WHAT THE BEE DOES FOR US...

"Make hives in the mountains and in the trees and in what they build"

The Koran.  "The Bee"

The modern-day world is full of new technologies and medical discoveries.  Genetic engineering and nanotechnologies have made great progress, but we have still not learned to watch our health, to live long and happily.  We smoke, our diets are wrong, we do not exercise, we do not sleep properly, we do not improve ourselves and do not develop spiritually.  We have also forgotten that people are part of nature and that our illnesses can often be cured by the simplest things, with which we have been familiar since childhood.  But how often do we resort to them?  One widely known folk medicine remedy is honey.  It is a unique product and one professional Azerbaijani beekeeper said about it:  "Honey can cure everything but death."  But many of us hardly use it in our daily diet, although it would certainly help us.  No substitute for  honey has been invented yet.  This product has a complex chemical composition and huge potential.  Just 50-100 grams a day, combined with a healthy diet, exercise, a normal sleeping pattern and no bad habits, will enable us all to enjoy our lives.  Apply honey externally, eat honey, drink honey, take honey baths, add honey to ice cream, drink it with milk and warm tea, drink the elixir of youth - water, honey and lemon - and you are guaranteed a healthy life.  It is up to us how long and how well we live.  A healthy life style constitutes the meaning of human life and honey is a wonder of nature, created for man and his longevity.  For now, honey is the only product which can extend life by many years...  But this is true only of natural honey, which is very difficult to distinguish from artificial honey.  This is why honey should be bought only from reliable sellers, who have proven themselves in the market.

Not for export

Latif Qinyatoglu is a second-generation beekeeper who is fond of his job.  He has created his own bee-producing empire, the Qinyat Ogullari company, starting from 10 hives which belonged to his father.  Now his company has three apiaries - two in Saki and one in Zaqatala, each with about 200 hives.  On average, the annual honey collection from each hive is between 16 and 20 kilograms.  A graduate of the Moscow State University and a chemist by education, Latif Qinyatoglu got involved in apiculture when he decided that, during the turbulent years of Perestroika and the dissolution of the Soviet Union, it would be difficult to make ends meet and support his family.  In 1995, Qiyatogul decided to start an apiary and move to his house in Saki, despite the scepticism of friends.  Almost 15 years have passed since then, but the years of hard work, in which every new day presented a new test, were not in vain.  Today, Qinyat Ogullari produces high-quality products such as Christ's-thorn, linden, mountain honey, propolis, royal jelly and farina.  And his 13-year-old son, for whom beekeeping has become a way of thinking and a life style, is even more knowledgeable about honey production than most professional beekeepers, and he is very skilled, even in the complex matter of selecting honey bees.

"Beekeeping is a subtle subject, and I cannot say that one must rely solely on the traditions and knowledge of our grandfathers in this field.  Europe is where apiculture began and I would like to stress that Europeans and Americans have made huge progress in this area, thanks to their scientific approach, the latest technology and skilful selection of bees.  I learned all this from literature, most of which is in the English language, and technical assistance provided to Azerbaijani farmers by a USAID project.  USAID sent seven foreign specialists - leading apiculture scientists from the USA - to my farm, and they taught me a great many things.  In addition, in 2001 I visited the USA by invitation of the Virginia Association of Beekeepers, where I underwent extensive training as the owner of a bee farm.  The Americans even invited me to stay to work as a beekeeper for a while, but I refused because I cannot imagine my life without Azerbaijan, Saki and the business which has become the meaning of my life."

