Beekeeping Dobrovolný

Our family honey bee farm lies below the Kolný hill, near the village of Taneček, in the north-western part of the Bohemian Central Uplands protected landscape area, in an altitude of 450 m above sea level. We keep bees in the beautiful and scenic landscape of North Bohemia, at the border of two areas of special designation: Bohemian Central Uplands and the Lusatian Mountains. It is the land attributed to the famous Czech 19th century romantic poet Karel Hynek Mácha. We are currently looking after about 150 bee colonies. One of our main goals is to maintain the high quality of our products, which is why we tend to keep the farm rather small. We pursue the traditional way of beekeeping, using extendable 39 x 24 hives and Langstroth 159 hives.

We are very proud of our knowledge of the local landscape, and we continuously work on developing it. Thanks to this we can distribute our apiaries across the bountiful and varied environment of the mixed broadleaf and coniferous woodlands, fruit orchards, near fishponds and on flowering meadows with richness of wildflower species. Our bees collect nectar in areas that are free of industrial pollution and on mostly small-scale or organically farmed land. We also greatly respect the needs of our bees and make sure the hives are placed in areas that are rich in bee pastures, and that each site provides plenty of resources for the bees. Our honey comes from a clean environment, which gives it its strong and pure taste, and an exceptional quality. Since 2016 our honey has been labelled as the “Regional Product of the Lusatian Mountains and the Mácha Land”.

“Love for the nature, for the landscape and for all the living things! Respect for tradition for the craft of beekeeping, and for the knowledge gathered by our ancestors! Responsibility for the future of our children and for the environment in which we live!” These statements sum up the mission of our beekeeping journey.

Since autumn 2015 we have been building a demonstration apiary, which is located in the garden adjacent to our business in the village of Taneček. This demonstration apiary is designed to hold educational events and beekeeping workshops for young children and pupils, as well as for the broad public. Through this project we want to increase people’s awareness about the traditional craft of beekeeping. We also grow traditional fruit tree varieties, herbs, and other crops that the bees prefer. The garden will also include a demonstration beehive, a functioning “klat” – a historical hollow tree hive – an educational shelter for outdoor workshops, and special areas for apitherapeutic activities.

Our visitors can watch bees at work through a transparent hive; upon a phone call arrangement they can also visit some of the working hives with an experienced beekeeper. Our demonstration apiary is supported by the funds of the Liberec Region and its completion is planned for autumn 2018.