On February 10, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church honors the memory of Great Martyr Haralambos the Wonderworker who lived in the 2 century in Asia Minor. Saint Haralambos is regarded as patron saint of bees and apiarists, as since time immemorial people have relied on honey to cure all kinds of illnesses. Today, honey is sanctified in all Bulgarian Christian temples. It is believed that honey has a greater purifying and healing power when it is sanctified. Unfortunately, industrial agriculture has destroyed much of the lush meadows with blooming wildflowers and herbs. “Nature abounds in nectar. Bees use only 5% of it. The rest of the nectar is evaporated by the sun and washed away by the rain. The question is whether there are enough healthy bees to collect this nectar!” – said long-time beekeeper Georgi Georgiev who keeps bees on the outskirts of the capital city Sofia.

 “Nectar is invisible to the naked eye. It is difficult to measure its quantities and beekeepers must intuitively choose the right moment to place the medium honey super. That is why beekeeping science is very specific. It requires in-depth knowledge. Beekeeping is not for everyone. I got acquainted with beekeeping when I was a student- one of my teachers took me to the local beekeeping society in my hometown of Novi Pazar. I have been actively involved in apiculture since 1987-1988. I found out that we can learn a lot from bees, because they are very hard-working. The bee colony is perfectly organized.  According to researchers, bees appeared 50-150 million years ago. People think that bees sleep at this time of the year. That is not the case- now they are rearing a new generation which should be ready to start collecting nectar by March 22, when plants will be already blooming. Bees pollinate the plants which are a source of food for people and animals.”

• Beekeeping University to help nature lovers take their first steps in the apiculture sector