Thanks to his profound knowledge of apiculture and honey production, Latif Qinyatoglu is able to produce Christ's-thorn honey, which is unique for its medicinal qualities, at his farm.  The value of this type of honey is that its main source is the Christ's-thorn bloom, which blossoms in late May and early June in the foothills.  And in that period, the number of bees in one colony on most farms in Azerbaijan makes it impossible to collect pollen from the Christ's-thorn blooms - there are not enough workers.  However, thanks to work on selection, Qinyat Ogullari bees become strong enough in time for the blooming of the unique Christ's-thorn tree - this particular variety of tree grows only in Azerbaijan and Georgia.  As a result, Qinyatoglu produces the purest Christ's-thorn tree honey.  "I can say without exaggeration that Christ's-thorn honey can make Azerbaijan rich and famous.  It has a very subtle, delicious taste and flavour.  It is used successfully to treat diseases of the heart, kidneys, nervous system, throat, flu and insomnia.  This is a medicine which can cure all diseases and, therefore, it is very important not to miss the trees' blossoming period.  It is difficult, but we have managed it.  There are a great many subtleties in the field of apiculture.  It is quite an extensive science.  Nonetheless, it is difficult to produce royal jelly, which can be described as a rare product.  For example, in 2009 Azerbaijan's bee farms produced more than 17 kilograms of royal jelly, of which 8 were produced by Qinyat Ogullari; so other farms produced no more than 9 kilograms.  Now can you imagine its value?  What is the secret of Qinyat Ogullari's success?  "You should not economise on equipment or scientific approach.  In 2006, I paid for a working visit to Qinyat Ogullari by Li Qianke, professor at the Apiculture Institute of the Chinese Agricultural Academy.  He taught me the technology for collecting royal jelly and he brought appropriate equipment from China.  And in the future we plan to make Qinyat Ogullari the flagship of royal jelly production in Azerbaijan.  Being professional in this field and sparing no expense on development is very important," said the beekeeper.

In assessing the potential of Azerbaijani beekeeping, Latif Qinyatoglu noted that our country lacks professional specialists in this field.  "Beekeepers must constantly improve their professionalism.  And the state must create the appropriate conditions by, for example, opening schools for beginners and so on.  At present the Azerbaijani International Mining Company is sponsoring apiculture courses for beginners and I work as a coordinator of the curriculum.  For me personally, the only bee stock-breeder is Hasan Dalayev, a resident of the village of Katex in the Balakan District, who breeds pedigree queen bees for sale to other beekeepers.  One queen bee costs up to AZN 20.  That man's work benefits Azerbaijan greatly. I breed queen bees just for my farm.  But I think that every beekeeper must study and understand this process, so that the work of their apiaries is fully-fledged.  The "'honey industry' of Azerbaijan in general depends on it," stressed the expert.

Qinyat Ogullari's honey can be bought in almost all large stores in Baku and this is convenient because you do not have to go to third parties or depend on the advice of neighbours and other acquaintances that "a friend of mine buys from a good friend who says that the honey is very good."  Is it very good?  No one knows.  Qinyat Ogullari's quality is guaranteed, however, because it is tested not only in government laboratories, but also by time.  And if someone questions the quality of local expert tests, we can assure our readers that European specialists also give the highest possible assessment of this honey.  When Germans tested Qinyat Ogullari's honey, Latif Qinyatoglu began to receive numerous offers to start exporting his honey to Germany, but he refused.  Why?  Because in that case, he would have to sell all the honey from all of his apiaries abroad, while there is a catastrophic shortage of this valuable product in Azerbaijan.  Exports would deprive Azerbaijani customers of the opportunity to buy honey of guaranteed quality.  Today, it is more important for Latif Qinyatoglu to produce his honey in Azerbaijan for Azerbaijanis.

Better than any pill

From the early 1990s, the Azerbaijani pharmaceutical company Biooil Ltd has been involved in the production of the most valuable products of apiculture - royal jelly and bee pollen.  Biooil's specialists do not specialise in producing large amounts of honey, and one apiary of 150 hives in the Lankaran District suffices for the production of royal jelly and bee pollen, which the producer mixes with honey.  At the core of the company's  "honey" work - as with all the company's work - is a scientific approach.

"Royal jelly is a unique organic medicine.  It intensifies cellular metabolism and regenerative processes, helps overcome fatigue and stress and flower pollen helps to develop the body's endurance by improving its immune system and digestion," says company head Hasan Qasimov.  Royal jelly has a light-yellow colour, an acidic smell and specific taste.  It is valuable because of its unique composition.  It is about 20% protein, from 10 to 17% carbohydrates, 5.5% fat and more than 1% minerals.  It is interesting that the proteins in royal jelly are identical to those contained in human blood plasma, which makes them fully digestible.  It is rich in 22 amino acids, including arginine, histidine, valine, lysine, methionine, serine, phenylalanine, and tryptophan, which are vital for the normal functioning of human body.  In addition, it includes vitamins, minerals and microelements.

