Native Irish Honey Bee Society – Apis mellifera mellifera

Native Irish Honey Bee Society
Apis mellifera mellifera

Aims & Objectives

AIMS

  1. To promote the conservation, study, improvement and re-introduction of Apis mellifera mellifera (Native Irish Honey Bee), throughout the island of Ireland.
  2. To establish areas of conservation throughout the island for the conservation of Apis mellifera mellifera, the native Irish honey bee.
  3. To promote the formation of Bee Improvement groups.
  4. To provide education on Bee improvement and to increase public awareness  of the native Irish honey bee.
  5. To act in an advisory capacity to groups and individuals who wish to promote it.
  6. To co-operate with other Bee-Keeping organisations with similar aims.
  7. To seek the help of the scientific community and other stake holders in achieving our aims and objectives.

OBJECTIVES

In pursuit of Aim 2;  “To establish areas of conservation throughout the island for the conservation of the native Irish  honey bee.”

  • To help promote areas of conservation throughout the island to conserve the native Irish honey bee.

In pursuit of Aim 3,  “To promote the formation of Bee Improvement groups.”

  • To liaise with bee-keepers with a view to establishing bee improvement groups.
  • To advise and encourage bee-keepers to promote our aims and objectives.

In pursuit of Aim 4,  “To provide education on Bee improvement and awareness to the public of the values of  the native Irish honey bee.”

  • To establish a website which promotes our aims and objectives with links to organisations promoting similar aims and objectives.
  • Where possible to provide information, leaflets, press releases etc.

In pursuit of Aim 5,  “To act in an advisory capacity to groups and individuals who wish to promote the native Irish honey bee.”

  • To provide information as to where local improvement groups are established.
  • To provide information about ongoing events.

3 Responses

  1. There is a long established beekeeper here in Buckinghamshire he supplies nukes to
    a lot of beginners I bought one from him 6or 7 years ago they were very bad tempered. I dumped the Queen that helped things a fair bit .he brings in breeding stock from Germany. He is a very nice fellow ,I feel he is poisoning the area, is there any thing that NIHBS could suggest I know him well and would not like to offend him.
    Sean Kirwan

    1. NIHBS has a strong anti import policy. So do all the other UK and Irish Associations apart from the Bee Farmers association.
      There is huge interest in beekeeping at the moment and money to be made. The beginners want bees in April and there are no local queens available at that time – so you get beekeepers importing queens and making up nucs with early splits. It is good business I guess, but one of these days we will get a new bee disease introduced thanks to one of these importers.
      If he is importing from Germany the bees are likely to be Carnica or Buckfast.
      The beginners are generally blissfully unaware of the issues and the dangers surrounding imports, not to mention the mixing up of the local gene pool with a hotch potch of different bee sub species.
      I would try working with the beginner beekeepers rather than the importer. He is clearly aware of the risks but is taking them anyway.
      One way to get around this problem is to get beekeepers to overwinter nucs which can then be sold to beginners in April.
      It is more work than importing queens in April but is a more sustainable form of beekeeping.

  2. Hi, I have to set up a new community beehive. I’ve the hive and materials but I need to get bees in the spring. Can I preorder some as the community group, ie Portrun Development Association Clg have funding that needs to be spent ASAP.

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