Country

North Macedonia

North Macedonia may already have the most famous beekeeper in this entire European project. Hatidže Muratova, whose traditional wild-bee practice became the heart of the documentary Honeyland, turned the simple rule “take half, leave half” into an international lesson about living within ecological limits. She is only one piece of a much larger honey culture. The remote Mariovo region still preserves old forms of beekeeping, including traditional hollowed structures known locally as brtvi. Around Berovo and the eastern mountains, modern producers are building businesses around high-altitude and organic honey. North Macedonia also gives its name to the *Macedonian honeybee, Apis mellifera macedonica***, a Balkan subspecies now supported by conservation organizations and beekeeper breeding programs. Meanwhile, official statistics show organic hive numbers rising even as organic honey output fell in 2024. This is a country where ancient methods, modern bee genetics, climate pressure and internationally ambitious producers are all meeting at once.