A sticky situation for Irish honeybees
Foreign predators are attacking our sweet-natured native species
AN illicit trade in angry foreign bees on secret websites is threatening the native Irish honeybee, it has been claimed.
And there has been stinging criticism for the Agriculture Minister, who was warned against ‘sleepwalking’ into a biodiversity crisis.
Concerns are growing in particular that the Irish bee may suffer a similar fate to the famous Irish red squirrel which became an endangered species after the importation of its hardier grey cousin.
Independent Donegal TD Thomas Pringle asked if consideration would be given to legislation banning the import of non-native bee species in order to protect the native stock.
Responding, Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue acknowledged ‘the important contribution bees make to agriculture and biodiversity as both pollinators and honey producers’.
In this regard, he said: ‘My department provides a range of supports and initiatives to encourage and assist beekeepers and the national beekeeping associations.’
The minister noted: ‘My department also supports the work of the Native Irish Honey Bee Society,’ adding, ‘All imports of bees must be accompanied by a health certificate issued by country of export.’
This, he said, was to ensure that imported bees ‘do not harbour pathogens or parasites that may be harmful to our native bee stocks’.
Beekeepers, however, have sharply criticised the minister’s ‘laissez-faire, laissez-passer’ approach. One experienced beekeeper warned: ‘The unrestricted importation of foreign bees may take out the native Irish bee like the grey squirrel or the Irish red deer.’ They added: ‘The greatest danger is not disease but breeding – the foreign bees are sneaking in and taking advantage of the Irish queens. The Irish bee is being replaced by non-native hybrids.’
One practitioner warned: ‘The decision to import non-native bees is diluting the Irish strain.
‘The foreign bees are far angrier and prone to swarming.’
One source also expressed concerns about ‘clandestine trading in bees – there is a lot of
it going on in secret, facilitated by the internet and suchlike. It’s like a Dark Web for bees.’
Commenting on the minister’s response, Mr Pringle said: ‘It is a serious problem. Our concern is we may sleepwalk into a repeat of other debacles such as the decimation of our fisheries industry.
‘Confidence is low in the Department of Agriculture. They have an ongoing capacity to say everything is fine when everything is collapsing around them.’
‘Greatest danger is not disease but breeding’