Petro Prokopovych

Petro Prokopovych (1775–1850, Ukrainian: Петро Прокопович) was the founder of rational beekeeping. He invented a number of novelties in traditional beekeeping that allowed significant progress in the practice. Among his most important inventions was a dismountable frame for a beehive. ... 1850 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Beekeeping (or apiculture, from Latin apis, a bee) is the practice of intentional maintenance of honeybee colonies, commonly in hives, by humans. ... A frame in a beehive is the structural element that holds the honeycomb or brood comb. ... The term Beehive can refer to several different things: Beehive (beekeeping) is a human-provided structure in which bees are induced to live and raise their young. ...

Biography

Petro Prokopovych was born in Ukraine, in the village of Mytchenky, near Baturyn. Starting at the age of eleven, he studied at the Kiev-Mohyla Academy for eight years. After studies he committed himself to a military career. He resigned his commission in 1798, bearing an officer rank and enjoyed retirement at his brother's apiary. By 1808 Prokopovych already had 580 beehives. Baturyn (Батурин in Ukrainian), is a town in Chernihiv region in central Ukraine with a population of about 3,600. ... National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, NaUKMA (Ukrainian: Національний університет «Києво-Могилянська академія», Natsionalnyi universytet Kyyevo-Mohylianska akademiya, НаУКМА), located in Kiev (Kyiv), Ukraine is one of the countrys leading national schools of higher education. ... 1798 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... An Apiary in South Carolina, Langstroth hives on pallets An apiary (also known in the US as a bee yard) is a place where beehives of honeybees are kept. ... 1808 was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ...

Prokopovych studied the biology of bee families, and strove to improve existing methods of beekeeping. His main intention was to develop methods which allow least disturbance and damage to bee families. This resulted (in 1814) in invention of very first dismountable beehive frame, which allowed close monitoring and care of bee population in the hive. Another invention is a wooden partition with apertures, which is passable only for working bees, making possible getting pure honey in the frames. Prokopovych's inventions were a landmark in the history of beekeeping, and the beginning of the period of rational beekeeping. Prokopovych's scientific work resulted in more than sixty articles in various printed media such as newspapers and magazines. 1814 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... This article is about the magazine as a published medium. ...

Another passion of Prokopovych was teaching. He set up a beekeeping school that prepared more than 700 qualified beekeepers during 53 years of existence.

Petro Prokopovych was buried in the village of Pal'chyky in the Chernihiv region, where his beekeepers' school was located. A monument to Prokopovych stands there, and the Ukrainian Institute of Beekeeping is named after him. Chernihiv Oblast (Чернігівська область, Chernihivs’ka oblast’ or Чернігівщина, Chernihivshchyna in Ukrainian) is an oblast (province) of northern Ukraine. ...

Sources

• Beekeeping in Ukraine
• Biography of Petro Prokopovych
• Article about Prokopovych (Ukrainian)