At the Viceroy Ombria Algarve in southern Portugal, a buzzy excursion awaits—one that lets guests step into the world of bees and the centuries-old traditions of the Martins. The family’s story hums with heritage: what began with a carpenter’s steady hands has grown into a thriving, three-generation craft. Today, Alcino Martins and his sons, Tomás and José, carry forward that legacy, balancing timeless beekeeping wisdom with the challenges of a changing world. HAP’s Editor in Chief, Brandon Berkson, joins the brothers for a closer look inside the hive.
Can you share the story behind your family’s beekeeping tradition and how it has evolved over the years?
"It all started with our grandfather. He began with a few hives, around 100, but always kept beekeeping as a secondary working activity. However, he was the one who built most of the hives we still use today, since his profession was carpentry, which allowed him to give extra care and precision to their construction. Our father later turned beekeeping into his main activity for 30 years, during which he expanded the number of hives to 1,000. Since our grandfather’s time, the main changes have been in the tools used around beekeeping—such as vehicles, honey extraction machines, hive structures (wooden boxes), and infrastructure—while the functioning of the hives themselves has remained almost unchanged for the past 2,000 years."
Do different types of bees—or the specific plants they forage from in the Algarve—affect the taste and character of the honey you produce?
"The main flowers used for honey production in the Algarve are lavender and orange blossom. However, we are also able to produce honey from thyme, strawberry tree, and carob, though in much smaller quantities. In fact, the type of flowers greatly influences the honey—its taste, color, and even crystallization characteristics."
What do you find most rewarding—and most challenging—about working so closely with bees every day?
"The most rewarding part of working with bees is maintaining a strong connection with nature and witnessing up close one of the oldest processes in the natural world, while also seeing the positive impact bees bring to the region’s flora. That said, the environment around the hives has changed significantly. The main threats to beekeeping, especially in our region, are the climate—with a lack of rainfall and very hot summers—and 'varroa', the parasite that most affects bee colonies."
How do you protect and support your bee colonies, especially in light of environmental challenges facing pollinators today?
"Honestly, there isn’t much we can do about the effects of the climate, except try to move the hives to cooler regions with plenty of shade and close to water sources during the summer. As for 'varroa', we need to keep proper treatment records and monitor infestation levels closely, which allows us to mitigate its negative impact."
What tends to surprise visitors the most when they see the bees up close or extract honey themselves?
"The greatest surprise for visitors is always the sound of the bees and how close they are to the protective mask. It is also fascinating to observe the hive’s inner workings—how it is organized and how the bees behave inside it. When visitors take part in the honey extraction process, they have the chance to taste honey at its freshest, with a flavor that is truly different from regular honey, creating a unique experience."
