Nature Trails, Honey Adventures, Beehives & Wonders
Ants All Around You
An ordinary-looking landscape can sometimes hide amazing things beneath the surface. This is true in the Podkrkonoší area near Hostinné, where you can explore a special ant trail. Although it’s less than five kilometers long, it forms a figure-eight shape, allowing you to tackle it in two loops. Throughout the trail, you will encounter ants, ant hills, and informational panels, as well as feeders, storage hives, and birdhouses. You will also learn about different ant species, the basics of hunting, and even about bees along the way. The trail begins just behind the town Park on A. Jiráska Street, where the road branches off toward the local gardening area. It winds around the gardens, leads to Anthony, and continues into the forest. Soon, it diverts from the wide path, taking you past the largest anthill into the valley of East Creek. The second segment of the trail brings you to a viewpoint where you can enjoy views of the Krkonoš Mountains and two old quarries situated at the exit above Arnultovice.
Three Bee Trails
Bees are not to be left out either; they have trails in places like Smrčné in the Highlands and Harrachov in the Giant Mountains. These trails are great for family fun and adventures together! You should check out the educational bee trail that goes from the spa in Ostrožská Nová Ves to Uherské Ostroh. It features twelve informative panels over a five-kilometer stretch, and since it follows the local bike path, you can easily ride your bike or rollerblade instead of just walking along it.
Bees and Ants at Monínec or in the Most Library
Though they typically don’t coexist peacefully, the bee and ant nature trail at Moninci brings together bees and ants in harmony. This trail focuses on both their tiny ecosystems and is one of the shortest, stretching about 1.5 kilometers from the lower area to the Monínec Hotel. Sixteen informative panels highlight the natural wonders of the surrounding environment, including a beehive that is safely distanced from the rest area.
Further secrets of bees can be uncovered in the Municipal Library in Most, where you can firsthand observe the daily lives of bees in a glass hive located right in the atrium. Additionally, the librarians maintain more bee hives on the roof. From the glass hive, visitors can watch the bees create their honeycombs, produce honey, and learn about their daily existence in real-time.
Beekeeping Museums, Apiaries, and Bee Attractions
Let’s take a trip around the world to discover some remarkable spots—like visiting the uniquely painted and carved Mach apiary in Kruslova, or the Beekeeping Museum alongside an open-air museum featuring an educational apiary in Chlebovice, located near Frýdek-Místek. There’s also the Bee World in Hulice, where an old school has been transformed into a giant beehive complete with massive honeycombs, allowing visitors to become bees for a while, or you can go to the Museum of Beekeeping in the Moravian Karst in Veselica.
You can also learn more about bees by visiting the Beekeeping Open Air Museum in Humpolec or the Včelín Ecocentre in Nut, which is just a short drive from Prague. If you’re interested, you can arrange to visit the Beekeeping Museum in Hranice.
One intriguing site is The Queen Bee Memorial, which honors nearly forgotten beekeeping traditions. You can find it in the woods east of the village of Kukle, north of Svitavy. At this location, which used to be where the original German beekeepers ran a queen bee fertilization station, there is a lovely gazebo with a special roof featuring hidden beekeeping symbols, along with an older sandstone monument, a well with a rotor, and a handful of older hives.
Among the attractions at Prague Castle is the restored Masaryk’s apiary; however, it is tucked away in a garden that the public cannot access. You can only catch a glimpse of it from the viewpoint in the Deer Ditch.
