Apicultura artesanal
| Apicultura artesanal | |
|---|---|
| Creator of object | 1204 |
| Contact | iain |
| Size | x x |
| Type | Intangible |
| Omeka | Link |
| Talk Page | Link |
Beekeeping has historically been an integral part of rural life in Asturias. According to the census conducted by the Marquis of Ensenada in the mid-18th century, a total of 65,813 beehives were documented in the region. The cultural and economic relevance of apiculture is reflected in practices such as the inclusion of hives and apiaries in dowries provided by parents to their daughters upon marriage, as well as in testamentary bequests—such as that of Licentiate Juan Sierra de Castañedo (from the municipality of Allande), who in 1659 stated: “a good hive shall be given to the priest attending my death, and if there are two, each shall take one.” The imposition of wax-based tributes by monastic institutions on Asturian peasants further contributed to the entrenchment, expansion, and institutionalization of beekeeping in the region. By 2007, official records indicated the presence of approximately 25,000 beehives within the Principality of Asturias. Of these, 13,232 were registered under the Federation of Beekeepers’ Associations of the Principality of Asturias (FAPI), and were managed by a total of 776 apiarists. Asturias exhibits an average of approximately 15 hives per beekeeper, with a significant number of practitioners operating at small scale. This pattern reveals a high degree of dispersion of beekeeping activity across the Asturian territory. While the overall volume of honey production may be modest, the ecological benefits in terms of pollination, as well as the high quality of bee-derived products—such as honey, pollen, and propolis—underscore the continued importance of apiculture in the region.