Beekeeping and apitherapy to improve people’s health

16 December 2011. AR Crimea. Simferopol. Sun, smiles and kindness. The State Medical University.

Recently, representatives of the NGO "Brotherhood of Ukrainian Beekeepers" returned from the III International Forum on Apitherapy and Quality of bee products Apimedica & Apiquality 2010 held from 28.09 to 02.10 in Ljubljana (Slovenia). The First International Conference of Beekeeping Associations was held as part of the Forum. A framework protocol on recognition the honey bee as endangered species was signed at the conference. In fact, the signing of the protocol was a significant event in beekeeping - the first step to the historic act to be signed in 2013 at the XXXXIII International Apimondia Congress in Kyiv.

At 10 AM, beekeepers, experts in apitherapy and herbal medicine, specialists dealing with beekeeping gathered at the State Medical University. The experts gathered at the meeting of the Presidium of the NGO “Association of beekeepers and apiphytotherapists of Crimea” (ABAC).

The meeting was opened by the President of the ABAC, Candidate of pedagogical sciences, Academician of the International Academy of Ecological Consciousness Viktor I. Ovsyanyk. He presented the main topic of the meeting – “Beekeeping and apitherapy to improve people’s health” and emphasized the need to address the ABAC priorities for realization of its statutory obligations.

The main target of the ABAC is the beekeeping development, health improvement and human life extension. Achieving high level health, increasing life expectancy and active longevity while maintaining a high level of vital functions are important tasks today. Creating conditions for the development of apitherapy and phytotherapy is important not only for attracting specialists, but also for the fastest effect achieving from business professionals aiming to use their knowledge and experience for improvement of quality of human life.

We can mention Lidiya O. Valigura, who is the Honorary Beekeeper of Crimea and Ukraine, the author of 5 books on beekeeping and apitherapy. Her main motto is “Longevity is available to everyone”.

Anatoliy S. Savenok (sixth-generation beekeeper) developed the system of extracting royal jelly and the technology of its preservation.

Petro Balash from Chernihiv region has patented a new trend in apitherapy.

Vyacheslav M. Savin (fifth-generation beekeeper, Academician of the International Academy of Bioenergy Technologies, author of the bioenergyinformational apitherapy) set up in Bilogorodsk region of Crimea a beekeeping health resort with 20 pyramidal houses. It is a rehabilitation center for prevention and rehabilitation with the use of bee products.

Today the ABAC is calling for the development of apitherapy as an important and promising trend in health care development, beekeeping and apitourism in the AR Crimea.

“The priority task of the ABAC is to provide the dynamism of apitherapy. The appropriate program was developed for this purpose and the activities on this program implementation are carried out.”- emphasized Viktor I. Ovsyanyk.

The President of the Organizing Committee of the XXXXIII International Beekeeping Apimondia Congress Tetyana Y. Vasylkivska delivered a speech at the ABAC meeting. Mrs. Tetyana told the audience about the Apimondia Federation, the All-Ukrainian NGO “Brotherhood of Ukrainian Beekeepers” as a full member of the International Federation of Beekeeping Associations Apimondia.

Tetyana Vasylkivska told in detail about how the “Brotherhood…” represented the interests of Ukrainian beekeepers at Apimondia Congresses in 2007 - in Australia, in 2009 in- in France, in 2011 – in Argentina, about the achievements of Ukrainian beekeepers at these Congresses and receiving the right to host the XXXXIII International Apicultural Apimondia Congress in September-October 2013 in Ukraine.

“There is no doubt that attracting Crimean beekeepers to the Program on preparation and holding of the Apimondia Congress 2013 is a task of numerous scientific conferences, meetings in the AR Crimea held by the non-governmental organizations “Beekeepers’ Union of Crimea” led by Klochko M.D. and “Association of Beekeepers and Apiphytotherapists of Crimea” led by Ovsyanyk V.I.” – Tetyana Vasylkivska said. “Activity of all non-governmental beekeeping organizations of Crimea regarding participation in the Programs of Apimondia Congress 2013 will benefit both the Congress and the public unions.” – Tetyana Vasylkivska added.

