Altitude Magazine N° 11.

36 local life A lthough passionate about bees for many years, Yves Duc had never really had time to take an interest in them, as his life was already very full. It was only in 2004 when a heart transplant forced him to slow down his pace of life that he had time to explore this fascinating hobby. It was then that he found and read a book on beekeeping that his daughter had given him before he fell ill. Later, Yves met a Rotarian friend who had three hives in Chermignon and decided to follow him for a season. At the end of this season, his friend offered him two hives so that he could try his hand at beekeeping. During the same period, he came across an advertisement in the Nouvelliste stating that eight hives were for sale in Monthey. Yves Duc then started beekeeping with ten hives to his credit. Truly bitten by the bug, he decided to improve his skills and he took a two-year course at the School of Agriculture. Today, his expertise in the field allows him to coach and give information to people who want to try beekeeping. At present, Yves is the proud owner of about twenty hives in Chermignon and Crans- Montana. His bees belong to the Apis Mellifera carnica family, and one of his missions is to keep the lineage as intact as possible, i.e. to avoid crossbreeding. Unfortunately, this year was extremely difficult for the beekeepers because of the magnificent start to the year, which was quickly replaced BEEKEEPER AT HEART, YVES TALKS ABOUT HIS BEES