The Villa de La Orotava Craft and Heritage Prize, awarded by the City Council since 2004, will be awarded in this nineteenth edition to the group of beekeepers, following the proposal of the Pinolere Cultural Association, and after being unanimously approved yesterday by the Plenary of the Municipal Corporation.
The award will be presented on September 2 within the framework of the inauguration of the Pinolere Regional Craft Fair, and will be collected, on behalf of those who dedicate themselves to this trade in the municipality, the representatives of the Northern Beekeepers Association of Tenerife and the Tenerife Association of Beekeepers.
La Orotava has the largest number of beekeeping settlements on the island, producing honey from the coast to the Teide National Park. Thus, this activity has centuries of tradition, giving rise to a trade, that of the beekeeper, with a great cultural heritage of great importance for the Villa that has unique natural ecosystems.
The movement of hives from the coast to the mountain or the summit is an ancestral practice linked to the flowering of the aforementioned species. This transhumance of bees, depending on availability, makes this beekeeping trade unique. Tradition that has been adapted to the new times, with the use of mechanical procedures that guarantee a higher quality when processing honey. This important centuries-old traditional legacy has managed to be picked up by the two aforementioned associations of beekeepers based in this northern municipality, and which manage the stalls at the Farmer’s Market and the Camino de Chasna Honey Extraction Center, which serves more of a hundred producers in the region.
As for the honeys produced in La Orotava, there is a wide variety of types, both monofloral and multifloral. Several of these honeys have been awarded with different prizes at the insular and regional level.
The relevance of bees in the functioning of basic biological aspects such as pollination is of great importance for life on the planet. In natural and agricultural environments, the function of these living beings is a key aspect to promote plant reproduction, being indisputable allies in this work. The adaptation of this livestock practice to the new times and the commitment to quality in processing has been essential to consolidate this activity.
