The countryside of the Tuscan Maremma is one of the most beautiful settings that nature can offer. There is a rich heritage of beekeeping and honey production.

Beekeeping

Beekeeping or apiculture is the maintenance of honey bee colonies, commonly in man-made hives, by humans. A beekeeper (or apiarist) keeps bees in order to collect their honey and other products that the hive produces (including beeswax, propolis, pollen, and royal jelly), to pollinate crops, or to produce bees for sale to other beekeepers. A location where bees are kept is called an apiary or "bee yard."
Depictions of humans collecting honey from wild bees date to 10,000 years ago.[2] Beekeeping in pottery vessels began about 9,000 years ago in North Africa.[3] Domestication is shown in Egyptian art from around 4,500 years ago.Simple hives and smoke were used and honey was stored in jars, some of which were found in the tombs of pharaohs such as Tutankhamun. It wasn't until the 18th century that European understanding of the colonies and biology of bees allowed the construction of the moveable comb hive so that honey could be harvested without destroying the entire colony.

YouTube | Bees in the garden - Catching a swarm of bees at Casa Vacanze Podere Santa Pia