Getting buzzy with it

As we all seek different ways to keep ourselves occupied in the ‘new normal’, many of the creatures that surround us in the outdoors carry on absolutely unperturbed by the Covid-19 crisis. One such creature is the native Irish Black Bee.

Now you may be asking yourself “Why are the guys at the Canoe Centre writing about bees?” or  maybe “Have they lost their minds due to the effects of social isolation?” Keep reading on to find out how important these little guys are and about the day to day effect they have on all of our lives.

Did you know that bees are the predominant pollinator in the world?, Responsible for pollinating a third of the food we eat and 80% of flowering plants! Pollination is absolutely crucial to our food supply as many fruits, vegetables and crops that feed our livestock rely on it to be fertilised. While there are other methods of pollination such as wind, birds, bats and other insects the bee is by far the most effective due to its ability to pollinate on a much greater scale.

Bee populations around the world have come under increasing pressure due to the mass use of pesticides, the increase of monoculture crops and the constant change in climate. While this is not a good situation to find ourselves in it has given rise to a massive rise in domestic bee keeping. The name is quite misleading as domestically kept bees live their normal natural lives with a little human assistance to ensure they can do it as well as possible.

Some time ago a good friend of ours was looking for a location for their families bee hives and we jumped at the opportunity to have them on our property in Mill Lane.  A prime location by the banks of the River Liffey on the Strawberry Beds, we couldn’t think of a better place for them. Standing out looking over the river with an abundance of wildlife on show, you could easily be fooled into thinking you are in the middle of the country rather than 30 minutes upriver from O Connell street!

So the next time you drop into an eddy or pull up onto the riverbank and one of our fuzzy friends flies by, instead of swatting them away, take a moment to consider all the things you now know about one of our favourite creatures.In the meantime have a look at the clip below to see our resident bees in action!

We hope you’ve enjoyed reading something a little different from our usual blog posts. Over the next few weeks we aim to update our blog with all sorts of content concerning the outdoors. If you've enjoyed this then subscribe to our mailing list to get our blogs directly to you inbox.