New law proposed to save the native Irish Honey Bee
New law proposed to save the native Irish Honey Bee
Proposed legislation that would ban imports of non-native bees is scheduled for debate in the Seanad on Thursday 2nd June with support from all parties. Banning imports has been problematic up to now because bees are considered livestock which have freedom of movement across the EU.
The Protection of the Native Irish Honey Bee Bill 2021 is the work of beekeepers, scientists and barristers from the Climate Bar Association who believe they have found a wording to get around this. The native bee has a genetic make-up unique to Ireland where it has evolved to cope well with cooler temperatures and rain.
It is particularly hairy so makes for a very efficient pollinator, is more frugal than other bees, produces high-quality honey and, when left alone, lives longer. But it is generally a docile creature and is under intense threat from habitat loss, pesticides and competition from a huge increase in imports of more aggressive varieties from abroad.
Imports of queen bees increased by 89pc between 2017 and 2018, stayed constant for 2019 and then rocketed by 327pc in 2020.
Kyle Petrie, a beekeeper and owner of OpenHive Honey, said the takeover by non-native bees and hybrids was very evident in Leinster. Mr Petrie said he gets calls from members of the public at this time of year, which is swarm season, to remove swarms that have set up new hives in homes or gardens. He stated that around 75% of the hives he has removed so far are non-native species.
Dr Grace McCormack of NUI Galway, who worked for many years to prove the existence of the unique Irish sub-species of honey bee, said in her field work, around 30pc of the wild swarms were non-native.
Barrister Mema Byrne said the biggest obstacle in devising legal protection for the bee was not creating space in conservation laws, but finding a way around EU freedom of trade regulations.
“Honey bees are treated in the same manner as fully domesticated livestock so they have freedom of movement like cattle and pigs. However, whereas cattle and pigs breeding is controlled through artificial insemination and their movement is controlled through fencing, there are no such restrictions on honey bees.”
The bill was introduced by Green Party Senator Vincent P Martin, a barrister who keeps bees as a hobby.
He spoke of the thrill of seeing pots of his honey for sale in his local greengrocer. “I think it must be what it’s like for an artist seeing their work on public display.”
He said he hoped the all-party support shown for the bill so far would hasten its path towards becoming law.