To Bee Or Not To Bee?

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atest chums press release from local chancer Yvonne Johnston, issued on Monday, December 11th…

The Chairperson of The Native Irish Honey Bee Society (NIHBS), Loretta Neary, is appealing to nature enthusiasts not to buy honey bees for their loved ones this Christmas.

Speaking about the appeal, Loretta Neary said: “This time of year, we hear reports of people buying honey bees for a family member who is a wildlife enthusiast. It can seem like the perfect gift but it really isn’t, in fact you may do more harm than good for local biodiversity. For one thing, you may create more competition in your garden for the 100 other bee species that live there, one third of which are already in danger!”

“Secondly, we are very fortunate in Ireland to still have good populations of kept and wild native Irish honey bees, Apis mellifera mellifera. In fact, we are the last remaining stronghold of Amm in Europe. Irish honey bees adapted perfectly over the centuries to our cool, wet, windy and unpredictable weather conditions but have come under severe threat recently as a result of the importation of non-native honey bees. Queen bees mate in the open and when they mate with non-natives, the resulting bees lose their adapted traits. This impairs their ability to cope with environmental stressors and unpredictable Irish weather.

“Honeybee hybridisation in Ireland increased from under 5% in 2018 to over 12% in 2023, with some areas having more than 30% hybrids. Many beekeepers confirm that hybrids are increasing, leading to aggression and other undesirable characteristics. If this trend continues, the genetics will be lost and part of our natural heritage – our native Irish honey bee, will be lost forever.”

NIHBS appeals to anyone considering buying honey bees this Christmas to buy a book or a beginners’ course in their local beekeeping club instead, or on the nihbs.org website.

Ms. Neary continued: “If you are interested in buying honey bees at any time – please buy local, check the NIHBS website here for an approved supplier.

“Beekeeping is a rewarding hobby and winter is a great time to start preparations and do some research about keeping bees.”

Cover pic: Karine Aigner