Bortnichestvo is ... Forest Beekeeping in the Ancient Slavs

For the whole history of mankind the most urgent and important problem was the organization and extraction of food resources. That is why people in ancient times constantly thought about looking for new sources of food.

Gifts of nature in the pantry

Beginning in this plan was the gathering (beekeeping is one of the varieties of collecting gifts of nature). Our ancestors found ready-made fruits, then to consume them for food or to try to save. Over time, they learned to ennoble some plant cultures, using their seeds for subsequent breeding in exactly the place where it was convenient for a person.

As for the consumption of animal food, people were content not only with meat. It is about the use of milk, which produces some animals, as well as specific ingredients that are beneficial to humans. Honey of wild forest bees since time immemorial is used not only for food, but also for healing.

Medosbor - the oldest craft

The process of collecting honey is known from time immemorial. History is silent about the exact date of occurrence of such a fishery, as forest beekeeping. It is only known that the wild tribes that lived in the 4-7 century BC, have already tried to put the product of this product on stream.

Ancient people, constantly hunted in the forest, noticed that very often bees use hollows for their nests in large trees. The hive in the hollow, taking into account the fact that in the forest there are a lot of large predators who also like to eat honey, was located at a rather high altitude. Here, it should also be noted that bees have chosen for their homes deaf forest thickets to restrict access to local fauna. Therefore, the beekeeping of the ancient Slavs required the application of extraordinary efforts to deliver a nutritious delicacy to its destination.

Bortnichestvo - the oldest occupation of man

As in the case of plants, the seeds and fruits of which were used for food, the production of honey from forest hives eventually developed into a more cultured form. Initially, the fundamentals of beekeeping were a set of natural duples, which were simply selected on a territorial basis. Subsequently, people learned how to make artificial nests.

Bortnichestvo - a craft to create a human hollow (it was called "board") for the reproduction of bees. As a rule, the beads were created in living trees, it was they who could provide bees with coolness in the summer and a relative warmth in winter, which the creatures love so much. It would be superfluous to note that people specially chose the most productive for the breeding of bees forest tracts. That is why wild bees eventually became more likely to occupy artificially created hollows. Which, in turn, allowed people to place them at their own discretion.

How hives were arranged

So gradually, taking into account natural factors, beekeeping in Ancient Rus began to mean not only the collection of honey, but also partly the regulation of its quantity and taste qualities. Borti, as a rule, were arranged in trees not less than 1,5-2 meters in diameter. It was this plant that was able to successfully withstand the weight of the entire structure.

Much attention was paid to the height of the location of the hive. They tried to place them as high as possible on the tree because of the numerous forest inhabitants who did not mind eating honey. The optimal height was not less than 6 meters, so the work of the bortnik required quite a good physical preparation, and in the people was considered a difficult and risky business.

The time interval, when the development of beekeeping in Russia, is 4-7 centuries BC. The well-known and still form this fishery acquired with the advent of mankind of iron tools, which was needed for the successful processing of trees for the installation of hives.

It is also interesting that the iron devices for the installation of beads made in the 10th century practically did not change their structure to this day. On the basis of this, it can be concluded that it was in those early times that the optimal arrangement of the entire borticulture was selected.

Bortnik is a man educated and tempered

If we talk about nuances, then bortnichestvo is a rather privileged and partly mysterious craft. The knowledge associated with this fishery was, as a rule, family and was inherited. Medosbor demanded a kind of unity with nature in order to cognize it. After all, they arranged the sides only in those forest places where honey trees grew. To determine such a location, ancient artisans needed to have a rather large range of botanical and biological knowledge.

And if we take into account that the sites suitable for fishing were sometimes deaf in the thicket, then they were a great courage, since in those days predators often met in the forests. In general, bortnichestvo in Russia - it was a revered occupation. Certain closeness and isolation of people engaged in honey collection from ordinary people caused admiration and respect. About bortnikah were composed bylina and fairy tales, in which they were called "squirrels" for the ability to deftly climb trees. They were credited with the skills of healers and guides for using the medical properties of different types of honey.

Devices and mechanisms

It should be noted that beekeeping is not only strength, dexterity and observation, but also a toolkit that has been improved and modernized over time. If primitive scrapers and ropes were used in the very old epoch by the pilots, then in the process of developing this profession the working arsenal has considerably expanded. To work with bees, for example, there were special masks that protected bortnik faces from bites. These masks were usually made from horsehair, and the secrets of weaving were passed on from generation to generation.

As for the direct installation of the airborne, then the main element, of course, was a special hatchet with which the "room" for the bees was hollowed out. In addition, the chisel, sets of special scrapers and ring-shaped knives were actively used.

In order to make a borten, one had to climb a tree. There were several ways of lifting. Some bortniki used a system of leather belts, more often ropes (in very few cases - stairs). However, the most common and effective way that the history of beekeeping knows is the use of special spikes and claws. They were put on hands and feet. By hooking the tree trunk and gradually pulling up the bortnik reached the desired height.

Performance

After the manufacture of the board, he was allowed to stand, sometimes it took several years. Bees do not like the smell of fresh wood and are reluctant to plant in such nest places. An interesting fact is that a well-made board could last a very long time. There were cases when the age of the found "working" hives reached several hundred years.

Speaking about productivity, it should be noted that on average one hive gave from 30 to 50 kg of honey per year. Considering that one artisan could serve several dozen sides, the total volume is impressive even for our days.

Protection against animal attacks on honey

It is clear that such wealth had to be somehow protected. After all, hunters to eat a sweet "potion" among the animals was quite a lot. Unfortunately, the biggest honey lover climbs trees very well. It's about an ordinary bear. As a rule, it was he who ruined and destroyed the airborne. To combat this clever and dangerous predator, artisans developed a whole security system, which should be discussed in more detail.

The most common way that guarded against tree-climbing predators was a fairly simple mechanism. At the level of the entrance to the beetle, an impressive log was attached. When the bear reached the level of the entrance, it was necessary for him to remove the interfering obstacle. Given the weight of the log, the bear had to make significant efforts to move it, thus causing a sway. As a result of the pendulum movements of the log, as a rule, the bear was on the ground.

Another rather original way of saving honey in the side was to arrange a small platform that was suspended at the entrance level. In order to penetrate the vault, the bear had to sit down on a structure, the attachment of which was made in such a way that it could not withstand the weight of the beast. As a result, he found himself on the ground.

End of fishing

Unfortunately, the Slavonic beardedness ended in the late 19th century. First of all, this was influenced by environmental factors. The actively developing heavy engineering industry required a reduction in forest resources. For obvious reasons, there are practically no arrays for arranging the boards. And the available forests to support this fishery were already quite far away, which negated the possible profit from the production and sale of honey products.