Pioneer Farm: Bee Happy - Gramada
15/01/2013
Micky lives in the town of Kresna, in the Southwest of Bulgaria. Beekeeping has been in his family for generations, so naturally he kept the tradition and became an apiarist. Now he is taking care of the beeyard all by himself. And he doesn't seem to mind at all.
Micky is the perfect example of a man who truly loves his job. “Communicating with the bees relieves me from everyday tension”, he shares with a smile.
There are 37 bee hives and they produce about 500-1000 kilograms of aromatic herbal honey per year. This is what real honey looks like, just fresh out of the hive.
Times have not always been that good for Micky, though. In the past, the beeyard was often attacked by bears, which destroyed the hives and ate the honey. The problem was solved when he installed an electric fence and since then no unwanted guest dares to come near the bee hives.
Beekeeping however is not the only job that Micky has. He is also taking care of 2 acres of vineyards. From them he makes about 1, 5 tons of wine, both white and red. His white type grapes are Misket while his red type grapes are Melnik 55, Caberne, Merlo. Just like with the bees, Mickey takes care of the vineyard all by himself, including the wine making. He then stores the wine in the basement of his house, in four huge barrels.
Micky also has a big garden where he grows cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers and all other kinds of fruits and vegetables you can think of. As a food aficionado Micky, of course, also grows a lot of spices.
But don`t be fooled, it is not just plants that Mickey pays attention to as he devotes the same patience and dedication to the few pigs and 5-6 sheep that he takes care of.
It will not come as a surprise to say that Mickey is a radiant guy who finds pleasure and fulfillment in rural work. We sincerely hope to meet more and more people like him.
Micky is the perfect example of a man who truly loves his job. “Communicating with the bees relieves me from everyday tension”, he shares with a smile.
There are 37 bee hives and they produce about 500-1000 kilograms of aromatic herbal honey per year. This is what real honey looks like, just fresh out of the hive.
Times have not always been that good for Micky, though. In the past, the beeyard was often attacked by bears, which destroyed the hives and ate the honey. The problem was solved when he installed an electric fence and since then no unwanted guest dares to come near the bee hives.
Beekeeping however is not the only job that Micky has. He is also taking care of 2 acres of vineyards. From them he makes about 1, 5 tons of wine, both white and red. His white type grapes are Misket while his red type grapes are Melnik 55, Caberne, Merlo. Just like with the bees, Mickey takes care of the vineyard all by himself, including the wine making. He then stores the wine in the basement of his house, in four huge barrels.
Micky also has a big garden where he grows cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers and all other kinds of fruits and vegetables you can think of. As a food aficionado Micky, of course, also grows a lot of spices.
But don`t be fooled, it is not just plants that Mickey pays attention to as he devotes the same patience and dedication to the few pigs and 5-6 sheep that he takes care of.
It will not come as a surprise to say that Mickey is a radiant guy who finds pleasure and fulfillment in rural work. We sincerely hope to meet more and more people like him.
