Duraku’s beekeeping: A Life With Bees.
In the quiet outskirts of Ulqin, surrounded by fields and wildflowers, you’ll often find Naim with his bees. What started back in 2010 with just six hives has today grown into more than 400. For Naim, beekeeping is not just work—it’s family, memory, and a way of life.
The story began with his late father-in-law, who had kept bees in Shkodra/Albania and Ulqin /Montenegro (Ana e Malit region) both parts of the border. Before he passed, he left his bees to his daughter, Ganimete—Naim’s wife. For her, the bees are a connection to her father; for Naim, they have become a passion he never imagined. Together, they built Bletaria Duraku step by step, learning, experimenting, and working as a family.
Beekeeping has changed over time—today equipment, transport, and treatments are more advanced—but some traditions remain. Naim still uses smoke to calm the bees and carefully inspects hives as his elders once did. He also enjoys the natural rhythm of swarming, when a young queen leads part of the colony to form a new hive.
The work is not always easy. Equipment is expensive and often has to be imported. Diseases like varroa or nosema are a constant challenge. And even when honey is ready, there is another obstacle: convincing customers that crystallization is natural and not a flaw.
Yet the rewards are clear. Bees are essential to life—pollinating trees, herbs, crops, and keeping ecosystems healthy. “Without bees, many plants would disappear,” Naim explains.
“They are at the heart of nature’s balance.”
For him, every hive is not only about honey, but about helping preserve biodiversity.
Visitors who stop by often leave with a new respect for bees and the people who care for them. Naim always reminds them: the best honey is not bought in the market, but directly from the beekeeper who nurtures it.
Looking ahead, he worries about the future. Rising costs and hard work may discourage young people from taking up the craft. Still, he encourages anyone who feels curious to try:
“Learn by working with an experienced beekeeper. Books alone are not enough. You have to be close to the bees to really understand.”
For Naim Duraku, beekeeping is more than producing honey. It is carrying forward a family tradition, protecting nature, and showing how even the smallest creatures can make the biggest difference.