Fernandez, Raul

Fernandez, Raul

Raul holds a Master's degree in Agricultural Development and Food Systems from the Institute of Social Studies in The Hague. After completing his studies, he decided to dedicate himself to beekeeping in his family’s region of origin, and he now works full-time in this activity. He began this work in 2018 with 15 hives, and he now manages a traditional beekeeping operation with hives located in the Babia and Luna Natural Park (León) and the Ubiñas-La Mesa Natural Park (Asturias).

artisans,asturiasmap

1991

iain

Spanish

Artisan

579

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current,43.27386,-6.00093650000000;

Scotland

Fernandez, Raul

TEXT

Raul holds a Master's degree in Agricultural Development and Food Systems from the Institute of Social Studies in The Hague. After completing his studies, he decided to dedicate himself to beekeeping in his family’s region of origin, and he now works full-time in this activity. He began this work in 2018 with 15 hives, and he now manages a traditional beekeeping operation with hives located in the Babia and Luna Natural Park (León) and the Ubiñas-La Mesa Natural Park (Asturias).

LAPONTE_PR_08

1201

iao@st-andrews.ac.uk

instagram,https://www.instagram.com/miel_vadabia/;

677 361 264

He was introduced to the craft by his uncle, whom he had been assisting since childhood.

He is accompanied by another young person who is learning the practice.

Carmen Pérez Maestro

male

incomer

His knowledge combines a deep understanding of bee biology, the local landscapes where the hives are placed, and the methods and seasonality of honey extraction.

Born and raised in the Netherlands, from a family originally from Spain, specifically from the village of Babia in the province of León, relatively close (about an hour and a half by car) to where he lives. He carries out his beekeeping work in both mountain ranges, the Leonese and the Asturian.

Wax, hives, and glass jars. Honey is made by the bees through the careful management of the beekeeper.

In the early days, although bees naturally produce wax through specialized glands, the small number of hives meant that wax was scarce. To meet his needs, Raul purchased wax from other beekeepers. One common practice in the beekeeping community is to melt down wax that has already been heavily used by the bees to create new wax blocks, which circulate in a sort of informal marketplace among beekeepers. As his operation grew, he eventually became self-sufficient in wax production. The hives he uses are mostly purchased from Spanish manufacturers, though some were inherited. The honey is collected and stored in glass jars, which are also commercially sourced.

There is nothing disposable in the type of beekeeping Raul practices. Even heavily used wax is not discarded—instead, it is melted down into blocks to be reused in the hives or repurposed for making candles. This circular approach reflects the sustainable and respectful relationship he maintains with both the bees and the environment.

Raúl selects the location of the beehives, which is one of the most critical processes for high-quality beekeeping. In this case, the area is rural and mountainous, situated in protected natural spaces and far from any source of pollution. He has beehives in two locations. In one, the apiary area is protected by an electric fence. In the other, the hives are placed inside a cortín—a traditional stone structure that forms part of the tangible heritage associated with traditional agriculture. Working in the cortín is challenging due to difficult access, poor path conditions, and steep terrain. Once the honey is produced in the hives, Raúl removes the honeycomb frame using a hive tool. In his workspace, he uses a centrifugal machine to extract the honey from the cells. The honey is then filtered to remove wax particles and other debris, and finally packaged for sale.

The smoker, the frame lifter, and the hive tool are essential tools for removing the frames, along with a centrifugal honey extractor machine.

He has a special fondness for an old bellows smoker that he inherited from a friend in Villanueva de Santo Adriano, who had, in turn, inherited it from his grandfather.

In the workshop, he uses electricity and a pellet stove to keep the space warm.

No waste is generated during the management of the hives and the extraction of honey.

He previously used a manual crank extractor, but with the increase in the harvest, he invested in an extraction room (made with stainless steel and powered by electricity) using materials approved by a veterinarian. He built the room by renovating a former stable and installed a pellet stove to keep the space warm. The pellets are sourced from Asturias.

Honey and candles

For sale and personal consumption

At the markets.

None

No

Local people and tourists, mostly from within the country.

No

The only connection he has with tourism is through the sale of his products—honey and candles—at local markets.

–

He belongs to the association Apas (Association for the Protection of the Asturian Bee) and to the association "Estas en Babia", which promotes local products. He also collaborates on a research project involving the Universities of Oviedo, Girona, and León focused on the Asian hornet (Vespa velutina), a predator of bees. Traps have been installed in the areas around his hives to test their effectiveness.

Controlling bee predators—especially the Asian hornet (Vespa velutina)—and repairing the access routes to use the cortines are major concerns for Raúl. He often feels very alone in his profession for several reasons: there are no veterinary services available, he is sometimes forced to sell honey in bulk, and prices are very low. In short, he faces challenges related to the biology and management of the hives, as each hive is a unique world in itself, as well as difficulties around valuing traditional beekeeping practices. Politically, while the importance of honey is promoted, the importation of foreign honey at very low prices is allowed, which harms local production. This has led to the presence of bottling companies that sell very cheap honey of questionable quality. Another challenge is obtaining the official logos of Asturias’s natural parks to place on the honey jars, so buyers can see that the product comes from that mountain area. This requires collaboration between the territorial administration and the people who manage the land.

When he talks about imports from abroad at a very low price, he says: "La gente no entiende que estas colmenas vienen de 1.300 m.s.n.m., y un acolmena no me da 50 kl, me da 20 kl como mucho, ahora la miel no me la compares…. Ante esta situación no hay nada que hacer, excepto el reinventarse..."

See bibliography on beekeeping in Asturias in the file LAPONTE_CP_04.