Traces of Honeybees, Api-Tourism and Beekeeping: From Past to Present

Erkan Topal,Mustafa Kösoğlu,Rodica Mărgăoan,Leonora Adamchuk,Giulia Papa,Maria Sorina Dârjan,Ilaria Negri,Mihaiela Cornea-Cipcigan

doi:10.3390/su132111659

Abstract

Throughout history, honey has been used for many different purposes and due to its medicinal properties, has been one of the products marketed by traders. The figure of the bee first appeared in drawings on rock with the history of humanity, then on statues, as a logo, on money or stamps, and also in movies. Beekeeping museums, which present the historical process of beekeeping, also reflect an important culture with their ancient hives, documents, beekeeping materials, and historical antiquities. The contribution of bees to the sustainability of natural life is very important and has a history of 100 million years. The importance of bees and their by-products is increasing day by day, and the demand for the beekeeping industry as alternative income determines the emergence of new products and activities. Based on its health properties, apitherapy is the basis of activities such as api-air and api-diet. In natural regions (i.e., mountainous areas, forests) where beekeeping is carried out, people’s tradition, food culture, and healthy lifestyle attract society’s attention. In this context, api-tourist activity appears as a new phenomenon. In this article, the existing literature was scanned to create a resource about these new fields triggered by the beekeeping sector.

Highlights

Since ancient times, humans have intricately intertwined their existence with bees.The earliest archaeological evidence of humans interacting with bee products traces back to the Paleolithic
Apitherapy is a type of complementary medicine that implies the use of various bee products as therapeutic agents to prevent diseases and/or reduce their development
We evaluate beekeeping apitherapy, beehive air, the use of bee products in nutrition, and several topics that attract tourists’ attention

Summary

Introduction

Humans have intricately intertwined their existence with bees. The earliest archaeological evidence of humans interacting with bee products traces back to the Paleolithic. Following the discovery of the first modern hive, the process of collection honey turned into an activity of animal production controlled by human hands [8]. Apitherapy is a type of complementary medicine that implies the use of various bee products as therapeutic agents to prevent diseases and/or reduce their development. Beekeeping-oriented activities (bee products, apitherapy, beehive air, bee museums, production activities, historical beekeeping activities, images, and others) aim to attract beekeepers and people inclined to earn and increase the sector and country income [15,16,17,18,19]. We evaluate beekeeping apitherapy, beehive air, the use of bee products in nutrition, and several topics that attract tourists’ attention

From Past to Present

Use of Bee Products as Food and Beverages

Apitherapy

Api-Tourism

Findings

Conclusions