Beekeeping is both a science and an art

Bitininkystė iš šalies gali atrodyti kaip paprastas amatas: aviliai, bitės, Honey ir sezoninis darbas gamtoje. Tačiau kuo arčiau prie jos prieini, tuo aiškiau tampa, kad čia neužtenka vien drąsos ar geros įrangos. Reikia žinių, kantrybės, pastabumo ir gebėjimo suprasti bičių šeimą beveik taip pat gerai, kaip žmogus supranta savo artimuosius.

Būtent todėl bitininkystė vienu metu yra ir mokslas, ir menas. Mokslas – nes kiekvienas sprendimas turi įtakos bičių sveikatai, šeimos stiprumui ir medaus kokybei. Menas – nes ne viską galima išmokti iš knygų: daug kas ateina tik per patirtį, nuojautą ir daugybę valandų prie avilių.

Šiame straipsnyje pasakojama, kaip meilė bitėms išaugo nuo vieno seno avilio iki šiuolaikinio bityno, kodėl bitininkui svarbios ne tik darbščios rankos, bet ir smalsi galva, bei kuo gyvenimas su bitėmis pakeičia požiūrį į darbą, gamtą ir žmones.

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.

Per beveik dešimtmetį bitininkavimo broliai sako jaučiantys ne tik meilę, bet ir pagarbą bitėms ir jų darbui. Mes, žmonės, turime ko iš jų pasimokyti – jos dirba „mirtinai“, t.y. iki savo gyvenimo pabaigos. Tokio triūso vaisius reikia itin vertinti. Būtent todėl prie aukščiausios kokybės medaus išgavimo prisideda ir kokybiškas medaus laikymas bei pakavimas – nuo originalių etikečių iki šešiakampių, korio akutes atkartojančių, stiklainių. Atrodo, viskas apgalvota. Matyt, kad ilgai galvota ir norėta išsiskirti. Pirmiausia, ne komercišku požiūriu į bites ir jų produkciją. Juk laimingų bičių – net medus turi laimės ir pozityvumo vibracijas. O tai gerokai sustiprina medaus ir kitų bičių produktų teigiamą poveikį.    

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 ir kitų 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 – medus su liofilizuotais vaisiais ir uogomis. Klientų pamiltas ir išgirtas produktas tinka net tiems, kurie ne itin mėgsta medų – pagardinus jį vaisiais ar uogomis gaunamas saldus, kvapnus, gražios spalvos kremas. Jį ypač mėgsta mažieji smaližiai, o tėveliai džiaugiasi mažesniu suvartojamo cukraus ar saldumynų kiekiu. Panašiu būdu dienos šviesą išvydo ir vaško žvakės, kurios, pradžioje džiuginusios artimiausius, dabar keliauja po tūlo lietuvio namus ir skleidžia šilumą bei padeda puoselėti šeimos židinį. Namų jaukumui broliai įsigudrino net Kalėdinius vaško žaisliukus pagaminti, kuriais jau ne vienerius metus ir patys puošia savo eglute. Sako, kvapas – neišpasakytas.  Prie tokių kūrybiškų idėjų šiandien prisideda ir natūralūs gumdrops, kurie tapo vienu iš pamėgtų „Brolių medaus“ gaminių. Sklinda malonūs gandai, jog jau greitai sulauksime brolių gaminto ir dailiosios lyties atstovių ne vieną mėnesį testuoto grožiui skirto natūralaus produkto. Kitų sumanymų, besisukančių jų galvose ir širdyse, bitininkai neskubėjo išduoti. Viena tikrai aišku, jie nesiliaus kūrę ir dalijęsi. Kaip patys sako, bitininkystė – amatas apie šeimą ir šeimai, tad jie ir jų klientai – viena didelė šeima. O juk šeimai norisi viso ko geriausio – aukščiausios kokybės medaus, sveikų desertų, jaukios aplinkos, malonaus bendravimo bei pojūčio, kad esi laukiamas ir reikalingas.

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.