Working Life: Hanna Bäckmo, founder of Hanna’s Bees

Keeping native Irish honey bees alive is my main aim

Hanna Bäckmo, Hanna's Bees Picture: Andres Poveda

“My beekeeping journey started with peaches. I’ve always had a passion for growing things, and 15 years ago, I bought a cottage in Little Island, Co Cork, on 0.5a and started planting peaches and nectarines. They flower so early, and there weren’t any pollinators around. To get them pollinated, I had to get bees. I should have stopped after the first three or four hives, but I’m up to about 70 now.