Conversely, they attacked convents (Capucin and
any unfamiliar horses with Ursuline), evidence of a
alacrity. meaningful religious faith.
At the time when theEARLY HISTORY
monasteries were set up,
electricity had not yet seenIt is a story of hard struggle.
the light of day and waxIn the Middle Ages, bees
candles were needed foroften absconded from hives.
lighting. They also protectedOlivier de Serres, celebrated
the houses, aided the harvest botanist and protégé of
and were believed to ward off Henry IV, advised
lightning and illnesses. strengthening of hives, or
better still, the integration of The religious establishment
hives deep in the walls of consumed vast quantities of
occupied buildings. This wax. A bishop’s funeral, for
countryside, made harsh by example, used 325 kg, a
its geographic location and procession 120 kg. To these
its limited communication figures must be added the
with the outside world, secular needs. Wax
developed an extremely consumption was
individual identity in which sometimes the subject of Several hives are visible in the interior of this cottage
self-sufficiency and complaints to the bishop
autonomy were paired with concerning ‘the avarice of beekeeping courses in Paris, horizontal bar which
a hand-to-mouth existence. the lay populace’. under the auspices of the supported the wax
Men here submitted more Ministry of the Interior. honeycombs. In effect, by means of a
willingly to God than their Prefects and mayors labelled sophisticated system of The hive was closed by two
sea-level compatriots. the novice beekeepers ashuman exploitation, men of nailed-on planks joined
Beaten down by wars, ‘our future hope’. They werethe church owned and together with plaster. If the
illness and the sheer grind required to be in possession controlled the management hive builder was skilful, the
of everyday existence, life of such impeccable qualities of bees through taxation,
was short. as wisdom and obedience. It two doors were fitted withand suppression, because of
was well understood that split hinges and locks. InThe exploitation of honey
the church's land ownership there was no question of the majority of cases there
bees was not primarily for and scientific advances. offering tuition to females. were three flight holes and
honey but for wax. Riez, an alighting board of blue
near Digne, is a thriving NINETEENTH CENTURY HIVES WITHIN WALLS slate which gave a beautiful
cathedral town, circled by Beekeeping prospered We must however restrict effect. Another version has
numerous monasteries and during the nineteenth our observations to the a flight hole with two small
century, according to Monges mountain area and wooden boards in the form
evidence in the return to the peculiarities of of lips protecting it.
departmental archives in the ‘hives within walls’. Wall Beekeeping was very
Digne. Basket hives, boxes hives were fitted within a simple. There were no
and crates together with wall set on a south facing inspections or
hives with frames were all in slope. According to the manipulations. Bees were
general and prolific use. At design of the builder, they given a home and that was
this time, Monsieur Lombard were made up of a small it. Initial stocking was by
(Société Royale et Centrale cupboard separated by a swarm collection – a swarm
d’Agriculture) offered vertical partition and by a was caught and placed
inside the hive. Afterwards,The inner doors are closed
work in the beekeepingin this view (above)
calendar consisted of the
harvesting of honey, pollen
and wax, and swarm
collection in May. When a
colony died out, it replaced
The beekeeper has opened itself. There were bees
the inner door to inspect everywhere in the rocky
the colony (right) outcrops at the Clue de
Page 16 Bee Craft digital December 2008
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