Native Irish Honey Bee Society
Come Join Our Online Book Launch
18th September 2021 19.30 to 21.00
Online Book Launch by Micheál Mac Giolla Coda, followed by
Guest Speaker, Professor Thomas Seeley – The Lives of Bees, the Untold Story of the Honey Bee in the Wild
Free Raffle
Your name will automatically be entered when you register or pre-order the book. A Zoom link will be emailed to all registered attendees before the event date.
Available to Purchase Below
“The Native Irish Honey Bee, Apis mellifera mellifera” focuses exclusively on the native Irish honey bee, featuring narratives on its evolution, genetics, history and conservation, with practical “How-to” sections on bee improvement, plus real-life stories from commercial beekeepers. Its aims are to increase awareness of and appreciation for the precious resources imbued in the native black honey bee, to encourage beekeepers to choose native Irish honey bees and to discourage the buying and importation of non-native honey bees.
Latest NIHBS News
Boosting Bee Buzz: Unveiling a Variety of Log Hive Designs by Trained Forester Mick Verspuij
Statement regarding requests for queens from Mainland Europe.
Celebrating Nature’s Guardians – FIBKA’s 75th Summer School & Honey Show, Supported by NIHBS!
Honey Bee and Queen Improvement Day and BBQ Banbridge, Saturday 19th August 2023
Statement Against Imports
NIHBS Honey Bee & Queen Improvement Open Day Mayo, Sunday 23rd July 2023
About NIHBS
The Native Irish Honey Bee Society was established to promote the conservation of Apis mellifera mellifera throughout the island of Ireland. The Society strives to raise public awareness of our native honey bee and its importance, and acts in an advisory capacity to groups and individuals wishing to promote and preserve it.
What Our Native Honey Bee Looks Like
Apis mellifera mellifera (aka European dark bee) can be distinguished from other subspecies by its stocky body, overall dark coloration, plus abundant thoracic and sparse abdominal hair, which is brown. There can be heavy dark pigmentation of the wings. Overall, when viewed from a distance, these bees should appear blackish or rich dark brown.
Bee Improvement
As part of our conservation mission, NIHBS advocates that Irish beekeepers buy native bees. To that end, NIHBS is affiliated with multiple bee breeding groups located around the country. Find out more about them by clicking the button below.
