Ukrainian Soldier Creates Beehive on the Frontline Near Bakhmut

Ukrainian soldiers on the front lines are saving not only people but also animals and even bees. Thanks to the initiative of defenders from the separate mechanized brigade named after Prince Konstantin Ostrogskiy, a unique military beehive was established near Bakhmut using rescued swarms.

This is reported by AgroReview

Beehive Under Fire: How It All Started

The main caretaker of the so-called “combat beehive” is a sanitary radio telegraph operator from the medical point named Sergey. Before the war, he had considerable experience: he served in the marine corps, worked as a cook in Kyiv, and then moved to a village in Chernihiv region, where he practiced beekeeping for five years, maintaining a dozen hives.

At the front, Sergey continued his work: it all started when his comrades noticed a swarm of bees and recalled that he was an experienced beekeeper. He personally created a trap for the bees from an ammunition box and crafted new hives from similar boxes.

Bees at War and Plans for Peaceful Life

Currently, Sergey has already caught 12 swarms at the frontline beehive, resulting in a small but industrious bee family. The unit jokes that their medical point can now be called a “honey point” — as they not only provide assistance but also collect real honey.

In his free time from service, Sergey takes care of the bees and teaches willing comrades the basics of beekeeping. He has already managed to extract about ten liters of honey. According to the beekeeper, even in the frontline zone, there is a good yield: sunflowers, thistles, clover, and other nectar-producing plants grow nearby.

“Bees can sense distant thunder, predict rain, and hide. They seem to have gotten used to the shelling. They even fly to the other side of the front and collect honey ‘from them’,” says the beekeeper in military uniform.

The soldier also notes that the local bees are no longer afraid of explosions and cross the front line in search of nectar. After the fighting ends, Sergey dreams of restoring his own beehive in Chernihiv region and bringing a few rescued hives home from Donetsk.