Beekeeping as intangible culture heritage

[Aspr]

Hello my name is Andreia and I'm new to the forum. I would like to ask a few questions about beekeeping traditions and personal view in the beekeeping practices.

I'm a Museum and Heritage Development MA Student at Nottingham Trent University .



I'm building an Academic Report on Beekeeping as intangible culture heritage following the UNESCO Designation in order to classify honeybee as a living museum and a collectable treasure for all humankind and I'm trying to collect data to support my findings

https://ich.unesco.org/en/what-is-intangible-heritage-00003


I would like the forum to consider my questions bellow .

1. What makes you take up beekeeping and become a beekeeper?

2. Did you learn the art of beekeeping from someone? From who?

3. What has beekeeping meant to you?

4. Do you see the beekeeping practices as part of your culture heritage? Is it part of your family, community or nation ?

5. As a beekeeper, do you become more sensitive or more in tuned to nature - the weather and environment?

6. What's the most fulfilling part of a beekeeper's job?

7. Do you see Beekeeping as a profitable job or just a hobby ?

8. As a beekeeper, do you think that Honey Bees can be view as living museum and should be collected and preserved in prow of the future generations?

9. How are you as a beekeeper contributing to the health of honeybees?

10. Can Beekeeping practices be recognised as intangible heritage under the UNESCO Convention?

And finally

11. Do you see the beekeeping practices being lost to the future generations? If so, What actions you think should be taken to address this issue.

Thank you so much for your participation. I look forward to read all the answers .

My Regards
Andreia R

 

[Poly Hive]

1. What makes you take up beekeeping and become a beekeeper? Long story.

2. Did you learn the art of beekeeping from someone? From who? Several people

3. What has beekeeping meant to you? A massive part of my life.

4. Do you see the beekeeping practices as part of your culture heritage? Is it part of your family, community or nation ? No.

5. As a beekeeper, do you become more sensitive or more in tuned to nature - the weather and environment? Yes

6. What's the most fulfilling part of a beekeeper's job? Seeing a load of honey on a colony that you reared the queen of.

7. Do you see Beekeeping as a profitable job or just a hobby ? Hobby.

8. As a beekeeper, do you think that Honey Bees can be view as living museum and should be collected and preserved in prow of the future generations? Living museum no. The rest yes.

9. How are you as a beekeeper contributing to the health of honeybees? By taking as good care of my stocks as I can.

10. Can Beekeeping practices be recognised as intangible heritage under the UNESCO Convention? I do not understand the question. Sounds like pretencious waffle frankly.

And finally

11. Do you see the beekeeping practices being lost to the future generations? If so, What actions you think should be taken to address this issue. No and by carrying on teaching others.

 

[Anduril]

1. An Australian relative

2. Cardiff Beekeepers, Ernest Plum

3. Relaxation, a way of relieving stress.

4. No

5. Yes

6. Survival of a colony and good strong queens produced

7. Hobby

8. As natural history yes.

9. Maintaining healthy stocks

10. Yes if taken from the progression of skep to hive, keeping some of the old practices alive.

And finally

11. No

 

[madasafish]

1. What makes you take up beekeeping and become a beekeeper?

A very involved story

2. Did you learn the art of beekeeping from someone? From who?
Local Association, this forum, books and practical , observations

3. What has beekeeping meant to you?
Partially an obsession.Enjoyable. Meeting people..

4. Do you see the beekeeping practices as part of your culture heritage? Is it part of your family, community or nation ?
Nope

5. As a beekeeper, do you become more sensitive or more in tuned to nature - the weather and environment?
Oh yes. A good beekeeper has to be in touch with weather/seasons etc.

6. What's the most fulfilling part of a beekeeper's job?

Results.

7. Do you see Beekeeping as a profitable job or just a hobby ?

A profitable (now) hobby..

8. As a beekeeper, do you think that Honey Bees can be view as living museum and should be collected and preserved in prow of the future generations?

No.

9. How are you as a beekeeper contributing to the health of honeybees?
Trying to educate locals not to use insecticides.

10. Can Beekeeping practices be recognised as intangible heritage under the UNESCO Convention?

No idea/don't care./irrelevant to me

And finally

11. Do you see the beekeeping practices being lost to the future generations? If so, What actions you think should be taken to address this issue.

Much of it is abysmally stuck in the past and should be junked..
Modernised practises will survive.

