This was the beginning of an everlasting friendship between the bee whisperer and the busy bees, which deepened to such an extent that Kronhofer gave up his job as a tourism manager at Lake Weissensee and from then on devoted himself to beekeeping, renting out his comfortable vacation apartments and his family. A good decision - for his wife, his two daughters Emilia, 8, and Livia 3, as well as for his guests. And, of course, the 200 bee colonies that he has spread across 20 locations in Carinthia in order to fully enjoy the flavors of the different regions and altitudes with their variety of flowers.
Honey, the liquid gold
Kronhofer is happy to share "his bees" with the guests who spend their vacation with him. An opportunity that doesn't come along very often, especially when you're dealing with a proven professional. For him, beekeeping is not a hobby, but a profession. "Everyone who stays with us can experience beekeeping from the honeycomb to the jar," says Kronhofer, who is also one of around 20 bee care instructors in Carinthia and teaches the right way to handle the busy bees in courses.
Kronhofer uses figures to explain just how industrious they are: A colony consisting of around 50,000 bees feasts on 40 million flowers, which later results in one kilogram of the finest honey. The numerous awards for his alpine rose honey and forest honey are an indication of the high quality. While the aroma of the alpine rose honey is rather sweet and fruity, the forest honey has a distinctive, slightly tart note. Kronhofer compares the "liquid gold" very vividly with wine: "Alpine rose honey is like a fruity white, forest honey is like a full-bodied red."
Over the past seven years, Kronhofer has invested a lot of money in his nine vacation apartments with 34 beds, which he has upgraded to an exclusive four-flower standard. The privileged location between the Nassfeld ski and hiking area and Lake Pressegger See, coupled with the hospitality of the landlord family and the premium quality of the apartments, have resulted in 200 full occupancy days, of which Kronhofer is extremely proud.
Living in a beehive
However, probably the weirdest "Bettstattl" can be found in the Kronhofer family's new apartment. Colorful birds who want to experience truly sweet dreams in the vicinity of honey bees spend the night in close contact with "Sumsi". An original beehive in the new apartment of the converted beekeeping workshop offers the opportunity to observe the Carnica bee cycle from the sofa. The air ionized by the bees' flapping wings also has an energizing and health-promoting effect. The "quirky nights for colorful birds" have already attracted a lot of attention and won tourism innovation awards.
Arno talks enthusiastically about the guests who take a keen interest in beekeeping while on vacation. "There are more and more every year." They help to spin and bottle the honey, reverently touch the peaceful drones and taste the honey to find out the differences. A jar of honey as a souvenir is then in their luggage on the way home.
During their vacation, guests can experience for themselves how relaxing it is to come into contact with the bees and enjoy the benefits of their products. Fear of the bees is very rare.
Beekeeping has now become a hype. Kronhofer has mixed feelings about the development, as there are also many people who make fun of it. "As long as beekeeping is practiced seriously and responsibly, it's fine. There are 13,000 hunters and 3,500 beekeepers in Carinthia, so there is still room for improvement." However, a sound education is a prerequisite.
The next generation of bee fans is already growing up. Daughter Emilia has taken over her father's passion and is already looking after her own bee colony. Always making sure that the little "majas" are doing well. After all, as Albert Einstein was quoted as saying: "If the bees die out, four years later the humans will die too." The Kronhofer family works diligently to prevent this.
Tip
In the in-house beekeeping experience, guests can stock up on everything that tastes and smells of honey: honey of all kinds, soaps, propolis drops, lip balm, creams, flower pollen, candles and much more.
Elisabeth Tschernitz-Berger
www.gedankenschmiede.at, 14 Article(s)
