Discover The Typical Day Of A Beekeeper

"I am the owner of the company Miele Astorino on Lake Como and have been a full-time beekeeper for five years now, but my love for bees goes back many years before that. We are talking about almost 30 years of love, passion and dedication for bees. I have cultivated a passion for bees since I was a child. The first time I saw these little insects I was about 5/6 years old. At the time, my neighbour had them, and from that moment on, I was thunderstruck. From there it was love at first sight and that memory is still vivid in my memory, indelible in my mind. Even today, every time I open a beehive, I look at it with the same childlike eyes and the same enthusiasm. I open hundreds of beehives and never once do I feel like saying 'I just can't do it today', because even though it is a tiring job, I always put enthusiasm and commitment into looking after and discovering the world of bees, which is always changing and always different. I could call it a real drug!"

"I would like to make a premise. Behind a single jar of honey, there really is a lot of work and sacrifice, as well as unknowns and risks, on the part of beekeepers. A typical day, particularly in spring and summer, is dictated by the data that the scales identify. On my hives, I have installed 3Bee scales that allow me to remotely monitor my hives. This way, even if I am not present in the apiary every day, I can follow the production trend and understand when it is necessary to intervene. The scale data, which I display at 10 o'clock in the evening, shows me how to organise my day. If the data is positive, it means that I get up very early in the morning and start moving the bees to the best blooms, while if the data is negative, it means that I have to concentrate on other locations where the bees are in high activity and are working harder."

"This, of 2021, is a very difficult season, where until May not much was produced. The blooms all started late and above all were concentrated, almost all of them, in the same period. This involves moving the hives at the right time, and the scales in this activity really make a big contribution. If I have an apiary in the plains that is doing millefiori and the import data on the scales drops, I have to take the hives and move them to the mountains. I get up at 3 a.m., get behind the wheel of my truck and drive to the hives' location. I close the bees, load them into my pick-up and take them to where the most important flowering is, which is giving nectar. Once there, I unload my bees, open the hives and return to the location. So if you have adopted a 3Bee hive and you notice from the application that the weight goes to zero, don't worry, the bees are not gone, simply the beekeeper is taking care of them."

"When you move the bees it's always an adventure! You know when you leave, but you don't know when you return. I'll tell you this. Once I happened to get 'bogged down' with my van on a piece of land. It was 2 a.m. and I started calling for help to get out of the situation. I could not untie the bees, because the van was so tilted that they would have fallen. More than a laughing situation, this was a panic situation! Another time, my brother-in-law and I were unloading bees, a routine activity, but we saw two lights approaching us. I asked who they were, but they did not answer. Seized with fear, we left the bees and got back into the truck. Eventually we realised it was the donkeys coming towards us. Laughter yes, but also a bit of fear."

"I'll start by telling you that the most boring job is definitely honey extraction. However, doing for work what I enjoy most in life, it is difficult to find anything bee-related that I don't enjoy at all. I think I put the same enthusiasm into everything. There is no routine in the beekeeping trade, nothing is the same and nothing is predictable. It has to be said that affections are neglected, as you are only focused on the bees and devoting time to other people is difficult, especially during the production months. I dedicate myself all day to the bees. But in autumn and winter I can be more present."

"In autumn and winter, as is normal, work drops, but we beekeepers, like bees, never stop. We slow down, but we don't stop! In the autumn, I dedicate myself to material maintenance, stock work and packaging. When I have to pot, I get up early in the morning and go to the workshop. I tend not to pot all the honey straight away, I prefer to let it decant in the ripener, especially acacia and chestnut which do not crystallise. There are honeys that tend to crystallise, but many customers find it hard to accept crystallised honey. To try to provide the best possible product, I prefer to package the honey in several batches, not concentrating this activity in a certain period, but performing it throughout the autumn and winter."

"Every day! Every evening I get a notification with all the updated data. During the evening is the perfect time because the bees return to the hive and so I can check the exact weight." We would talk for hours with Salvatore, the world of bees is so full of surprises and interesting details. A short interview to explain why you should choose a 3Bee hive and its bees. Adopting a hive and supporting bees means making a real contribution to beekeepers. If you haven't done so yet adopt a hive or give it as a gift. You can monitor the health of the bees, just like the beekeeper does, and enjoy the precious honey they produce. Choose your favourite honey and beekeeper! We look forward to showing you the great work of bees in the hive.