La Tour De Apiculture
France boasts a rich beekeeping history that dates back thousands of years. In the Cevennes mountains, traditional "bee shepherds" housed the native black bees in hollowed chestnut logs, showcasing their deep connection to the land and its natural resources - a cultural heritage that is actively preserved today. Meanwhile, in other regions, classic straw skeps were widely used.
The honeybee is one of the oldest symbols of French royalty and was adopted by Napoleon as the prominent emblem of his imperial court.
During the 19th and early 20th century, worldwide advancements in beekeeping took place (often to the detriment of the honeybee). A number of French beekeepers were at the forefront of these developments.
French born Charles Dadant 1817-1902.
Designer of the Dadant hive.
George De Layens 1834-1897. Creator of the worlds most populat horizontal hive.
Emile Warre 1867-1951. Inventor of the Warre hive.
Today, modern beekeeping has a strong foothold in France, with an estimated 2,000+ commercial beekeepers (managing over 150 hives each) and around 70,000 semi-professional or hobbyist beekeepers operating across the country. In their quest to maximise honey production, beekeepers have turned to massive queen imports, such as the highly productive Italian bee (Apis mellifera ligustica). This practice has triggered widespread cross-breeding, severely diluting the pure genetic strain of the native black bee.
Black Bee Conversation
Efforts are however being made to protect the native black bee, with a number of dedicated conservatories and protected sanctuaries. These areas typically only allow local dark bee colonies, prohibit the importing on non-local queens and restrict the moving of hives and artificial over-feeding.
One notable scheme is the Cevennes Black Bee Conservatory, which was established in 2008 in the Lozere region of France. It oversees approx. 150 colonies and focuses on preserving heritage practices, such as traditional trunk hives carved from chestnut trees and sheltered by schist slabs.
On a remote island off the coast of Brittany, Quessant Island is a protected UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, managing around 150 hives, and a dedicated species sanctuary for the Breton Black Bee.
On a recent trip to France, I thought it would be an ideal opportunity to connect with some like-minded bee guardians and explore what was happening in their regions.
Adam Wright - Custos Apium Jennifer Rident - Bee & Straw Ecole De Nature - Cap De Sour
Adam and his wife Karin have lived in the La Creuse area of France for over 20 years. Their bee journey began with a single hive in their back garden and soon progressed to learning about bees living in the wild. Realising many of their natural habitats were disappearing, Adam started making rewilding hives as longterm nesting sites with the aim of increasing the population of feral bees for years to come.
Jennifer Rident is a master skep maker, apiculturist, and biodynamic farmer based in central France. She is very highly regarded as one of the top experts in her field. Jennifers modern skeps are significantly heavier and warmer than traditional designs, increasing the overwinter survival rates of honeybee colonies. She is also well known for her modified version of Guenther Mancke's Sun Hive.
Located in the foothills of the Pyrenees, Cap De Sour is where Bas, Mary, and their family are creating a commune to enable locals to support one another. Nearby, in the village of Moulis, exists a unique democratic school, 'Ecole De Nature', for students aged 6 to 18. This student-led learning approach emphasises a strong connection to nature and the environment. The introduction of an Eco Tree Hive will serve as a focal point for this community spirit 'a colony of bees working tirelessly for the good of each other.'
What lays ahead?
If there is one thing that struck me after this trip around France, it was the speed at which our environment is changing. Adam and Karin chose the La Creuse area of France because of its climate, which featured reliable levels of rainfall and thriving vegetation. Today tells a different story. They have noticed a considerable change within the last seven years. “We had no issues here until our winters started getting drier and shorter, and the summers started getting longer and hotter.”
Walking across one of Jennifer's fields, I have a vivid recollection of it resembling a desert, just dry dust. Efforts to grow their own vegetables were a disaster. This was further emphasised while I was driving through central France, witnessing acres of wilted sunflowers; it was both heartbreaking and very worrying.
Globally, honeybees and other wildlife face significant challenges, climate change being one of them. The more projects there are to help protect wild colonies of honeybees, the greater the chances for their survival, through adaptation. They have succeeded quite successfully for millennia, so why not now?
Simon Kellam. NBKT.
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