Ireland's honeybee population, once thought extinct, can now be followed on a new interactive digital map built to mark World Bee Day.
The tool, created by Esri Ireland and its ArcGIS mapping system, offers a portal into Voluntary Conservation Areas (VCAs), 18 of which have been established by local beekeeping associations in an attempt to protect the species.
It is part of an all-island approach by the Native Irish Honeybee Society to protect and promote the native Apis mellifera mellifera population.
This, the only native species in Ireland, was once feared extinct until a recent study found millions living in at least 300 hives across Ireland. This is considered potentially the greatest reserve in the world and one that could help restock the population of honeybees in northern Europe.
Unfortunately, 77 of Ireland’s 98 bee species are solitary, and their habitat loss has advanced to a point where a third are threatened with extinction.
World Bee Day, now in its fourth year, is aimed at awareness and strengthening measures to protect bees and other pollinators.
