Killucan Honey

08/06/2026

This weather is a disaster. Inspections must go on between showers and over 60% of swarm control is complete. Blackberry is out but ideally need 20°C with high humidity for a good flow. Our native honeybees are out between showers. One hive from a supersedure queen, good docility even in horrible weather, good brood pattern and no sign of varroa or chalk brood.

08/06/2026

Great day out yesterday
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A great turnout in Tullamore today for John Summerville’s Native Irish Honey Bee Society 2026 Queen Rearing and Bee Improvement Day.

It was possibly the greatest gathering of world-class beekeepers in Ireland since the well-remembered meetings at Gormanstown. Not only did we witness this remarkable coming together, but everyone benefitted greatly from the sharing of knowledge, ideas, and experience throughout the day, followed by tea and conversation afterwards.

A special thank you to all our members, new supporters, and the many interested beekeepers who travelled to attend, especially on a day when the weather was threatening to be moist, to say the least!

We are particularly grateful to the many new visitors who came to learn more about the Native Irish Black Honey Bee, Apis mellifera mellifera. We truly appreciate you taking the chance to venture out on what was a very dull day in many parts of Ireland, though thankfully not in the fortunate microclimate of Clonminch Lane.

Thank you all for making a such a memorable and inspiring day.

05/06/2026

We are in now in what beekeepers call the June gap where the spring flowers have finished like Hawthorne and we are waiting for the main summer flow to start. There is little forage out for bees at the moment in the midlands. Hopefully the heat at the end of next week will open the blackberry flower and yield nectar.

29/05/2026

Great service from Peter Nea removing stubborn beeswax and propolis from a dual uncapping tank and for melting beeswax cappings. Good as new, getting ready for harvesting soon.
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28/05/2026

Swarm arriving into some nuc boxes. Rehomed it into a bigger brood box & super.

24/05/2026

Busy busy busy time of year. Bees are foraging on mostly sycamore, red clover, horse chestnut, mountain ash, cow parsley, & with this extra heat Hawthorne too. Swarm control in full swing

20/05/2026

Happy world bee day. For 35 years beekeepers across Ireland have been campaigning for a ban on imported Honeybees. Our native honeybee is under threat from non native sub species, hybrid honeybees, exotic pests and diseases. Thousands of queens are coming into the country every year diluting our unique genetics. We have cross party support for this in the Dail. Need action now from the government. .

13/05/2026

This is our busiest time of year, flat out on hive inspections. Even crappy weather cannot stop swarm control. Waiting out showers in the jeep to check hives. The weather is cold & wet for the next few days but from the middle of next week it's improving.

12/05/2026

Only few places left, if booked out it might be ran again.
Introductory to Beekeeping, the basics you need to know before handling bees.
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04/05/2026

Weekly inspections checking for queen cells which have a larvae charged with royal jelly. Play cups with just eggs in them are noted & left alone. Bees can mess around with play cups for weeks removing eggs All in the notes.