Mehiläishoidon kotiutuminen Suomeen ja vaiheet järjestäytymiseen asti itsenäisyyden ajan alulla

Abstract

The subject of this study is the late introduction into Finland of the traditional Finno-Ugric practice of apiculture, and its modification to suit Finnish conditions. The earliest attempts at bee-keeping, made in the 1750s, showed that bees imported from Estonia were unable to endure the Finnish winter in the traditional bee log. But in the autumn of 1800, the Finnish Society for the Promotion of Economic Activity pioneered the importation of bees from Sweden, which had already moved over to using the straw hive. In this, bee colonies could survive the winter, and prosper. In the 1860s apiculture was influenced by developments in Germany, where J. Dziezon and J. von Berlepsch had developed a hive with a detachable inside, together with new methods of apiculture. With the help of Government backing, the Finnish Society initiated training courses in apiculture; and Pastor Åberg, who had studied in Germany, taught bee-keepers 'the new method' of apiculture in the 1860s. At the turn of the century the high-frame hive developed by the German Fr. Gerstung came into use in Finland. Pastor Mäkinen, who had studied in Eystrup, Germany, under Rudolf Dathe, brought over here the most recent developments in apiculture, and offered instruction to beekeepers in his courses. The sources for this study are the official records of the Finnish Society for the Promotion of Economic Activity, and its correspondence both with the organs of government and with private individuals. From the literature in the field, Swedish, German, and English influences can be identified. Sources for the more recent period are Finnish professional journals and scientific literature.