Ballygarry Estate Declared A Conservation Area For The Native Irish Honey Bee

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BALLYGARRY Estate Hotel & Spa in Tralee has announced a collaboration with The Native Irish Honey Bee Society (NIHBS) as they declare a conservation area for the native Irish honey bee on World Bee Day this Friday.

A conservation area is an area of land designated in support of the welfare of the Native Irish Honey Bee.

On the island of Ireland, authentic populations of native Irish dark honey bees, Apis mellifera mellifera still exist in the wild and in many beekeepers’ hives, but they are under threat from hybridisation and imported diseases.

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The positive and environmentally focused co-operation between Ballygarry Estate and the NIHBS ensures that the grounds of Ballygarry Estate Hotel & Spa are a safe haven for those unique native honey bees.

Gina Groves, manager of Nádúr Spa at Ballygarry is an avid beekeeper and maintains a number of native black honey bee hives in her onsite apiary.

With the support of the NIHBS she hopes to expand the onsite apiary even further. Gina uses the honey from the apiary to create handmade organic products to use for treatments & for retail in Nádúr Spa.

Gina adds: “We are delighted to join forces with NIHBS in this very important mission to protect our native bee and what better day to launch this declaration than on World Bee Day. Our hives can be seen on the walkway of our newly established wetlands on the grounds of the Estate, which is open to the public to enjoy”.