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All Lithuania Musteika Ancient Beekeeping Museum

Ancient Beekeeping Museum

A tiny traditional village keeps an ancient method of beekeeping alive.

Musteika, Lithuania

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Dzukijos Uoga
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The beekeeping museum showcases a traditional beekeeping method.   Šarūnas Šimkus
Logs are hollowed out as homes for the bees.   Šarūnas Šimkus
The beekeeping museum.   Dzukijosuoga / Atlas Obscura User
Beehives   Klara / Atlas Obscura User
Bee keeping   Klara / Atlas Obscura User
Lunch at the museum   Klara / Atlas Obscura User
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This picturesque wooden village is a delightful place to stop and explore. It's nestled in the depths of a fairytale-esque forest peppered with wild mushrooms, berries, and plenty of happy bees. 

Musteika is an ethnographic village, which, in Lithuania, is defined as rural settlement that maintains its region’s traditional culture and customs. One of the many traditions its residents preserve is its ancient beekeeping method. 

The villagers in Musteika raise bees that are native to the region in a more natural way than most modern beekeepers. They hollow out pine trees—which are in plentiful supply within the forest—so the bees can construct their hives as they would normally. The bees are also able to roam and take advantage of all the nearby heather and black alder groves.

The tiny village even has its own beekeeping museum. It’s full of traditional beekeeping equipment and examples of the hollowed-out trees the bees call home. It’s run by beekeeper Romas Norkūkas, who has a lot of stories and fascinating beekeeping information to tell.

For centuries, beekeeping has been a traditional part of Lithuanian culture. In fact, in Lithuanian mythology, the insects are referred to as “God’s holy bugs.”

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Museums Villages Bees Insects Honey

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Added By

Dzukijosuoga

Edited By

Kerry Wolfe, Klara

  • Kerry Wolfe
  • Klara

Published

March 12, 2018

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Sources
  • https://www.facebook.com/musteika/
  • https://youtu.be/gcR5IDKTOFc
  • https://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC5ECQ0_aplink-lietuva-bitininkysts-muziejus?guid=7a8b0dc4-f7fb-4ae1-978e-f23e7324b75a
  • https://www.balticidea.com/walking-dzukija-national-park
  • http://gamta.cepkeliai-dzukija.lt/index,gb,19738.html
  • http://www.visitlithuania.net/book-before-you-go
Ancient Beekeeping Museum
5013
Musteika
Lithuania
53.955468, 24.368271
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