Honey Bee Conservation

Protecting the native honey bee of Ireland

Native Black Honey Bees

Honey with a Story

We rear Native Irish Black Queen Bees (Apis mellifera mellifera) and are the main breeder of these queens in the Republic of Ireland. This native honey bee is under threat from hybridisation with non-native strains, making their protection as a genetic resource vitally important. The importation of honey bees into Ireland and the propagation of non-native subspecies can have a devastating effect on their survival.

The Native Irish Honey Bee is a strain of the Dark European Honey Bee, once widespread across most of Europe north of the Alps, but now relatively scarce on the mainland.

Other Pollinators

Ireland's biodiversity

“One third of our bee species are threatened with extinction from Ireland. This is because we have drastically reduced the amount of food (flowers) and safe nesting sites in our [Ireland’s] landscapes. The All-Ireland Pollinator Plan is about all of us, from farmers to local authorities, to schools, gardeners and businesses, coming together to try to create an Ireland where pollinators can survive and thrive. The first Plan covers the period 2015-2020 and a new version will be developed to cover 2021-2025.”

(Extract from pollinators.ie)

Plants for Honey Bees

Essential food sources

The state of our environment is essential to honey bees.

While there is a lot we can plant in our garden for honey bees and other pollinators, the countryside, in general, is the most important source of forage for them.