The Youngest Beekeeper in Ternopil Region, Oksana Pastushyn, Runs a Family Apiary with Her Father and Son

34-year-old Oksana Pastushyn has become the youngest beekeeper in the Ternopil region. Her apiary consists of over 50 bee colonies, and she has been engaged in beekeeping for eight years, continuing the family business started by her father. Now, the apiary brings together three generations: Oksana, her father Stepan Deka, and her ten-year-old son Pavlo.

This is reported by AgroReview

Secrets of Caring for Bees and Harvesting Honey

Oksana’s daily work at the apiary includes inspecting the bee colonies and preparing frames for extracting honey from wildflowers. For this, she uses special tools – a chisel and smoke. Oksana explains that the maturity of honey is determined by the sealed cells, and besides honey, bees bring pollen, which, after fermentation in the hive, transforms into valuable bee bread for both humans and young bees.

“Sealed honey cells mean that the honey is mature and ready for extraction. The bee colony brings not only honey but also bee pollen. Then they store it in a cell, add their enzymes, and the fermentation process occurs within the hive. This is what we call bee bread, or bee perga. Young bees are fed this bee perga, and it has immense value for the human body because it is enriched with a large number of microelements and amino acids.”

Thanks to her years of experience, Oksana has thoroughly studied the habits of the insects. She draws parallels between the structure of a bee colony and a human family, noting the hierarchy and roles of guard bees that protect the hive and scout bees that search for nectar sources. Oksana pays special attention to the unique “language” of bees – the dance that the insects use to communicate the locations of nectar sources and the distances to them.

Family Support and Industry Challenges

The beekeeping traditions in the family are supported by her son Pavlo. He helps his mother care for the hives and shares his own observations, such as the fact that bees can only distinguish between blue and yellow colors, and that the frames in the hives are built at a 90-degree angle to prevent honey from leaking. Additionally, Pavlo is actively studying the peculiarities of bee life.

The quality control of honey remains the responsibility of Oksana’s father, Stepan Deka, who has over 40 years of experience in beekeeping. Recently, the production of honey in the Pastushyn family has become more complicated due to the overall situation in the country: costs for equipment, wax, and hives have increased, while prices for products have remained unchanged for a long time. Only this year, due to a shortage of spring honey, there has been a slight increase in prices – the cost of a liter ranges from 150 to 300 hryvnias.

Oksana shares tips on how to collect more honey: it is important to ensure that there are always protein and honey feeds in the hive, as this affects the queen’s egg-laying and the number of bees in the colony. Maintaining a stable temperature in the hive – around 36–40°C – is also crucial.

Regarding the selection of quality honey, Oksana recommends paying attention to its consistency: honey should not flow like water but should drip in a thin, continuous stream and form a “mountain”. Tasting is also important – different varieties have their own unique taste and sensation in the throat. She also notes the crystallization process: solidified honey is a sign of naturalness, with the exception of acacia honey. Honey should be stored in a dark place at a temperature of 18–20°C, avoiding sunlight and batteries.