Discover Moldova with #MOLDPRES: Apitherapy, excursion with tasting honey at bee garden from Moldova's Forests

The spouses Victoria and Eugen Sobol started their business with bees in 2013, having only five swarms and presently they are happy to receive visitors at their own rural and bee boarding house titled, La Albinuța (At the Bee) from the bee garden of the Forests – an attractive destination specially made for children. So, this week, we invite you to the Bravicea village, central Calarasi district.     

Two years ago, the Sobol spouses bought a parental house with an age of 70 years and arranged a leisure area in its yard. After getting a grant, they managed to buy a belvedere, an energy generator, 20 beehives with 20 queens and several small houses for apitherapy.     

„This yard was abandoned during 20 years. When we came here, it was in a lamentable state. As late as this year, we can say that the change is noticed much. Starting from last May, we began receiving visitors, especially groups of children; coaches come from schools, colleges. Usually, Eugen deals with the excursion to bees and me – with the honey’s tasting,’’ Victoria said.  

Eugen has education in apiculture, as he finished the vocational school from Bubuieci and Victoria had education in economics and finance and graduated from the Banking and Financial College.    

„As we say, this is a perfect correlation, as both the part of production and the one dealing with accountancy are needed for a business,’’ Victoria noted.     

If the number of visitors is stable and there is continuity in this respect, the spouses plan to employ staff; yet, for the time being, only they are dealing with everything.

After a short introduction, Victoria prepared us for the excursion to the beehives. We put on the protection hats and went to prepare the device for smoke.    

„When bees feel the smell of smoke, they suppose that there is a fire in the neighbourhood and to save the bees and the queen, they think that they will have to leave the beehive. Therefore, the bees go down to frames to eat and accumulate enough energy,’’ Victoria said.   

One bee family is in the beehive, i.e. about 60,000 bees, among which a queen, the working bees and drone bees. It is curious for us to learn that a summer bee lives about 40 days because of overwork, while the winter bee can live up to seven months. The queen is an exception, which lives up to five years, due to the royal jelly.    

We had occasion to see it. The queen differs from other bees through a red marking put on the back.  

Small houses for apitherapy are set nearby the beehives.

„In fact, we have a double therapy here. First of all, the therapy with buzzing takes place, which is equivalent to the white sound which calms our nervous system and  secondly, there is the aromatherapy - it is good to sleep at least two hours on these beds, inspiring the smell from inside a beehive,’’ Victoria explained us.    

We finished the excursion with the tasting of honey at the Big House. Victoria told us in detail about those four types of honey suggested, about how the wax sheet is set in frames and how the honey is extracted.  

„Next year, we plan to organize the laboratory and the children will have occasion to extract honey by themselves,’’ Victoria also said.  

Besides the honey, we also tasted the pollen taken from flowers by bees and the virgin wax ‘’prepared’’ by them.   

„If pollen is the flour, then the virgin wax represents the bread of the bee. The pollen which gets in the beehive is put on honey comb and pressed. And then it is fermented at the beehive’s temperature during three months – this is the protein food of the young bee,’’ Victoria noted.   

Other bee products proposed by the entrepreneurs for sale are the tincture of propolis, royal jolly, drone bee jolly and the tincture of dead bees. Each of them has its benefits. For instance, tincture of bees is put on articulations and removes the pain.     

„The dead bees are put in alcohol; thus, the venin is propagated in their body. The recipient should be agitated; afterwards, the tincture is put on joints. The venin gets into the skin and enhances the circulation of blood, which diminishes the pain,’’ Victoria said.      

The family participates in diverse topic-related fairs and events in Romania, where it is received with open arms each time.  

The Moldpres team told you only some of the curiosities and you will learn the rest in your own excursion. Find time and relax in the middle of the nature, in a village embraced by hills and discover the fascinating world of bees.