Biblical bee-keepers picked the best bees

New Scientist ^ | Monday, June 7, 2010 | Shanta Barley

[SunkenCiv]

...hives were not found in the Middle East until 2005 when Amihai Mazar of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem excavated 30 clay cylinders identical to the hives in the paintings, in the ancient town of Tel Rehov... In its heyday, the researchers say, the apiary probably housed up to 200 hives and over 1 million bees. The hives are about 80 centimetres long and 40 cm in diameter. Each one has a hole on one side which would have served as a "bee flap" and a lid on the opposite side to give bee-keepers access to the honeycomb.

The remains of bees were found in two of the hives, but instead of being the Syrian bees, they hailed from what is now Turkey. Importing bees would have been a shrewd business decision: Turkish bees produce up to eight times as much honey as Syrian bees, and are less aggressive.

Turkish bees are used to cool, rainy conditions. "In order to get the bees to thrive in the warm, dry climate of northern Israel, these bee-keepers must have been highly skilled," says Bloch.

In fact, "Jewish settlers in Israel in the 1900s may have unwittingly followed in the footsteps of the ancient bee-keepers of Tel Rehov," says Bloch. When they arrived in Israel, they attempted to farm Syrian bees -- but failed and had to resort to importing the less aggressive Turkish strains.

The Bible refers to Israel as "a land flowing with milk and honey." Because no evidence for bee-keeping had been found until now, "honey" was deemed to mean jam. "Our discovery suggests that this aspect of the Bible may need to be reinterpreted," says Bloch.

[SunkenCiv]

Bees used these holes to enter and exit from the ancient clay hives at Tel Rehov, Israel. (Image: Hebrew University of Jerusalem)

[SunkenCiv]

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[WorkingClassFilth]

Bees are still kept like that all over the world with the exception that many cultures use wooden gums made from tree limbs/trunks instead of fashioning the clay cylinders. Whatever works - the most important thing is probably that the cavity has acceptable dimensions and seems secure the bees. Despite the thousands of years of the human-bee relationship, bees are still not domesticated - the best we can do is to accommodate them and hope that they'll do the rest.

[blam]

I just put two pieces of Bit-O-Honey candy in my mouth.

Hmmm, Hmmmm, hmmm.

[brewcrew]

I LOVE Bit-O-Honeys.

And I haven't had one in, like, a hundred years.

[blam]

"And I haven't had one in, like, a hundred years. "

Me either. I found them in the Dollar store.

I had to slap my hand, I've already had six pieces.

[Ken H]

I saw a nature show about a species of bird in Africa that had learned to lead tribesmen to wild honey. I guess the bees kept the birds from getting it themselves. Anyway, it showed them flying from tree to tree waiting for the men to follow. In return, the men gave the birds generous helpings of the honey.

[JoeProBono]

[Ciexyz]

I rejoice every time I see a honey bee at my clover, because PA lost nearly 90 percent of their bee population in the last several years due to a mold or fungus in the hives.

[JoeProBono]

[bert]

......I rejoice every time I see a honey bee at my clover,.....

2010 is perhaps the best year for white clover in my memory. Yards and the acres of nearby state park grass are covered with white clover blossoms.

Alas, there are no bees. My bees, that is former bees, would be filling a super a week from the bounty. I shake my head in disgust at the waste. All that clover and no, that is none, honeybees.

By the way, I prefer Golden Italians.

[bert]

Irrelevant to the topic.....bumble bee, non honey producer

[JoeProBono]

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks WCF!

orchard mason bee

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