In ancient Egypt sugar was unknown. The only way to “sweet” was honey. Temples accepted honey as money even though they raised bees in homage to the gods. The golden liquid was used as medicine and in contracts. Beekeeping was so ingrained in Egyptian culture, that as early as 3500 BC the bee was already the symbol of the King of Lower Egypt before the pharaohs ruled.

As they farmed the Nile Valley, migrating through changing conditions, the Egyptians would bring their bees with them to pollinate the crops. As the flowering plants died, they moved the hives up and down the Nile by raft the entire length of Egypt. This tradition continues to this day. For 4500 years, hives have been made of long, stacked tubes of clay or mud.

Join us at HoneyFest 2019 on September 6th, 7th and 8th to learn more about bees in the modern day.