Limerick facility becomes area of conservation for native Irish honey bee

Managing director of Britvic Ireland Kevin Donnelly, Dr Keith Browne, and Ballygowan beekeeper Cathy Cooper sampling some honey as Ballygowan’s Newcastle West facility becomes an official area of conservation for the native black honey bee. Picture: Brendan Gleeson

The Ballygowan facility in Co Limerick has become an official area of conservation for the native Irish honey bee, Britvic Ireland has announced.

The new initiative aims to raise awareness about the importance of pollinators and their contribution to sustainable development.

The project makes Ballygowan the only bottled water company in Ireland that has committed to being an area of conservation with the National Irish Honey Bee Society (NIHBS).

The site in Newcastle West will house five native Irish honey bee colonies.

The native Irish honey bee plays a critical role in the pollination of plants and crops. However, research published by the University of Galway in 2023 found that the levels of the native black honey bee are in stark decline due to cross-breeding with non-native imports, also known as hybridisation.

Managing director of Britvic Ireland Kevin Donnelly, John Greenaway of the NIHBS, and Ballygowan beekeeper Cathy Cooper pictured as Ballygowan’s Newcastle West facility becomes an official area of conservation for the native black honey bee. Picture: Brendan Gleeson

According to the research, the rate of hybridisation has risen from 5% to over 12% across a five-year period.

In order to support the native Irish honey bee’s survival, Britvic Ireland has expanded long flowering meadows on the Newcastle West site from just over 2,700 sq m to nearly 23,000 sq m in 2022.

It has also allowed all meadows to grow year-round with overgrown shrubs cut back to enable fresh growth and wildflower development.

Managing director at Britvic Ireland managing director Kevin Donnelly said they recognise "the critical role that biodiversity holds in contributing to our ecosystem".