Bee House: "The Naïjou"

These enclosures, built on a slope, are generally rectangular at the bottom and rounded at the top, so as to deflect stones rolling down the slope, counteract the pressure of snow sliding down the slope (vault effect), and promote the circulation of air warmed by the winter sun within the enclosure, which ranges from 50 to 150 m². The walls are 3 to 5 meters high. These apiaries contained between 40 and 80 hives. They are mostly built of uncut dry stone, but nearly one-third were constructed using a lean lime mortar. The top of the perimeter wall is covered with slate slabs that protect it from the elements. The naiji are oriented between southeast and southwest to help keep the beehives warm in winter. The enclosure is accessed through a side gate on the lower level, which opens onto a small garden planted with flowers. In one corner of this lower terrace, a small shed (ciabot) could be built against the enclosure. Inside, the slope is terraced into small levels on which the beehives are lined up. A side staircase allows one to move from one level to another. Although they can be found in nearby valleys, the highest concentration of “bee houses” is in the Haute-Roya, in La Brigue and Tende. The harsher climate compared to the middle Roya region, combined with significant pastoral activity, may have favored this form of beekeeping. The higher temperature inside the naïjou encouraged the queen to lay eggs in the spring, leading to early swarming and enabling a new hive to produce honey as early as its first year. Naïjou are generally located near a water source (ravine, river, spring) and near nectar-producing plants and trees. Their location at the bottom of valleys allowed the bees to forage and drink upstream, then easily return downhill laden with nectar.