Arboreal Apiculture Salon #51

For our next gathering, the Salon travels to the forests of Ukraine.

We welcome Maksym Bortnyk, researcher of traditional tree beekeeping and founder of Садиба Бортника, the Beekeeper’s Homestead, a cultural and educational center for bortnytstvo, the ancient Ukrainian practice of tending honeybees in the trees. Reaching back to the era of Kyivan Rus, bortnytstvo keeps colonies in hand-hewn log hives raised high in the forest, where the bees live close to the way they would in a wild hollow.

Maksym founded the homestead in 2021, carving log hives, welcoming wandering swarms into them, brewing honey mead in wooden barrels, and drawing beeswax candles by hand. In 2022 he joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine, serving until his discharge for health reasons in 2024, when he returned to his life’s work. He carries this tradition forward today alongside his rehabilitation, tending a rare collection of old bortnik tools and forest knowledge. Use this Zoom link to join the live Salon.

Co-hosted by Cheyanna Bone, Jonathan Powell (Natural Beekeeping Trust), and Michael Joshin Thiele (Apis Arborea).

The Salon is a free event, serving communities around the globe. If you would like more info or have a suggestion for a topic/ speaker, please send an email.