The active development of beekeeping in the Republic of Tatarstan is primarily associated with the presence of plants, pollination of which occurs with the help of wind. Today Tatarstan occupies a leading stage in the Russian Federation in the field of beekeeping. The role of beekeeping in the agricultural industry is growing annually.
About two hundred thousand families of the bee kingdom are located on the territory of Tatarstan. Most beekeeping farms are privately owned. About forty thousand farms in Tatarstan produced nearly twenty percent more honey this year than last year.
First beekeepers
Beekeeping began to appear in Russia in the tenth century. Just at the same time writing appears. From the chronicles you can find out that travelers traveling through the territory of Russia reported a lot of bees and honey reserves. Already at that time, honey was produced both for domestic use and for export. Kievan Rus used honey products not only for simple sale, but also as a monetary currency.
Honey was exchanged for various other goods from foreign shores. And in 911, Prince Oleg signed a pact on international trade, from which it was assumed that exchange products from Russia were wax and bee honey. Next came the extension of the contract by subsequent princes.
Beekeeping development in Tatarstan
The study of honey plants in the Tatar territory is still ongoing. Beekeeping scientists of the Republic of Tatarstan have developed a development plan for this sector in all areas. Lime forests are the main honey plants. They are maintained in good condition, as the largest and most important resources for practicing beekeeping. In the Alkeevsky, Leninogorsk, Tukaevsky, Almetyevsky and Nizhnekamsk districts, the highest concentration of lindens is about forty percent of the total local forestry. Perennial herbs are also included in the entomophilic group of plants (pollinated by insects) and are melliferous.
Just a couple of years ago, beekeepers of Tatarstan tested new hives made of super-lightweight material - expanded polystyrene. According to the reviews of those who have already bought this novelty for their households, the hives are quite durable and lanky. They protect the life of bees and honey from moisture absorbed by wooden houses. Also, windproof walls protect bee colonies in the winter, and in the hot season they do not allow the internal space to overheat. Cracks will not appear in the polystyrene foam hives, which means that parts will be replaced much less frequently. However, beekeepers talk about some of the shortcomings. One of them is the laborious process of cleaning the inner walls of the hive. Manufacturers offer to plunge into the past and cleanse propolis with hot water. It is not very comfortable. In general, the design itself leaves questions about strength.
Honey plants
The wide distribution in these places of alfalfa, clover, clover and various cereals plays an important role in the development of the history of beekeeping in Tatarstan. The local climate is suitable for these plants, according to the feedback of the beekeepers themselves, under such conditions it is very simple to engage in breeding bees and collecting honey.
For example, the legume family occupies an important niche in the society of such crops and has its own fifty percent of crops in the territory where the other perennials grow. In recent years, the beekeepers of Tatarstan have been sowing fields and meadows with rapeseed, and not only is it a honey plant, oil is also extracted from it.
Features of beekeeping in Tatarstan
Absolutely all apiary holders are aware that any moments in breeding bees and honey plants, even those that seem insignificant, are of great importance. Take a few reviews from professional honey procurers. Firstly, for beekeeping in Tatarstan it is very important that the bees receive enough food, by winter they should build a warm dwelling for themselves, so during the season the bees get as much pollen as possible. Secondly, the owners of the apiary must insulate the bee house, if the bees get cold and get sick, then their children will be born bad. In order to avoid such incidents, the place for the apiary must be chosen strictly on the territory where there is constant access to sunlight.
Thirdly, the prevention of various parasitic insects is important. Very often you can find ticks in the hives, if you do not deal with them. Fourth, when the beekeeper begins to install his bee houses on fields where rapeseed grows, he must check the land for the absence of chemicals that could process this plant.
Apiary labor
The development of beekeeping in Tatarstan is impossible without the most important participants - bees. So what kind of bees are used to produce honey in this region?
To date, beekeepers in the region often breed Central Russian bees . This is a real treasure of Tatarstan, therefore it is protected as the apple of an eye, so that it gives offspring only in its family circle of bees.
Owners monitor the cleanliness of the breed. They are bred in the Baltasinsky and Mamadysh districts. In total, about ten thousand families of this bee were registered. Farms producing honey on the basis of the Central Russian breed received the tribal status of a factory of the federal level.
Tatar bees
It took many years for the scientists of Tatarstan to develop their personal, Tatar look of a bee. It is based on the Central Russian breed and is simply and succinctly called the Tatar type. Bees are endowed with special advantages, unlike the source. They have accelerated ontogenesis and strengthened immunity to winter cold. Moreover, the Tatar type of bee can collect pollen from several plant species during the summer period (linden, rape, buckwheat). Such bees are calm, not evil. Therefore, scientists are trying to preserve the totality of all their qualities through pure breeding, without impurities of other breeds.
Thanks to beekeeping farms, purebred features of this species are improved. From the Tatar type of bees, very valuable honey is obtained, thanks to the improvement of food supply, as well as an increase in the number of honey plants. Honey products are sold in all regions of the Russian Federation.
Types of honey
Selection of honey is consistent. Beekeeping in Tatarstan gives three types of honey:
- If honey is fresh, then it will be quite liquid; just taken honey from honeycombs of just such a density. True, the degree may vary, due to the different water levels in honey. Also, honey is affected by temperature.
- Further, liquid honey crystallizes and "sits". For example, dandelion honey crystallizes faster than honey obtained from different plants and herbs. However, the beneficial properties are the same in both liquid and decayed honey. For example, in mid-autumn, honey will definitely be of this consistency.
- Honey created on the basis of linden or buckwheat is not quite pure in this selection, bees do not concentrate only on these two plants, being in their growth zone. The name "linden honey" comes from the fact that the largest amount of pollen was taken from linden flowers. The same process goes with the rest of the honey terms.
Be mindful of sugar honey. This is a complete fake made from ordinary syrup made with sugar. They put some honey and tea broth in it. With this honey you can seriously damage your health and poison yourself. How to check? Easy: dip the bread in a jar of honey, and if it is softened, then the honey is not natural. Another test of naturalness is fire. Dip a match in honey and set it on fire. Melted honey will speak of a direct fake.
The shelf life of any real honey is one year. No matter what packaging and place it is stored.
Bees and winter
One of the most important issues that apiary owners must decide annually is the wintering of bee colonies. According to the reviews of Tatar beekeepers, some of them leave hives outside, in the open, but most still have special winter houses. In general, scientists have proven that both of these methods are viable. The most important thing in this problem is to properly build your work to care for the apiary in the spring - summer - autumn period.
A dry and warm environment is very important for bees; there should be no gaps in the hive through which drafts can form. Also, the hive should be equipped with two inputs, and humidity is easily weathered. Beekeepers should provide the bees with a sufficient amount of food for the winter, preferably with a supply. In general, the work of beekeeping in Tatarstan does not stop either in summer or in winter.