"Since ancient times, people have been interested in why the queen bee, which is hatched from the same type of egg as other bees, is almost twice as big and twice as heavy as other bees.  Why it is born 16-17 days after the egg is laid, while other bees are only born after 21 days.  Why it lives up to and sometimes longer than 5 years, while worker bees live for only 30-50 days.  This mystery was cracked much later, when the chemical composition of food for the larvae of worker bees and queen bees was studied.  The larvae of the queen bee eats royal jelly exclusively throughout their development, as well as in spring and summer, while the larvae of worker bees feed on royal jelly only for the first three days of their lives and then they feed on a mix of honey and pollen.

Royal jelly is secreted by glands in the head, laryngeal and upper jaw of the young nurse bees.  This is one of the most amazing natural products.  It has been called "royal jelly" from ancient times because it was outrageously expensive and only nobility could buy it. This is due to the complexity of collection and lack of technology for its preservation.  It is used as a tonic as it intensifies enzymatic activity and cell respiration and normalizes the functioning of practically all organs and systems.  It also possesses antiviral and antiseptic qualities, especially useful in pre- and post-surgery treatment and it can be used during rehabilitation after lengthy illnesses.

Royal jelly normalizes blood tests, increasing the number of red blood cells, haemoglobin, concentrations of phospholipids in plasma and also lowers cholesterol levels, which, for its part, leads to the normalization of brain functions and the prevention of sclerotic changes in the cardiovascular system.  By regulating the functioning of the endocrine glands, it improves potency, cures and prevents diseases of the prostate and extends the period of lactation in breastfeeding women.  Thanks to a high concentration of acetylcholine, which influences the tone of blood vessels, royal jelly has a beneficial effect on changes in blood pressure.

Dermatologists use lotions and ointments containing royal jelly to achieve good long-term results in the treatment of seborrhoea, venous stasis ulcers and chronic skin complaints.  In addition, royal jelly destroys cancer cells and has a powerful antioxidant effect, which makes it useful in the treatment of oncological illnesses, considerably improving the condition of cancer patients.

Today doctors recommend taking royal jelly or multivitamin preparations containing royal jelly as a preventive remedy to boost the immunity of people of different ages, including children, making them less susceptible to cold-related and infectious diseases.  And people whose well-being changes with the weather, endure the discomfort experienced during changes in weather and atmospheric pressure much more easily if they take royal jelly.

As for bee pollen, this contains proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, hormones etc. which the human body requires.  Pollen is particularly rich in aspartic acid, threonine, serine, glutamic acid, proline, alanine, cistine, tyrosine, antibiotics etc. which support many bodily functions.  At the Biooil Ltd apiary, the largest amount of pollen is collected from April to June, when flowers bloom.  Pollen is collected using pollen traps.

Profitable enterprise

The Azerbaijani Union of Beekeepers is headed by Shamil Quliyev, the descendant of an old family of beekeepers.  The organization carries out educational work to help local beekeepers address their problems.  "Our bees have no compare.  We are trying not only to preserve their gene pool, but also to refresh it every year to improve our pedigree bees," said Shamil Quliyev.  "The main area of our activity is producing the high-quality honey which people like and which helps prevent illness."

Heads of private apiaries in the Astara District have accumulated extensive experience of beekeeping.  According to information from the executive authority, more than 800 farms are actively involved in apiculture in the area, keeping more than 7,060 bee colonies.  The Astara apiaries collect 70.6 tons of honey annually.

"In 2009, honey collection declined compared with preceding years," said Alikram Salayev, head of a bee breeding farm.  Bad weather accounts for this.  Long rains postponed the blossoming of field plants.  All this had a negative effect on the collection of flower pollen.  In 2010, temperatures rose to 17-19 degrees, which ended the bees' hibernation, but then the area had snow, rain and frost.  The main work of a beekeeper in this kind of weather is to keep them warm.