Opuscula Sociologica

The article presents the results of the research conducted by the author on the students of a very special school – the Technical College of Apiculture – in a village situated near Lublin called Pszczela Wola (in literal translation: ‘Apiarian Will’), Poland. The empirical findings have been sorted out according to the following questions: motives for choosing the school, preconceptions on apiculture as a profession, professional plans of the youth, and attitudes towards bees. The research results prove the continuation of culture and traditional values connected with beekeeping. The affective aspect of young apiarists’ attitudes towards bees and beekeeping may be treated as an example of the so-called structures of long lasting. In line with the tradition young apiarists not onlyrespect bees but they keep inheriting their ancestors’ trade taking it as it comes, the trade of apiculture as a branch of agriculture, a collective activity of all the members of a family, apiculture as an important job but not the only one (the phenomenon of apiarists doing many jobs at the same time). On the other hand, other aspectsof the young apiarists’ attitudes – behavioural and cognitive – differ from the traditional patterns. Their knowledge about bees is based on the latest discoveries made by biologists and on the achievements of breeders. The traditional manner of perceiving bees is confronted with the present-day apiarian theory and practice.