is thinking of keeping bees next year,
I thought I would post this, beekeeping
has been carried out in China since at least the 2nd century AD, and roughly
half of the world’s supply of honey comes from the Asian country, but few know
that over 80% of the native bee population is now extinct. The introduction of
the European honey bee (Apis Mellifera) is considered the main cause of the
drastic decline of native Chinese bees. It has brought viral diseases, has
been known to attack Chinese honeybee hives, the photograph above is of the
cliff-hanging hives of the Shennongjia Nature Reserve, which make up one of the few
protected sanctuaries in the country, photograph Facebook,
the 700 wooden boxes are perched on the side of a
steep cliff wall, about 4,000 feet above sea level, because the
hives are so densely packed together, in order to reach the higher ones,
beekeepers have to use the lower boxes as steps, while trying to keep their
balance. The ones near the top can only be accessed by rope, from the top of
the cliff. It’s a difficult task, but a necessary one, as the location of the
beehives in an inaccessible place is meant to protect their inhabitants and
their honey from bears, thankfully in Beckenham there are no bears!
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