 

[Erichalfbee]

1. Curiosity over a good few years. Owing to logistic problems it was only satisfied after I retired.
2. I had a very good mentor when I first started then I discovered this forum. A few people on here have opened my eyes to better practice.
3. It provides me with relaxation and has been a sanity saviour when I was ill. The rest of the time it makes me pull my hair out.
4. No
5. Yes
6. Being able to understand them. I am ecstatic if I manage to be ahead of them and catch them out rather than them catching me out. I’m an avid reader of literature describing how bees work too.
7. Hobby
8. Not a museum but beekeeping should be preserved and the art should be passed in as a living legacy.
9. Keep my bees healthy not only for them and me but to avoid passing disease onto neighbours.
10. Sorry I have no idea what that means. Perhaps you could translate?
11. No. I might hope that stuck in the mud dinosaur practices might disappear though. Absurd outdated practices promulgated by some organisations need to be examined. Fora like this one promote innovation and proper discussion which is a good start.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

1. What makes you take up beekeeping and become a beekeeper? My grandfather giving me a copy of Digges when I was nine and endless stories of his beekeeping escapades told by my grandmother and mother.

2. Did you learn the art of beekeeping from someone? From who? Several people

3. What has beekeeping meant to you? Sanity,a vast circle of friends from all over the world.

4. Do you see the beekeeping practices as part of your culture heritage? Is it part of your family, community or nation ? yes, one of my ancestors passed laws to proterct bees, beekeepers and mead makers

5. As a beekeeper, do you become more sensitive or more in tuned to nature - the weather and environment? Yes

6. What's the most fulfilling part of a beekeeper's job? Seeing a load of honey on a colony and seeing someone you mentored developing into competent beekeepers

7. Do you see Beekeeping as a profitable job or just a hobby ? both

8. As a beekeeper, do you think that Honey Bees can be view as living museum and should be collected and preserved in prow of the future generations? Living museum not really. The rest yes.

9. How are you as a beekeeper contributing to the health of honeybees? By taking as good care of my stocks as I can, teaching others to do the same both here and abroad.

10. Can Beekeeping practices be recognised as intangible heritage under the UNESCO Convention? definitely

And finally

11. Do you see the beekeeping practices being lost to the future generations? If so, What actions you think should be taken to address this issue.
the biggest dangers are at both ends of the spectrum, beekeeping in Britain has historically been held back by the narrow minded archaic practices promoteed by the organisation that claims to improve and promote the craft. Presently we are inundated with a flood of gimicky concepts and people either trying to reinvent the wheel or abandoning any gesture towards good husbandry
__________________

 

[Aspr]

1. What makes you take up beekeeping and become a beekeeper? Long story.

2. Did you learn the art of beekeeping from someone? From who? Several people

3. What has beekeeping meant to you? A massive part of my life.

4. Do you see the beekeeping practices as part of your culture heritage? Is it part of your family, community or nation ? No.

5. As a beekeeper, do you become more sensitive or more in tuned to nature - the weather and environment? Yes

6. What's the most fulfilling part of a beekeeper's job? Seeing a load of honey on a colony that you reared the queen of.

7. Do you see Beekeeping as a profitable job or just a hobby ? Hobby.

8. As a beekeeper, do you think that Honey Bees can be view as living museum and should be collected and preserved in prow of the future generations? Living museum no. The rest yes.

9. How are you as a beekeeper contributing to the health of honeybees? By taking as good care of my stocks as I can.

10. Can Beekeeping practices be recognised as intangible heritage under the UNESCO Convention? I do not understand the question. Sounds like pretencious waffle frankly.

And finally

11. Do you see the beekeeping practices being lost to the future generations? If so, What actions you think should be taken to address this issue. No and by carrying on teaching others.

Thank you so much for answering my questions.

Your beekeeping experience is important for my report

 

[Aspr]

1. What makes you take up beekeeping and become a beekeeper? Long story.

2. Did you learn the art of beekeeping from someone? From who? Several people

3. What has beekeeping meant to you? A massive part of my life.

4. Do you see the beekeeping practices as part of your culture heritage? Is it part of your family, community or nation ? No.

5. As a beekeeper, do you become more sensitive or more in tuned to nature - the weather and environment? Yes

6. What's the most fulfilling part of a beekeeper's job? Seeing a load of honey on a colony that you reared the queen of.

7. Do you see Beekeeping as a profitable job or just a hobby ? Hobby.

8. As a beekeeper, do you think that Honey Bees can be view as living museum and should be collected and preserved in prow of the future generations? Living museum no. The rest yes.

