New law has been proposed to save the Native Irish Honey Bee

The Protection of the Native Irish Honey Bee Bill 2021 (Protection Bill) will go through its 2nd stage in the Seanad this Thursday. 

This bill would put a ban on imports of non-native bees, and is scheduled for debate in the Seanad on Thursday with support from all parties.

The Native Irish Honey Bee (Apis mellifera mellifera) is a strain of the Dark European Honey Bee which was once widespread across Northern Europe. Tragically they are now scarce in most areas due to cross-breeding with other strains of the honey bee and diseases from imported bees. It is the only honey bee strain native to Ireland.

The Apis mellifera mellifera is dark in colour and has many attributes that specifically aid it is prospering here including coping well with cooler temperatures and rain, which makes it resilient to ever-changing Irish Weather conditions. 

We are extremely fortunate that a strong and genetically diverse population of our native bees still exists in Ireland, but it needs protection if it is to continue to survive and thrive. The Apis mellifera mellifera is under intense threat from habitat loss, pesticides and competition from a huge increase in imports of more aggressive varieties from abroad.

Imported bees bring the risk of cross-breeding which harms biodiversity and the ecosystem arising from the introgression/crossing/cross-breeding of the native Irish honey bee.

In addition, the importation of honey bees has in previous times brought deadly diseases and pests, such as the varroa mite, which have devastated our native honey bees and can have a detrimental effect on other bee species also.

Unfortunately, Imports increased by 327% between the years 2019 and 2020.   As well as this, scientific research is showing more and more hybridisation every year. In the Dublin area alone, Open Hive put out 100 catcher hives and found that 75% of the swarms collected were non-native.

The bill was introduced by Green Party Senator Vincent P Martin, who keeps bees in his spare time. He said he hoped the all-party support shown for the bill so far would mean it's on its way toward becoming law.

At Cloudforests, we are delighted to announce that we have become the first private enterprise to undertake the role of a Voluntary Conservation Area for the Native Irish Honey Bee Society (NIHBS), with the installation of our first beehives at Cloudforest One in Lahinch, Co. Clare.

The NIHBS was established in November 2012 by a group of beekeepers who wished to support the native Irish honey bee (Apis mellifera mellifera) throughout the country. Its main aim is to promote the conservation, study, improvement, and re-introduction of Apis mellifera mellifera. They achieve this by establishing conservation areas throughout the island & providing education on bee improvement and increasing public awareness of the native Irish honey bee.

We are incredibly passionate about the Apis mellifera mellifera and its future survival & prosperity. However, this is only the beginning of our plans with the NIHBS, and we have already begun planning for the installation of our next Apis mellifera mellifera Conservation Area on one of our other sites.

If you wish to support this bill, come to Leinster House next Thursday 2nd June 2022 from 11.30 for 12.00 to visibly demonstrate support for the Protection Bill.  The NIHBS  would love you to attend in great swarms to raise the profile of the Protection Bill.  We need to create a stir and show Ministers, Senators and TDs how important this Bill is.