LIVING BEEKEEPING HERITAGE EXPERIENCES
Nikos Birlirakis, one of the last traditionalists
Apiaries like the one of Nikos Birlirakis, in Mikra Anogia, Rethymno, are hard to find. Because, in this apiary, among the modern hives, some of the last remaining clay hives with movable honeycombs, the traditional Cretan vrakia, are also in use. Nikos, an experienced beekeeper and culture enthusiast, learned the traditional beekeeping method by his father, and by old beekeepers in the area. Wishing to preserve and develop the method, he also practiced it himself. In his apiary, Nikos, in addition to some vrakia that he has inherited, he also placed replicas of old vraskia, which were made for BEELOSOPHY by the traditional potter Markos Dandolos in Margarites, Rethymno.
The importance of our visit
Visiting the apiary of Nikos Birlirakis, we were lucky enough to learn and record the traditional beekeeping method with movable-comb hives, which is a cultural heritage of our country. The movable-comb hives used in this method were popular in ancient Greece in the 3rd century B.C., if not earlier. They became known in the West in the 17th century and still remain in use in Greece to this day. These hives had a decisive influence on the development of global beekeeping. Indeed, Lorenzo Langstroth in the United States of America was based on the Greek movable-comb hives to define the bee space and create the modern frame hive in 1851, which has become the most popular in the world.
The vraski and its use
Nikos exhibited an old vraski, a family heirloom, and explained to us how we build, place and handle the canons (top bars-slats). He spoke to us about strong bee colonies that, depending on the season, might seal the ventilation hole just above the entrance of the hive with propolis. About branches of ferns, mastic, plane trees or oleanders that are placed on (or under) the saliera (top cover) to provide shade during the hot summer months, and much more. Then, Nikos inspected a beehive populated with bees and presented us with details of the method.
Transferring bees from a modern hive to a vraski
Live in front of us, and with the help of his daughter Evangelia, Nikos transferred a bee colony from a modern hive to a vraski!
[It should be noted that, as traditional beekeeping is on the verge of extinction, the transfer process that is widely known is the reverse one, that is, the transfer from a traditional to a modern hive. Therefore, the specific demonstration and recording of the transfer process that we performed has a special value for the safeguarding of the traditional beekeeping method, as well as for its transmission through formal or informal educational measures].
For the swap, we cut pieces of honeycomb from a bee colony established in a modern hive, with all the brood and food reserves, and temporarily fastened them on the canons. The bees will secure the honeycombs permanently, and remove the ties (for fastening the honeycomb pieces on the canons, fig leaves or peels or stems of other plants, string or tape, etc. can be used). Finally, we gave life to a hive, by placing the canons in it, along with the entire population of bees. We then left the colony undisturbed to rebuild and settle in its new, "furnished" home.
Manolis Spitadakis, traditional beekeeper
In the apiary of Nikos Birlirakis, another bearer of traditional beekeeping with vraskia, the old beekeeper Manolis Spitadakis, told us stories of his time. Manolis, as he remembers, placed the hives in southeastern spots, so that they would bask in the morning sun and for many hours a day. He spoke to us with admiration about the "first" (queen bee), and conveyed to us the difficulties of the profession with the means of the time. Among his stories, one that has not been recorded in other parts of Greece is the habit of feeding the beehives with sugar on a slice of bread placed inside the hive.
Other bearers of traditional beekeeping
During our tour in Crete, while conducting primary research, we also met other practitioners of the traditional beekeeping method with mobile-comb hives. In Zoniana, Ioannis Sopasis gave us a tour of his apiary, where two colonies of bees currently live in vraskia. At the "Apithano" apitourism business in Melidoni, Mylopotamos, Crete, Christos Andrikos showed us hives that he keeps as exhibits, so that visitors can learn about the beekeeping tradition.
Through the cultural action "Traditional beekeeping with mobile-comb hives", BEELOSOPHY creates audiovisual material and assumes activities which encourage actors in Crete and other regions of Greece to get to know, safeguard, preserve and transfer the traditional method, gain inspiration and knowledge, and enrich beekeeping activities, cultural and alternative tourism and related activities.