Pre- order your 2025 Native Irish Honey Bee Queens here.

2025 Mated Native Irish Honey Bee Queens:

Our mated native Irish Honey Bee queens (AMM or Apis Mellifera Mellifera) are typically available towards the end of June onwards, subject to weather conditions. We welcome pre-orders to secure your queen bee in advance. Please note that due to the live nature of the bees, we must employ express delivery services, which incur a €10 delivery charge. Rest assured that this charge is necessary to ensure the safe and timely arrival of your mated queen bee.

Native Irish Honey Bee, Apis Mellifera Mellifera

The Native Irish Honey Bee, Apis Mellifera Mellifera (A.M.M) also known as the Black Bee or Dark European Honey Bee was originally widespread throughout the whole of Northern Europe but is no longer prevalent, due the hybridisation with other sub-species. There are still small pockets, where this species is still holding out as the main genetic resident due to geographics, conservation efforts and restrictions on imported sub species. Ireland being an island is one of those pockets.

Status in Ireland

Scientific research and DNA analysis has confirmed the Irish A.M.M strain to be both pure and distinct in the paper ‘A significant pure population of the dark European honey bee (Apis mellifera mellifera) remains in Ireland (tandfonline.com)’  https://doi.org/10.1080/00218839.2018.1433949

Native Irish Honey Bees and Irish Bee Keepers

The native Irish honey bee is still very prevalent in Ireland but it is severely threatened by hybridisation from non-native imports genetics and the diseases carried by some. It is on us, the bee keepers, to protect and conserve our only native honey bee or it could be lost to hybridisation or disease forever.

Year on year we identify and replace any colonies where hybridisation could continue through the open mating procedure we implement. We record all our queens and colonies which is vital to determine when hybridisation occurred and if there is a possibility of that hybrid line continuing.

Our Native Irish Honey Bee breeding program

As a member of the Native Irish Honey Bee Society (NHIBS) and Louth Bee Keepers Association (LBKA) we have been trained in the production/rearing of virgin queens. At Boyles Irish Pantry we are committed to this ongoing work. We select colonies with known AMM genetics and a number of traits such as docility, disease resilience, brood pattern and honey production for a breeding mother. Virgin queens are moved to mating apiaries a great distance away to reduce the risk of inbreeding. Virgin queens get mated and start producing eggs and that’s when their records start. Each newly mated queen is given an ID number which traces back to their mother, mated apiary and first eggs produced. In this manner if brood produced by this queen is seen to be hybridised in any way, we know firstly that we should not use this queen to breed from but secondly her drones being genetic carbon copies of the queen are still ok and will not continue a hybrid line. Any queens with unknown genetic such as swarms collected or removals from buildings that show signs of hybridization are stopped from producing drones and re-queened with known genetics. Sometimes we are lucky enough to have queens with unknown lineage show no signs of hybridisation and eventually blend in successfully.

Your New Mated Native Irish Honey Bee AMM

Typically, available towards the end of June onwards, subject to weather conditions. You will be given notice when your queen has produced brood and can be evaluated. Your queen will be caged with several worker bees to accompany her and some food. The €10 delivery charge is to get her to you as quickly as possible to reduce any stress. Please do on receipt of your new queen take a note of her number, if there is any problems she can be tracked back to her origins.

For more information on AMM conservation go to our conservation page

Bee Conservation

Extracts from

https://assets.gov.ie/202059/ead2daca-45d9-468b-85a4-ffab363f2a34.pdf