Beekeeping History
Scroll below to take a trip through time and read about the
major milestones in beekeeping history.
- 13,000BC
13,000 BC - Cave Paintings
Cave paintings dating back to 13,000 BC show humans gathering honey, while surrounded by bees.
Prehistoric
Prehistoric to Ancient
- 13,000 BC
- 3,000 BC
- 384 BC
- 25 BC
Cave Paintings
Cave paintings dating back to 13,000 BC show humans gathering honey, while surrounded by bees.Egyptian Beekeeping
Egyptian written records detail migratory beekeeping up and down the Nile river.Aristotle’s Observations
In Greece, Aristotle’s observations and writings indicate references to foulbrood, enemies of bees, and that honey bees remain constant to flower species on each flight.Virgil
Roman writer, Virgil, describes the sale of propolis for medicinal uses, placement of hives, and the importance of clean water supply for the colony.
1400s
- 1400
Straw Skeps
Straw skeps (woven basket hives) are introduced by Anglo Saxons, replacing fragile pottery hives.
1600s
- 1609
- 1622
- 1637
- 1684
Charles Butler
Charles Butler, a naturalist and beekeeper discovered the ‘King bee’ is actually a ‘Queen bee’. He also discovered that drone bees were male.European Honey Bees Imported
European honey bees were imported to the east coast of America by European settlers.Richard Remnant
English beekeeper, Richard Remnant found that worker bees are female.Martin John
English beekeeper, Martin John, discovered that bees make wax, they don’t gather it.
1700s
- 1792
F. Huber & F. Bumens
F. Huber & F. Bumens, of Switzerland, make scientific observations about queen development, wax gland production, swarming, use of the bees antenna.
1800s
- 1851
- 1853
- 1857
- 1859
- 1861
- 1863
- 1865
- 1866
- 1868
- 1873
- 1878
- 1879
- 1887
- 1891
- 1890
- 1896
Removable Frames
American minister L. L. Langstroth takes a scientific approach to beekeeping and develops a beehive with removable frames that utilize “bee space”L.L.Langstroth
L.L.Langstroth published his classic, “The Hive and the Honey-bee.” European honey bees finally make their way to the U.S. West coast by wagon.
American Bee Journal
The American Bee Journal is established by Samuel Wagner and has been published continuously since that time except for a brief period during the Civil war.Dadant and Sons
Dadant and Sons, Americas oldest and largest supplier of beekeeping supplies is founded in Hamilton, Illinois by Charles Dadant.Centrifugal Honey Extractor
Major Franz von Hruschka of Austria, developed the centrifugal honey extractor, designed for the 10” x 10” Austrian frames.Root’s Extractor
A. I. Root designed centrifugal extractor for Langstroth frames, and put gears from an apple parer on top, thereby giving geared leverage to the user. Root’s extractor was the first all-metal extractor.Moses Quinby
New Yorker, Moses Quinby, developed, but did not patent, the first bellows-type smoker. Gleanings in Bee Culture is started by A. I. RootABC of Bee Culture
A. I. Root published his book, “ABC of Bee Culture.” This book continues to be updated in the present day as “The ABC and XYZ of Bee Culture.”E. C. Porter
E. C. Porter of Illinois, developed the leaf-spring bee escape to clear bees from supers, still in use precisely as designed by Porter.A.I. Root Company
In the late 1890s, the A.I. Root company started selling beekeeping equipment produced by competitor Dadant and Sons.E.B. Weed
E.B. Weed of New York State develops rollers for imprinting a continuous sheet of wax foundation of uniform thickness.
1900s
- 1904
- 1907
- 1919
- 1920
- 1921
- 1935
- 1937
- 1945
- 1946
- 1948
- 1957
- 1984
- 1985
- 1987
- 1996
- 1998
Isle of Wight disease
First observed on the Isle of Wight, a mysterious illness known as ‘Isle of Wight disease’ was seen in honey bees.Migratory Beekeeping
U.S. Beekeeper Nephi Miller moves hives to increase their production, and popularizes migratory beekeeping in the United States.Buckfast Honey Bees
Brother Adam, German born Benedictine monk, (Buckfast Abbey, England) created the first strain of Buckfast honey bees.Wire Reinforcing
Root and Dadant improve on the idea of wire reinforcing the wax foundation.‘Isle of Wight’ Mite
‘Isle of Wight disease’ discovered to be caused by a parasitic mite, know to us as a Tracheal mite.Creamed Honey
Canadian Elton Dyce, developed the creamed honey formulas for soft ‘spun’ semi- granulated honey.Beekeeping for All
The book, “Beekeeping for All”, by Abbe Warre, is printed and introduced the Warre hive.
Tanganyikan Queens
The accidental release of 26 African (Tanganyikan) Queens into Brazil’s feral bee population, begins the spread of defensive Africanized genetics into the Americas.
Africanized Bees
The first Africanized bees in the United States were discovered in the San Joaquin Valley of California. photo: Jeffrey W. Lotz, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Bugwood.org
Small Hive Beetle
The Small hive beetle, endemic to sub-Saharan Africa, introduced into the United States.
Skeps Prohibited
As of this time, most U.S. States prohibited the use of skeps because they can not be inspected for disease and parasites.
2000s
- 2006
Colony Collapse Disorder
CCD or Colony Collapse Disorder was originally found in western honey bee colonies in North America.
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