De la ruche-tronc à la ruche à cadres : ethnoécologie historique de l’apiculture en Cévennes

A historical ethnoecological study of beekeeping practices in the Cévennes region of France reveals that traditional trunk hives, used with local black bees, persisted until the 1970s before shifting to modern frame hives and hybridized bee races. This transition marked a shift from subsistence-level, landscape-integrated apiculture to a production-focused industry. The research, combining archival records, scientific literature, and oral testimonies, provides evidence of trunk hive use as early as the 17th century and contextualizes how social and economic changes drove this transformation. These findings highlight the need for balanced conservation strategies that reconcile the cultural heritage of traditional apiculture with modern economic development in UNESCO-listed agro-pastoral landscapes.

Lehébel-Péron, A., Travier, D., Renaux, A., Dounias, E., & Schatz, B. (2016). De la ruche-tronc à la ruche à cadres : ethnoécologie historique de l’apiculture en Cévennes. Revue d’Ethnoécologie, 9. https://doi.org/10.4000/ethnoecologie.2531