Bee Keeping

The collection of honey dates back to prehistoric times. Before beer and sahti (a traditional Finnish farmhouse ale) became dominant in the Middle Ages, mead was widely consumed. It was made by boiling and fermenting honey. In the Kalevala, “metu” (mead) is a celebratory drink for men, with the Mistress of Pohjola serving it to Seppo Ilmarinen (Rune XIX:5–7).

The first beekeeping farm in Finland was established in the early 1750s in Fagervik, Inkoo. The Finnish Economic Society began promoting beekeeping in 1797, but the practice—promoted by intellectuals as a secondary livelihood—only gained popularity among the rural farming population in the early 20th century.

Caption: Aate Helmi (1922–1988), machine operator at the Niinijoki dairy, with his bees.
Photo: Loimaa Society Collection.
Donor: Niinijoki Cooperative Dairy.