PHOTO Beekeeper from Prijedor Rajko Radivojac breeds bees that do not sting

Prijedor beekeeper Rajko Radivojac breeds bees that do not sting, or that will sting you only in extreme necessity, such as if you crush it.

Radivojac explained to the news agency Patria how he actually breeds high-quality queens that he imported from the Celle Institute in Germany, which were selected at the Institute to produce only calm bees. Such bees can still be seen very rarely, or almost never, in apiaries in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

- Experts in Germany have through selection produced queens that give birth to bees that are extremely calm, and which also yield higher honey production, at least 30 percent more than the bees traditionally bred by beekeepers in Bosnia and Herzegovina – said Radivojac for Patria, adding that domestic bees, those that can be seen in most Bosnian apiaries, have been ruined by the uncontrolled introduction of other bee races, especially the Italian bee and the Caucasian bee.

- It is precisely because of this that in Bosnia and Herzegovina you have cases where entire apiaries produce very little nectar, most bees are aggressive, and colonies are prone to swarming, which puts the beekeeper in an unfavorable position, especially if swarming occurs during intensive bee pastures – explains Radivojac.

Radivojac in the apiary without protective equipment (Photo: Patria)

He says that the queens he breeds and which, starting this year, he also offers to other beekeepers are particularly suitable for beginner beekeepers, then for apiaries located in populated areas because their bees do not attack neighbors, and professional beekeepers should also have them due to higher yields.

Experts declare Bosnia and Herzegovina as a country with high potential for beekeeping, and honey from Bosnian fields is one of the highest quality honeys in the world, writes Patria.