Overview of posture

Beekeeping and the knowledge of how to keep bees were already an important topic in ancient Rome. Beekeeping also played a major role among the Germanic tribes, but it was primarily mead rather than honey that brought them joy.

Beekeeping underwent a decisive development in the European Middle Ages, when two types of beekeeping were widespread: forest beekeeping ("Zeideln") and domestic or garden beekeeping.

At a height of about six meters, the beekeepers cut cavities in the coniferous wood of the forests, left an entrance hole open and closed this nest with boards.

However, this method of beekeeping was laborious and dangerous, so people soon began bringing the bees closer to people's homes. Initially, woven baskets and log hives (hollowed-out tree trunks) were used for this purpose. However, these methods only allowed honey to be harvested by cutting out the honeycombs, thus damaging the beehive.

It wasn't until the mid-19th century that the American pastor Langstroth developed movable and removable honeycombs in frames. A further advance was the introduction of the honey extractor, which further increased the efficiency of beekeeping.

The development of modern magazines can also be traced back to Langstroth, who, through lengthy research, was able to determine the ideal distance between the movable frames. This finally provided beekeepers with a mobile beehive with which they could transport bees to the best foraging sites and to changing foraging areas.

Traditional Swiss hives are still common in Switzerland today, often found near farmhouses. These permanent bee houses resemble small chalets, with the usually colorful entrance holes for the bees on the outside. Beekeepers can comfortably care for their bees from the inside of these miniature houses.