Beekeeping is one of the most traditional occupations in Syunik, thanks to the region’s favorable climate and mixed vegetation that naturally attract bees. With more than 50 years’ experience as a beekeeper, Grisha Harutyunyan joins his daughter-in-law Anush Malintsyan as the perfect hosts for this experience. See firsthand the benefits and challenges of beekeeping and the important products derived from bees so nothing is wasted, all from Grisha’s century-old home, one of the oldest in the town of Goris.
Get suited up in protective beekeeping gear so you can (safely) get close and personal with some bees! Listen closely as Grisha walks you through the history of beekeeping and the fascinating ways bees function as a hive to produce honey; it’s no small feat and requires diligent care to keep his family of bees happy, healthy, and productive. It’s not just how you nurture the bees; the environment also plays an important role, including how an area’s different varieties of flowers produce a honey like no other, unique to that time and place. Honey is one of the essential ingredients in the Syunik diet, which local residents believe contributes to a long, healthy life, and may even treat certain ailments and diseases. The area’s most common breakfast is bread with butter and honey—but only the pure honey that bees produce from the nectar of local flowers.
Grisha’s bees also produce beeswax, which makes a luscious hand cream. Through constant refinement, Anush has gained expertise in treating dry skin by using the healing properties of beeswax. Under her guidance, you’ll first select your preferred essential oil(s)—each with their own aromas and benefits—and then will learn the delicate processes of mixing them together to create your very own beeswax hand cream to take home.
Finally, Grisha will show you his home, built in 1913 but abandoned for many years before he acquired it in 1993. With the same care that he devotes to his bees, he restored the home—now a superb example of traditional urban architecture in southern Armenia. As you wait, either in the home or in the outside garden for your hand cream to set, you’ll have an opportunity to enjoy mountain teas and taste Grisha’s famous honey.
Meet your hosts
According to Grandpa Grisha, beekeeping is impossible to practice without love and integrity. This is fundamental for Grisha, and his main motivation for beekeeping. After more than 50 years honing and perfecting this time-honored trade, Grisha is now one of the most famous beekeepers in Goris. His daughter-in-law, Anush, learned from her grandmother about the healing properties of beeswax, as well as the folk traditions of using it to treat wounds and skin cracks. With this wisdom, Anush has created a cream that helps heal the skin.
