Spider - Blog - Macedonian Honey

You can view the honey hunting rock painting in Cuevas de la Araña, or Spider Caves, in Bicorp, near Valencia, Spain.

The Cuevas de la Araña (known in English as the Araña Caves or the Spider Caves) are a group of caves in the municipality of Bicorp in Valencia, eastern Spain. The caves are in the valley of the river Escalona and were used by prehistoric people who left rock art. They are known for painted images of a bow and arrow goat hunt and for a scene depicting a human figure. The caves were discovered in the early twentieth century by a local teacher, Jaime Garí i Poch. They are included in the World Heritage Site

In the cave you can view the famous honey-gathering painting which is believed to be epipaleolithic and is estimated to be around 8000 years old. This painting is frequently referred to internationally by historians and anthropologists as the first recorded evidence of the ancient history of beekeeping.

So if you are near Valencia this summer, don't forget to visit this Cave and enjoy rock painting from 15,000 years ago.

Spain is the country with the largest number of colonies in Europe. Spain has 2.45 million beehives, making it the largest beekeeping nation in Europe with a 15.66% share of total beehives registered in the EU. There are some 720,000 million domestic bees in Spain, making it the largest world population per capita; 18,000 bees per inhabitant. Total honey production stands at some 30,000 metric tons per year  making Spain the largest producer in Europe. The most common honeys are multifloral or 'milflores' (thousand flowers).

Beekeeping in Spain is an important agricultural pursuit that, in many parts of the country, can justifiably claim to be up with the world leaders in the use of the latest ideas and technology. In areas of bee research too, Spanish scientists can also claim a place in the front rank.

According to the study about the Macedonian Honey, the quality of honey collected in Republic of Macedonia is similar as honey from non-contaminated regions like those in Spain.