Queen Rearing Group Scheme
3 Counties Black Bee Breeding Group
3 Counties Black Bee Breeders group has been established as sup group to our beekeeping association.
Aims:
- To develop our skills in breeding better native Irish honey bees and queens
- To encourage members to produce better native Irish honey bees and queens as they improve as beekeepers. Passing our skills on.
- To support each other and share our achievements and issues as we develop.
- To be able to supply others with Native Irish Black Bees and Queens in the future
Meeting through the winter to learn the theory before working practical through the spring and summer.
We hope to hold bee improvement and queen rearing workshops in the future.
Contact: The Secretary
Belfast Minnowburn Queen Rearing Group
Based at Minnowburn near Shaw’s Bridge, Belfast
Has members from Belfast, Dromore, Killinchy, East Antrim, and INIB associations.
Meets at 7.00pm Monday evenings
Contact: Jonathan Getty
NIHBS hosted a beekeeper queen rearing skills and training day at the site on 3rd August 2013 for beekeepers interested in starting up a queenrearing group in their own association.
Bremore Queen rearing Group
Based in Fingal North County Dublin, The Bremore Group in made up from members of the Fingal
North County Dublin Beekeeping association.
Now in their third year of successful Queen rearing and continuing to perfect the art of Queen rearing
Benefitting from the help supplied by NIHBS and very well supported by the Fingal association.
Michael Kelly and Mary Gillick, head up the group.
The Bremore name takes inspiration from the history of Bremore Castle,
and the area’s association with St Mologa, a Seventh Century Irish saint long renowned for beekeeping,
Local tradition has it that Bremore was the first place in Ireland where beekeeping was practiced. It was said to have been introduced there by St. Molaga who:
settled for a short time at Bremore close to Balbriggan and Balrothery. There he kept a swarm of Bees, a portion of those brought over from Wales by St Modomhnac.
From this circumstance his church was called Lannbeachra (The Church of the Bee Man) and the ruins of it may still be seen close to a farmhouse in Bremore
Along with Molaga several other saints including Mo-Domnoc, Brigit, Gobnait and Berach are also associated with the practice of beekeeping
There is an arch in the adjacent Bremore Castle dating from 1689 depicting a monk holding a bell or a skep and bees flying towards it.
Bremore Castle arch (photo copyright John McMullan)
Close up of Bremore Castle arch showing monk with skep (photo copyright John McMullan)
Cavan Queen Rearing Group
Contact: Alan Brady
Déise Bee Breeders
Dromore Queen Rearing Group
Contact: William Blakely
Based at Tullyhenan Fort near Banbridge.
The group meets on Thursday evening and Saturday morning during the summer bee breeding season.
Galtee Bee Breeding Group (GBBG)
Contact: Alan Forksitt
Based in Tipperary
GBBG supplies several hundred native queens per year but these must be ordered and paid for in advance. The order book is often full for the current season by February so book early to avoid disappointment.
GBBG hosts an open day every year where the queen rearing process is demonstrated.
Killinchy BKA Queen Rearing Group
In collaboration with the NIHBS queen rearing scheme, we have established an active and growing Queen Rearing Group held within our conservation area in Finnebrogue Woods near Downpatrick in County Down. Year on year we offer greater opportunities for our members, increasing skills, self-sufficiency, hoping to lessen the trend for imports, further spreading the word and providing a safe haven for our Native Irish honeybees. Contact Gwen Earnshaw at kbkaapiary@gmail.com https://www.thekillinchybeekeepersassociation.com/
County Waterford Bee Breeders