9. How are you as a beekeeper contributing to the health of honeybees? By taking as good care of my stocks as I can.

10. Can Beekeeping practices be recognised as intangible heritage under the UNESCO Convention? I do not understand the question. Sounds like pretencious waffle frankly.

And finally

11. Do you see the beekeeping practices being lost to the future generations? If so, What actions you think should be taken to address this issue. No and by carrying on teaching others.

Thank you so much for answering my questions.

Your beekeeping experience is important for my report and although having no knowledge of the definition of intangible cultural heritage, referring it as pretentious waffle made smile. It’s so spots on if we consider the cultural value and identity of a particular culture over a particular waffle. It's all about value and interpretation.

"The intangible cultural heritage is the expression, representation, skill, and practices which individuals, groups, and communities recognise as their cultural heritage."

once again

thank you

ASPR

 

[Aspr]

1. An Australian relative

2. Cardiff Beekeepers, Ernest Plum

3. Relaxation, a way of relieving stress.

4. No

5. Yes

6. Survival of a colony and good strong queens produced

7. Hobby

8. As natural history yes.

9. Maintaining healthy stocks

10. Yes if taken from the progression of skep to hive, keeping some of the old practices alive.

And finally

11. No

Thank you so much for answering my questions.

I’m glad that you wrote about skep beekeeping. It’s one of the examples that I will be mentioning on my report using William Mundy, the Chair of Dartford beekeepers as a case study

regards
ASPR

 

[Aspr]

1. What makes you take up beekeeping and become a beekeeper?

A very involved story

2. Did you learn the art of beekeeping from someone? From who?
Local Association, this forum, books and practical , observations

3. What has beekeeping meant to you?
Partially an obsession.Enjoyable. Meeting people..

4. Do you see the beekeeping practices as part of your culture heritage? Is it part of your family, community or nation ?
Nope

5. As a beekeeper, do you become more sensitive or more in tuned to nature - the weather and environment?
Oh yes. A good beekeeper has to be in touch with weather/seasons etc.

6. What's the most fulfilling part of a beekeeper's job?

Results.

7. Do you see Beekeeping as a profitable job or just a hobby ?

A profitable (now) hobby..

8. As a beekeeper, do you think that Honey Bees can be view as living museum and should be collected and preserved in prow of the future generations?

No.

9. How are you as a beekeeper contributing to the health of honeybees?
Trying to educate locals not to use insecticides.

10. Can Beekeeping practices be recognised as intangible heritage under the UNESCO Convention?

No idea/don't care./irrelevant to me

And finally

11. Do you see the beekeeping practices being lost to the future generations? If so, What actions you think should be taken to address this issue.

Much of it is abysmally stuck in the past and should be junked..
Modernised practises will survive.

Thank you so much for answering my questions.







ASPR

 

[Aspr]

1. Curiosity over a good few years. Owing to logistic problems it was only satisfied after I retired.
2. I had a very good mentor when I first started then I discovered this forum. A few people on here have opened my eyes to better practice.
3. It provides me with relaxation and has been a sanity saviour when I was ill. The rest of the time it makes me pull my hair out.
4. No
5. Yes
6. Being able to understand them. I am ecstatic if I manage to be ahead of them and catch them out rather than them catching me out. I’m an avid reader of literature describing how bees work too.
7. Hobby
8. Not a museum but beekeeping should be preserved and the art should be passed in as a living legacy.
9. Keep my bees healthy not only for them and me but to avoid passing disease onto neighbours.
10. Sorry I have no idea what that means. Perhaps you could translate?
11. No. I might hope that stuck in the mud dinosaur practices might disappear though. Absurd outdated practices promulgated by some organisations need to be examined. Fora like this one promote innovation and proper discussion which is a good start.

Thank you so much for answering my questions.


"The intangible cultural heritage is the expression, representation, skill, and practices which individuals, groups, and communities recognise as their cultural heritage."

once again

thank you

ASPR

 

[Aspr]

1. What makes you take up beekeeping and become a beekeeper? My grandfather giving me a copy of Digges when I was nine and endless stories of his beekeeping escapades told by my grandmother and mother.

