatment, he does an important mention to the beehives management. After Alonso X carries on the first laws about Apiculture, on the 16th century Mendez de Torres writtes down the first book about apiculture in Spain and besides establishes how do bees reproduce themselves.
Until 18th century apiculture was practised in a traditional way, however , since this century thanks to the improvements of scientific knowledgements and above all biologycal ones that make possible a deeper knowledgement of bees behaviour as individuals and their groupal behaviour inside the swarm. All these knowledgements, supported on the invention of moving beehives (LANGTROTH –1895), in order to achieve a much more technified and intensive apiculture.
There are two kinds of apiculture by these days:
• Sedentary apiculture: Is that one where the beehive ubication does not change and needs a support os artifitial food during some seasons of the year.
• Transhuming Apiculture : Consists on changing the position of the apiary so it´s possible to follow the most propitious zones for the apiculture production in order to reach the best performance of the beehive´s products.