[EST] LK 110 aardeseeria on rajatud Eesti looduskaitse 110. aastapäeva tähistamiseks koostöös RMK-ga tutvustamaks põnevaid loodusradasid ning geopeitust kui mängu.
Metsmesindus moodustab olulise osa Karula pärimuskultuurist. Siinkandis asusid Eesti ühed viimased tarupedajad - võimsad männid, mille sisse uuristatud õõnsustes peeti mesilasi. Ala-Mändiku tarupedajad on praeguseks küll hävinud, kuid metsmesinduse tutvustamiseks tegi Värtemäe talu peremees 2005. aastal oma maale tarupedaja, mis on viimane olemasolev tarupuu Karula rahvuspargis.
Enne, kui inimene mesilasi pidama hakkas, elasid mesilased looduslikult puuõõntes. Juba muinasajal peeti meejahti - rööviti meekärjed ja jäeti mesilased saatuse hooleks. Metsmesinduse arenedes hakati esmalt oma talumaadel leiduvaid looduslikke tarupuid oma peremärgiga tähistama ning hiljem uuristati juba ise kodu lähedal kasvava sobiva puu sisse mesilastele pesaruum. Tarupedajaks valiti suur mänd ehk pettäi, õõnsus selle tüve sisse tehti künakirve ja tarutuuraga. Suuava suleti lauaga, millesse tehti mesilastele lennuaugud.
Et tarupuu tormiga ei murduks, lõigati puul latv maha, tehti ka kaitsed karude eest. Metsmesindus oli 14.–15. sajandil Eesti aladel ülisuure tähtsusega majandusharu ning Karulat võib pidada Eesti metsmesinduse viimaseks kantsiks.
[ENG] LK 110 cache series has been created to celebrate Estonian Nature Conservation 110th anniversary in cooperation with RMK and to introduce exciting hiking trails and Geocaching as a game. A short game introduction can be found in cache box too!
Forest beekeeping is an important part of Karula's traditional culture. One of the last beehives in Estonia was located here - powerful pines, in which bees were kept in the excavated cavities. The hive pines of Ala-Mändik have been destroyed by now, but in 2005 the owner of Värtemäe farm made a hive pine on his land, which is the last existing beehive in Karula National Park.
Before man kept bees, bees lived naturally in tree cavities. Already in ancient times, honey was hunted - honeycombs were robbed and bees were left to their fate. As forest beekeeping developed, they first began to mark the natural hives found on their farms with their family marks, and later a nest room for bees was dug into a suitable tree growing near the house itself. A large pine was chosen as the hive, the cavity in this trunk was made with an axe. The mouthpiece was closed with a table in which flying openings for the bees were punched.
In order to prevent the hive tree from breaking during the storm, the top of the tree was cut down, and protection against bears was also provided. The forest beekeeping was in 14th-15th century an industry of great importance in Estonian territories and Karula can be considered the last corner of the Estonian forest beekeeping