The UN has designated 20 May as World Bee Day. The purpose of the day is to raise awareness of the importance of pollinators, the threats they face and their contribution to sustainable development.
As part of the department’s contribution to biodiversity, two bee hives were installed on the roof of 51 Stephen’s Green in October 2022.
At the time of installation, there were approximately 15,000 bees in each hive. The bees have built up well over the Spring and there are now approximately 40,000 bees in each hive. The bees are mainly bringing in nectar from the Chestnut and Sycamore trees in St Stephen’s Green and pollen from the flowers.
There are two honey flows in the year, one is Spring and one in Summer. The honey flow occurs when one or more abundant sources of nectar are available, along with suitable weather, allowing bees to forage for that nectar.
Our bees have made about 30lbs of honey from the Spring flow. This honey will not be harvested until the Summer flow commences to ensure that there is enough food for the bees in case of cold weather during the Summer flow.
It is expected that the Spring honey will be harvested at the start of July - weather permitting. We hope to harvest 60lbs of honey at the end of the summer flow if we are lucky.