02 Jun Beekeeping course in Bulgaria

It is a Saturday morning. We are in the village Rezhantsi, very close to Breznik – 10 young people, dressed in special protective suits, line up to get acquainted with the apiary. Their mentor Ivo Sotirov introduces them to the intricacies of the craft, tells them his personal story and his experience in the honey and beekeeping business. He himself has a shop where he sells all kinds of bee products. He started with 5 hives, inherited from his father, and today he stands in front of the future beekeepers and serves as an example with his perseverance and dedication.

Young boys and girls approach with timid curiosity. Some of them are facing bees and hives for the first time in their lives, while others were involved in this craft by their parents and grandparents. Beekeeping is well known in this region and is especially beautiful when the craft is passed down from generation to generation.

The most pleasant surprise from the first meeting with the future beekeepers is a 60-year-old woman who, although she cannot fulfill the conditions as a participant of the project, wants to be engaged in beekeeping. She asks questions, gets excited and wants to know. She is a real inspiration for young people and an example of strength of spirit and ambition.

It remains to be seen which of the young people will take the path of starting their own business and which will be engaged in beekeeping mainly as amateurs! The best is yet to come.