Beekeeping is both a science and an art

When many ithe word "beekeeper" conjures up images of a man in a white spacesuit, like an astronaut, armed with a fat man and a smoke pipe in his hand. Well, or at least a man wearing a huge helmet on his head, because you have to protect your head. But when you meet beekeeping brothers Ignas and Vilius, all your previous knowledge of bees and beekeeping disappears. And if at the beginning you are still trying to hope for some kind of protection against bees, or argue that you will not go within a hundred metres of the hive, after half an hour you don't even feel your beliefs crumbling. Where it doesn't crumble is when you see brothers in T-shirts hugging their darlings close to their chin or gently stroking their bees. That's what the beekeeping brothers are like - to bees as well as to man - sincere, simple and without unnecessary armour. After all, it is not for nothing that our ancestors believed that only a good, non-evil person could be a beekeeper. Today, the Brothers enjoy a large modern apiary and their Brothers' Honey products, which are distributed all over the world. But in the beginning it was a bit different - just a few handmade hives and a lot of desire, love and belief in what you do. But let's start from the beginning.

From the old hive to modern beekeeping

When it all started, no one, not even the twins themselves, believed that it would turn into a lifelong purpose and passion. Before they reached adulthood, the brothers brought an old beehive from their grandparents' farm and caught their first swarm. Even then, they had the courage to deftly unhook the cocoon from the tree and move the worker bees into their hive. And so began, so to speak, love at first sight, which grew hive by hive. From frame to hive, the brothers do everything themselves. And you can tell that they are really handy from the sculpture of Bubilo, the god of bees and honey, which they have carved themselves in the apiary.

Beekeepers need not only hard-working hands, but also a head full of ideas to take beekeeping a step further. The brothers, who have turned beekeeping from a hobby into a craft and a passion in life, did not stop at the first hurdle, and they are still generating new ideas for Brothers' Honey products today. And while there are no limits to improvement, the brothers' apiary already boasts the latest equipment. After all, when you love hard, you have nothing to spare. Whether it is that love or a genuine belief and interest, the Brothers' Apiary has become not only a modern apiary, but also a National Quality Honey. One thing is for sure: the road from the hive to the apiary has not been easy, but it has been very interesting and challenging, and the 150 hives are proof that all the effort has paid off. And most importantly, the beekeeping brothers can do what they love.

Over almost a decade of beekeeping, the brothers say they have not only a love but also a respect for bees and their work. We humans have something to learn from them - they work "to the death", i.e. until the end of their lives. The fruits of such toil are to be highly valued. That is why quality storage and packaging - from the original labels to the hexagonal jars that replicate the honeycomb's eyes - contribute to the extraction of top quality honey. Everything seems to have been thought of. It is obvious that a lot of thought has gone into making it stand out. Above all, a non-commercial approach to bees and their products. After all, happy bees - even honey - have vibes of happiness and positivity. And this significantly enhances the positive effects of honey and other bee products.    

Bees and beekeepers are like a family

When brothers interact with bees in a loving and respectful way, you first wonder and then admire. And indeed, in their hands the bees look like little loving balls of fluff, rising and falling with a gust of wind. Many of the brothers in the apiary have lost their fear of bees, made friends with them and even learned something about themselves. And the secret here is very simple. Bees are very similar to humans. They live in colonies where they take care of each other, have their own duties, their own character. Like mother, like family. So the secret of calm and cosy bees is high quality, selective, calm and good-natured queens who carry that meekness around the hive and pass it on to their offspring. Don't be fooled - even the calmest queen will use her weapon if she senses danger, so approach them with the right attitude. Going to the apiary should be done, as they say, with a clear conscience and a clear head. Bees, like all animals, are sensitive to the vibrations we give off, so "as you call, so they respond".

Beekeepers breed and select their own queens to ensure the quality of their bees, as well as importing queens from other European apiaries. To the uninitiated, bees seem like simple creatures, but they are actually very different. These differences determine both their behaviour and the honey they produce, pollen and other bee products content, resistance to diseases and parasites, swarming tendency and other traits important to beekeepers. So, a good queen is half the job of starting a colony. Young beekeepers (although you wouldn't call them that in their experience) help anyone to build a cosy colony by selling their selected, fertilised queens.

It's good to share

If you have the image of a wise beekeeper with a grey beard, we must disappoint you. The beekeeping brothers debunk many myths about beekeepers and willingly share their knowledge. Perhaps it is a mission of sorts - to bring people closer to nature, to dispel stigmas and unfounded fears about bees. And often, it is more courageous for young people to communicate with young people. That's why the brothers teach the secrets of beekeeping to everyone, from kindergarteners to grandparents. Their educational sessions, where you can make a real wax candle, spill a toy, etc., are gaining more and more popularity and interest. Little ones are meticulously making candles and taking an interest in the life of bees. Who knows, maybe one day, as they grow older, they will start with one hive and contribute to the promotion of this very old craft.

The beekeeping brothers, who are not short of ideas, first share their latest ideas with family, friends and neighbours, then test them ten times and only on the 11th "cut" them - in the court of their customers. This is how the world saw honey delicacies - honey with freeze-dried fruit and berries. This much-loved and praised product is suitable even for those who are not particularly fond of honey - flavoured with fruit or berries, it produces a sweet, fragrant, beautifully coloured custard. It is especially loved by little sweet tooths, while parents enjoy the reduction in sugar or sweets. In a similar way, the following have also seen the light of day vacandles, which used to make the closest ones happy, now travel around every Lithuanian home, spreading warmth and helping to nurture the family hearth. The brothers have even taken the trouble to make Christmas wax toys for the cosiness of their home, and have been decorating their own Christmas tree with them for years. The smell, they say, is indescribable. There are pleasant rumours that we will soon be able to see a natural beauty product made by the brothers and tested for months by the fairer sex. The beekeepers were quick to divulge the other ideas that were in their heads and hearts. One thing is for sure, they will not stop creating and sharing. As they say themselves, beekeeping is a craft about family and for family, so they and their customers are one big family. And a family wants all the best - the best quality honey, healthy desserts, a cosy environment, pleasant communication and a feeling of being welcome and needed.

If you ever go to a local fair and see faces that are warm and far too young (in the opinion of many) to be beekeepers, they are most likely to be beekeeping brothers. If your children tell you about interesting lectures about bees in kindergarten or school, it's probably the beekeeping brothers. If you ever read an article about the love of bees, it might have been written by our beekeepers. Well, if not, when you want to warm up and drive towards Kupiškis, visit the Brothers' Honey Apiary. Not only for the delicious honey, but for the sense of family that comes with even a short visit. "Brothers' Honey is much more than honey. It is a message about family warmth and communication, mutual help, respect for bees and honey, love for Lithuania and for people.