forests that buzz

Wonderful to welcome Hergen Bayer and Aideen Day from the NIHBS Native Irish Honeybee Society to Cloudforest One yesterday to survey two new locations for the establishment of a new apiary for conservation of the native Irish honey bee. This is an important next step for us after our first hives declined late last year. As part of our plans Kim Lake pictured is creating a native Irish wildflower plan for the site that will benefit all pollinators. More to follow in the coming weeks as we make sure our forests Buzzzzzz !

For more information on our forests for planet, nature and people please visit our website at www.cloudforests.ie #makingplanetearthcool

a brief history of the native Irish honey bee can be found below

The Native Irish Honey Bee: A rich history of resilience and conservation

The Native Irish Honey Bee (Apis mellifera mellifera) is a unique sub-species of the Western Honey Bee, which has been present in Ireland for thousands of years. It is believed that the species arrived on the island during the last Ice Age and has adapted over time to the local climate and landscape. However, in the face of numerous threats over the centuries, the native honey bee has come close to extinction several times.

Despite its recognized importance as a vital pollinator of Ireland's flora, the Native Irish Honey Bee has faced many challengess in its history. The species' greatest threat came in the late 19th century when the importation of non-native bees such as the Italian and Buckfast bee began to occur. This introduced many diseases to the native populations, and the hybridization that resulted threatened to wipe out the Native Irish Honey Bee entirely.

Throughout the 20th century, the population of the Native Irish Honey Bee suffered significantly due to modern farming and land use practices. In addition to habitat loss, the use of pesticides and the global decline of honey bees due to climate change posed further challenges.

All cloudforests have conservation zones to help protect and conserve the Native Irish Honey bee

#nativeirishbees #coolpartners #climateaction #nature #savethebees #pollinators #biodiversity