Apiculture is the practice of raising honeybees for commercial or agricultural purposes. The oldest evidence of beekeeping dates to 1669, although it is likely that beekeeping is more than 3,000 years old. Apiculture provides farmers and hobbyists with a variety of enterprises, including production of beeswax, honey, and other edible bee products, crop pollination services, and sale of bees to other beekeepers. Bees are bred in apiaries, which are areas that can hold many beehives. Bees are cared for and managed to produce honey and wax. Humans are responsible for maintaining bee colonies, which are usually kept in hives.