...and the GPO’s a hive of activity

ONE of the country’s best-known landmarks is a hive of activity as it prepares to welcome some new live-in workers. The GPO, on Dublin’s O’Connell Street, will soon be abuzz when a new hive of worker bees and their own queen takes up residence on the roof.

An Post will also be selling a new bee-inspired stamp to promote the conservation and longevity of their new tenants. The four new stamps were designed by Dublin’s Design HQ based on illustrations by botanical artist Shevaun Doherty. The set are hexagonally shaped to reflect a hive’s cell structure and are valued at €1.

An Post’s head of procurement Paula Butler, a member of the Fingal North Dublin Beekeepers Association, explained the project had to be delayed as they waited for the former residents to move out.

‘We had to wait for some “teenage” seagull chicks to leave their nest so that our honey bees’ hive could be installed,’ she said.

It is expected that the new residents will enjoy taking pollen from a 2km radius, including landmarks such as Trinity College and the Garden of Remembrance.

Worldwide bee populations are struggling for survival as they encounter pollutants, pesticides, the loss of their habitats and the effects of climate change.

It is hoped the stamps will spark a buzz nationally and create awareness about our native bee species.