Photo of the Day for April 27, 2012: Traditional Beekeeping I / Палескае бортніцтва I

Traditional Beekeeping (part I).  Традыцыйнае палескае бортніцтва (частка І):  выдзёбваньне новай калоды.

Regrettably the Belarusian tradition of using a hollowed-out section of tree trunk (калода – “kaloda”) as a bee hive has faded.  However, the tradition remains alive in the southern wetlands region of Polesia along the Pripet River (Прыпяць – “Prypjats'”).  Beekeepers place each kaloda, called борць (borts) in the Stolin District where I do much of my photography, either in pine or oak trees in the forest or in their garden.  A kaloda weighs several hundred pounds, so hoisting it into a tree requires deft teamwork as well as strength.  Some beekeepers maintain kalody (bortsi) hollowed out by their forebears a century or more ago.

Here a beekeeper (a math teacher in the local school) continues the arduous work of hollowing out a section of trunk.

Tsjerablichy 2009.  Цераблічы 2009 год.

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