2. Did you learn the art of beekeeping from someone? From who? Several people

3. What has beekeeping meant to you? Sanity,a vast circle of friends from all over the world.

4. Do you see the beekeeping practices as part of your culture heritage? Is it part of your family, community or nation ? yes, one of my ancestors passed laws to proterct bees, beekeepers and mead makers

5. As a beekeeper, do you become more sensitive or more in tuned to nature - the weather and environment? Yes

6. What's the most fulfilling part of a beekeeper's job? Seeing a load of honey on a colony and seeing someone you mentored developing into competent beekeepers

7. Do you see Beekeeping as a profitable job or just a hobby ? both

8. As a beekeeper, do you think that Honey Bees can be view as living museum and should be collected and preserved in prow of the future generations? Living museum not really. The rest yes.

9. How are you as a beekeeper contributing to the health of honeybees? By taking as good care of my stocks as I can, teaching others to do the same both here and abroad.

10. Can Beekeeping practices be recognised as intangible heritage under the UNESCO Convention? definitely

And finally

11. Do you see the beekeeping practices being lost to the future generations? If so, What actions you think should be taken to address this issue.
the biggest dangers are at both ends of the spectrum, beekeeping in Britain has historically been held back by the narrow minded archaic practices promoteed by the organisation that claims to improve and promote the craft. Presently we are inundated with a flood of gimicky concepts and people either trying to reinvent the wheel or abandoning any gesture towards good husbandry
__________________

Thank you so much for answering my questions.
I find your answer about one of you ancestors passed laws to protect bees, beekeepers and mead makers very interesting

thank you for sharing

ASPR

 

[Millet]

1. An Australian relative

2. Cardiff Beekeepers, Ernest Plum

3. Relaxation, a way of relieving stress.

4. No

5. Yes

6. Survival of a colony and good strong queens produced

7. Hobby

8. As natural history yes.

9. Maintaining healthy stocks

10. Yes if taken from the progression of skep to hive, keeping some of the old practices alive.

And finally

11. No

50/50 for number 3 ...half of the time i am jumping with job the other half my blood pressure is through the roof..

 

[Brian Bush]

1. What makes you take up beekeeping and become a beekeeper? strong sense of pollinators needed in environment

2. Did you learn the art of beekeeping from someone? From who? An old beekeeper and later an association

3. What has beekeeping meant to you? Many hours of angst and pleasure

4. Do you see the beekeeping practices as part of your culture heritage? Is it part of your family, community or nation ? Yes part of our national culture

5. As a beekeeper, do you become more sensitive or more in tuned to nature - the weather and environment? Absolutely

6. What's the most fulfilling part of a beekeeper's job? Watching the bees at work on a summers day

7. Do you see Beekeeping as a profitable job or just a hobby ? It is not profitable but an obsession

8. As a beekeeper, do you think that Honey Bees can be view as living museum and should be collected and preserved in prow of the future generations? I believe bees will be with us for the next 3 million years

9. How are you as a beekeeper contributing to the health of honeybees? Provide them with a home and working to educate others

10. Can Beekeeping practices be recognised as intangible heritage under the UNESCO Convention? I believe so

And finally

11. Do you see the beekeeping practices being lost to the future generations? If so, What actions you think should be taken to address this issue. I believe many understand the importance of bees and they should recieve a higher status in the education of all people

 

[Dutchman]

1 learned it at agriculture college 50 years ago
2 Teacher in college, bee-farmers in Brittany and in the Cotswolds that I worked with
3 Hobby/obsession
4 No
5 Definitely, I am a gardener as well and the two complement each other
6 Seeing my bees filling lots of supers
7 A profitable hobby
8 No, we need them to remain strong and healthy
9 By trying to disturb them as little as possible, only the most necessary quick inspections
10 Not sure what that means
11 There seem to be enough people taking up beekeeping though not all stick at it

 

[pargyle]

1. A life changing event in my case.

2. Local association course, a mentor, other beekeepers, this forum, books.

3. A challenge, a new direction, a satisfying and enthralling hobby.

4. Not particularly - my family at best tolerate my bees, at worst hate them. my father kept bees when I was young .. although I helped I lacked interest.

5. Totally to the point of obsession.

6. Seeing, smelling and hearing a healthy strong hive ripening nectar on a summers evening.

7. A hobby that one day might cost me nothing.

8. Beekeeping is a thriving and living craft, some elements are of museum quality - some aspects should be consigned to history.

9. I spread the word about pesticides and their use, forage for pollinators in general and the general damage we are doing to our environment to anyone who will listen.

10. I don't see why it should ? It's not a dying craft - there are many crafts that are dying out that need promoting and people to pass them on.

And finally

11. No .. beekeeping is thriving and there is more interest from non-beekeepers than ever before .. and a huge interest from young people who, hopefully, will become the beekeepers of the future.