"Let’s learn unity from bees” is a slogan of the "Brotherhood ..." and today it is more topical than ever. Only the united efforts of initiative beekeeping professionals can bring the Organizing Committee success in Congress Programs realization, holding the Congress, further consolidation of Ukrainian beekeeping community, submitting offers regarding reforms in beekeeping to the authorities. It will help to create comfortable working conditions for a beekeeper, to achieve professional beekeeper’s ambitions and to make Ukraine a honey country with modern beekeeping” – Tetyana Vasylkivska said.

T. Vasylkivska’s report was emotionally approved by the audience. Beekeepers and industry experts, doctors, teachers, businessmen have agreed that current life issues should be addressed together using the knowledge, experience, practice and professionals’ initiative for the good of a noble case.

The Chairman of the Crimean NGO “Beekeepers’ Union of Crimea” Mykola Klochko spoke at the meeting. He focused on the activities of beekeepers-practitioners, great opportunities for Crimean beekeepers to have a decent level of their work. He also told about the results of the Honey Festival “Crimean meetings” in September (Alushta), the results of the scientific conference on apiary veterinary service held in November.

Klochko M.D. focused on issues discussed at the meeting at the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of the AR Crimea in May this year.

“Beekeepers’ meetings at Forums, conferences, reporting about beekeepers’ problems and finding ways of its solution constitute our social activity” – Klochko M.D. noted. “Our work and our future depend on the beekeepers’ activity. If we all care for the implementation of new technologies at our apiaries, obtaining high-quality products, then our consumer will not buy cheap honey of unknown quality. We Crimeans with solid natural resources, excellent climatic conditions should take care of a honey base and maintenance of healthy bee colonies. As a recreation center of Ukraine, today Crimea with our help should become a center of apitherapy and apitourism.” – He added.

It was announced that the Memorandum of cooperation between the NGO “Beekeepers’ Union of Crimea” and the NGO “Association of Beekeepers and Apiphytotherapists of Crimea” has been prepared. Signing of the document, which will coordinate the mutual cooperation between the two Crimean beekeeping non-governmental organizations, will be a good sign of consolidation of Crimean beekeeping community and an example for other non-governmental organizations of the Peninsula.

Participants of the meeting, members of the ABAC Presidium expressed a proposal to sign a memorandum of cooperation with the All-Ukrainian NGO “Brotherhood of Ukrainian Beekeepers”. And Tetyana Vasylkivska gave unconditional approval.

Members of the ABAC Presidium delivered a speech about the development of apitherapy in the AR Crimea.

Issues on apitherapy implementation in medical practice were also covered at the meeting. The Programs of relevant training courses were proposed, goals and tasks of training courses for medical personnel were covered at the meeting. Current issues on ABAC activities and publishing activities of the association were covered at the meeting of the ABAC Presidium.

In particular, issues on participation of association’s experts in events of the Apimondia Congress 2013, cooperation with “Beekeepers’ Union of Crimea” and the “Brotherhood of Ukrainian Beekeepers”, consolidation of Crimean beekeepers for addressing key practical and intellectual problems were added to the meeting resolution of the ABAC Presidium.

The meeting of the ABAC Presidium was held in a friendly atmosphere. All proposed issues were supported during discussions. The ABAC President Ovsyanyk V.I. thanked all members of the Presidium, members of the Association and guests for their fruitful work.

“I have great hope and expectation that the ABAC with beekeeping non-governmental organizations of Crimea and Ukraine will be able to make real steps to implement its tasks, namely, will have positive and effective influence on the development of Ukrainian and Crimean beekeeping in order to use benefits of this craft for people’s health improvement.” – The President of ABAC said.

Tetyana Vasylkivska

President of the Organizing Committee of the XXXXIII International Apimondia Congress Chairman of the Board of the All-Ukrainian Non-Governmental Organization “Brotherhood of Ukrainian Beekeepers”