Beekeepers Mehmet and Ayten Aslan, who live in the Kiğı district of eastern Bingöl province, have been working hard to produce the best quality honey for years.
Mehmet, 62, and 60-year-old Ayten Aslan have been beekeeping for 30 years, with their two children living in the district center.
Mehmet Aslan, who retired from civil service, turned to beekeeping years ago to connect with nature.
He overcame the difficulties of doing beekeeping alone with only the support of his wife, Ayten.
Ayten Aslan, who also mastered the business alongside her husband, raised their two children who went on to become an environmental engineer and civil engineer.
The Aslan couple, who harvest quality honey with approximately 130 hives in vegetation-rich Kiğı, works almost as much as the bees for high yields.
Contributing to the production of Bingöl honey, which has a registered geographical indication, the Aslan couple sells honey to Germany and Austria through expatriates and the domestic market.
Mehmet Aslan told Anadolu Agency (AA) that beekeeping is difficult and that they take precautions to protect their hives from wild animals.
Stating that continuing the profession with his wife for years is a great motivation for him, he stated that they obtained thyme, geven and flower honey in the geography of the Kiğı district. Aslan also pointed out that the region is suitable for honey yield.
"There is an altitude of over 2,000 (meters), and honey becomes more famous because of the flowers here. We have 125 to 130 hives. We do not go into the commercial aspect of the business much. We sell 500 kilograms (1,100 pounds) of honey annually; we try to produce organic honey. That's why our honey is popular. We even send it abroad. We send honey to Germany and Austria through our relatives. We also send honey to many cities such as Istanbul, Bursa, Izmir and Mersin in the domestic market."
Ayten Aslan also stated that the nature of the district is very suitable for beekeeping.
"My husband and I have always supported each other. We collect our hives in winter; it is a time-consuming job. After I finish the housework, I come to the bees; I work around the clock. We are happy when we get paid for our labor and our enthusiasm increases. We love our job. We like flowers, bees and traveling. "
