The Federation of Irish Beekeepers Associations looks after all the beekeeping associations in the Republic of Ireland.
www.irishbeekeeping.ie
The Ulster Beekeepers Association is the main beekeepers’ body in Northern Ireland.
www.ubka.org/
Want to read up on how to begin beekeeping? Check out Graham & Annie Law’s guide for Beginners in beekeeping. www.beeginners.info/.
See also Dave Cushman’s beginners page http://www.dave-cushman.net/bee/filec.html
For just about all you’ll ever need to know about apiculture – consult Dave, a great friend of Irish beekeeping and the creator of a fine online encyclopaedia of beekeeping: http://www.dave-cushman.net/bee/newhome.html
The Galtee Bee Breeding Group are dedicated to breeding a better bee in Ireland: www.GBBG.net
The Bee Improvers and Bee Breeders Association have similar goals: www.bibba.com
Our next-door neighbours: http://www.fingalbeekeepers.net/
Members of the South Tipp BKA seem to win most of the prizes at the Dublin Honey Show! It’s an excellent association with a commitment to learning as well as honey show success: http://www.southtippbees.com/
For scientific beekeeping papers you might visit:
www.edpsciences.org/journal/index.cfm
Bees for Development are a charity dedicated to third World development through apiculture
www.beesfordevelopment.org
Every two years, the Apimondia World gathering of beekeepers is held. It is the World Cup of beekeeping, and so much more – http://www.apimondia.org/
Interesting News and Views on beekeeping:
www.moraybeekeepers.co.uk/news_and_views.htm
Excellent Photos of bees and flowers:
photo.bees.net/gallery/albums.php
For non-Apis bees in Ireland, there’s a good website in TCD: http://www.tcd.ie/Zoology/research/Bees
Here’s a good non-scientific site covering bumblebees: www.bumblebee.org/
A good scientific site for bumblebees is Paul William’s site in the NHM London: http://www.nhm.ac.uk/research-curation/research/projects/bombus/
The bumblebee conservation trust is interesting: http://www.bumblebeeconservation.org.uk/
Then some more UK-based societies (but with Irish members):
- BWARS: http://www.bwars.com/ and
- Hymettus: http://hymettus.org.uk/
Beekeepers in Dublin tend to buy their equipment from the following sorces:
- Ben Harden in Arklow (0402-24878, aharden[at]eircom.net, no website) sells a wide range of equipment in person and by mail order
- Bee Hive Supplies sell a range hives in Norwegian Spruce, and other equipment.
In the UK there is a range of vendors, for example:
To subscribe to the excellent irish beekeeping discussion list send an email to:
irishbeekeeping-subscribe@yahoogroups.co.uk and join in the friendly, knowledgeable discussion, or just lurk and learn from the wise participants from all over the World.
If you come across broken links or sites that we might add, please let us know.