It’s been just over a month since our beautiful Native Irish Honey Bees (apis mellifera mellifera) first arrived at our new Voluntary Conservation Area at our Cloudforest One site in Lahinch, Co. Clare. We are the first private enterprise to undertake the role of a Voluntary Conservation Area & we are very excited to go down to visit them next week and see how they are developing. 

However, the past month has not only been a big month in our Native Honey Bee conservation efforts. It’s been a big month for all of us concerned with the apis mellifera mellifera & its future.

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.

Bees are some of the most important creatures in the animal kingdom. They are pollinators, who ensure food security and contribute significantly to the mitigation of climate change and the conservation of the environment. Pollinators such as bees, birds, and bats, affect 35 percent of the world's crop production, increasing the outputs of 87 of the leading food crops worldwide.

Today, we are delighted to announce that we have become the first private enterprise to undertake the role of a Voluntary Conservation Area, with the installation of our first beehives at Cloudforest One in Lahinch, Co. Clare.

The exciting news just keeps on coming here at Cloudforests. Today, we are announcing our intention to Undertake the role of a Conservation Area for Apis mellifera mellifera (Native Irish Honey Bees) in partnership with the Native Irish Honey Bee Society (N.I.H.B.S).