Özet:

Turkey is the regional center for various honey bee races because of different climatic and geographical conditions. Anatolian race (Apis mellifera anatolica M.), Caucasian race (Apis mellifera caucasia G.), Syrian race (Apis mellifera syrica), Iranian race (Apis mellifera meda Skorikov, 1929) are common races found in Turkey. The history of the apiculture dates back to the Stone Age and the ancient civilizations. The bee paintings and fossils found in excavations in Spain show that people have been benefiting from the bees in their natural life since the 7000 BC. It is known that the first place for bee cultivation is Egypt and the beekeeping has been firstly started for 7000 years ago in Central Anatolia. It is also stated through the literatures that the apiculture was more developed by Egyptians and that honey was used as an interchanging material in the purchasing of goods and in tax payments 4000 years ago. Today, many developments are being done in the beekeeping industry. The researchers pay attention the importance of other bee products besides honey such as propolis, royal jelly, pollen, bee bread (Perga), bee venom and beeswax. In this study, it is aimed to present the bee products and to emphasize their importance in the aspects of nutrition and human health.

Anahtar Kelimeler: