7/10/2023 0 Comments Insulating bee hives![]() ![]() When we think of Russian bees, we primarily imagine the “Russian” bee from the Primorsky region, which is likely derived from Carniolan bees that were imported there long ago. Places with wild European dark bees are much more rare these days. Over the years, it has been replaced by the huge infusion of southern races of bees. The European black bee is the native bee of much of northern Europe (England, Ireland, France, Poland, Germany, Russia, etc.). Lazutin’s book describes how, prior to the Soviet era, Russian beekeepers used European black bees. Rather, he relies on good forage away from farms that use pesticides, not feeding, and vigorous bees as well as his extra-deep hives for success. He says that he never uses any kind of treatments for diseases or pests. This led him to beekeeping in traditional Russian hives. As a result, he began researching historical beekeeping to see how things were done in the past. ![]() However, he suffered so many losses that he decided there had to be a better way. However, prior to that, he and his wife, Lena, kept approximately 100 hives in the Kaluga region of Russia (approximately 150 miles outside of Moscow.) The conditions in this region are quite similar in terms of temperature and forage time to Zone 4 in the US (e.g., New Hampshire and Vermont).įedor began his beekeeping career with Caucasian bees in Dadant hives. Sadly, Lazutin passed away this past February from a brain tumor. Sharashkin’s wife is an artist and decorates his hives. (Note: Although Lazutin speaks some English, the talk was in Russian, and translated by his editor, Leo Sharashkin.) The presentation Liedlich gave to our club is based on the talk he heard last year. After reading the book, Liedlich and his wife became fascinated by Lazutin’s ideas and traveled to the Ozarks to hear him give a presentation last fall. Originally published in Russian in 2009, it was translated into English in 2013. The book, as you may have guessed from the author’s name, is by a Russian beekeeper who uses traditional horizontal Russian hives. This Article Comes From Notes of a Presentation By Fedor Lazutin 2013 (just before his death)įor Christmas 2013, David Liedlich mentioned that he gave his wife a copy of the book Keeping Bees with a Smile by Fedor Lazutin. ![]()
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