OSHNAVIEH, Iran — The hills of Oshnavieh in West Azerbaijan province are an important spot for Kurdish beekeepers.
Sidiq Mawludi visits his beehives every day.
He brings his bees to the meadows from the beginning of spring until autumn.
“Honey is both medicine and useful for healing. I am here day and night. I never get bored. If I don’t come here one day, I get bored in town even with my family. I don’t get bored when I come to my bees,” he told Rudaw.
“Beekeeping is similar to raising children,” Mawludi added.
There are 20,000 bee species across the world.
Mawludi keeps Caucasian and Karnika bees, but has to be careful not to mix them.
“You should keep them in a separate place for the sake of breeding. They should live among the same breed,” he said.
However, he says beekeepers do not make enough money from their trade.
“If I sell a can of honey for 500,000 tomans ($18), it will be sold for five million tomans ($180) at the markets. All I have is hard work. The profits are for the salesmen,” he said.
Translation and video editing by Sarkawt Mohammed
