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Beekeeper Amšiejus reveals how to overcome fear of bees: here's what you need to prevent them from stinging
🇱🇹 Lithuania /Culture & Society

Beekeeper Amšiejus reveals how to overcome fear of bees: here's what you need to prevent them from stinging

From Delfi · () Lithuanian

Translated from Lithuanian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Context piece
  • A Lithuanian beekeeper, Dr. A. Amšiejus, shared techniques for overcoming fear of bees and explained how to handle them safely, including using smoke to calm them.
  • He demonstrated apitherapy, a form of bee treatment, in a specially designed house where visitors can relax near beehives.
  • The article also touches on water quality testing and proper plant transplanting techniques, featuring insights from a laboratory and a nursery.

Dr. A. Amšiejus, a renowned Lithuanian beekeeper, demonstrated how to safely handle bees and overcome the fear often associated with them. During a visit to his apiary, featured on the TV show "Sodas ir daržas," Amšiejus explained the importance of a pre-handling ritual involving washing and using smoke. "Friend, the procedure is this: we each have our own scent, so before going to the bees we wash, we wash with smoke," he said.

Friend, the procedure is this: we each have our own scent, so before going to the bees we wash, we wash with smoke.

— Dr. A. AmšiejusExplaining the safety procedure before handling bees.

Amšiejus elaborated on the dual function of smoke: it masks the bees' pheromones and signals a potential fire, prompting them to gorge on honey. "When they have eaten their fill, they cannot bend and sting with their stinger," he explained. This technique helped the show's host, Nojus, overcome his initial fear and even hold bees directly in his hands, leading him to admit, "I'm starting to fall in love with bees."

When they have eaten their fill, they cannot bend and sting with their stinger.

— Dr. A. AmšiejusExplaining how smoke helps calm bees by making them eat honey.

Beyond the practicalities of beekeeping, Amšiejus highlighted the vital role of bees in agriculture, emphasizing that a good harvest of berries and fruits depends on pollination. He also introduced apitherapy, a unique treatment involving relaxation near beehives in a specially constructed house. "Bees are the joy of life. Beekeeping is very interesting; there is no monotony here – every bee family is different, just like human families," he stated.

I'm starting to fall in love with bees.

— NojusThe show's host expressing his newfound affection for bees after overcoming his fear.

The program also featured segments on water quality testing at the "Grota" laboratory, where the water from Nojus's farm was analyzed and found to be of good quality. Additionally, agronomist Dr. Loreta Aleknavičienė from "Viva Fertilis" nursery provided advice on transplanting purchased plants to minimize stress.

Bees are the joy of life. Beekeeping is very interesting; there is no monotony here – every bee family is different, just like human families.

— Dr. A. AmšiejusReflecting on the fulfilling nature of beekeeping.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Delfi in Lithuanian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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