Fastnet Area Beekeepers Association
Supporting Bees & Beekeepers in West Cork
Beekeeping news & events in West Cork.
Hello Beekepers! The month of August has been terrific, with a honey flow that surpassed any expectations. The girls worked hard and I’d imagine that their main source of nectar was from the clover and blackberry as the resultant honey is so sweet and sparkly golden in colour. They worked tirelessly and brought in so much that I ran out …
Hello Beekepers! Just as the swarming season ends AND The main honey flow is over AND Queenie is slowing down in her egg production AND The summer forage bees are dying naturally – There’s still a lot of work left to be done by the beekeeper. Tips for the Coming Month August is a very busy month and thankfully we’ll …
Hello Beekepers! June has brought a bit of sunshine at last and the bees were able to take advantage of the increasing temperatures and the yielding flora. The results are obvious in the hive — we see cells being filled with nectar and pollen being stored. Tips for the Coming Month The MAIN TASK in July is to ensure that …
After what has been a particularly cold and wet May, we look forward to June! Weather permitting, the blackberry and the clover will emerge and this is a great source of nutrition for our bees. As the flow starts you certainly need to inspect your hives weekly. As a beginner, you might be tempted to have a ‘peep’ more often …
Beannachtaí na Cásca a ghuí ar duine.Happy Easter to you all. Our course is coming to an end and maybe some of you are thinking of getting bees. Should you decide that beekeeping is for you, I hope that the following points may be of some help. What breed of bee should you order? Most beekeepers keep the Native Irish …
Michael has been busy working away at writing some brief overview helpsheets for beginner beekeepers, and we’ve put these up on the website in our new ‘Advice’ section, which we hope to keep expanding to create a useful information source for beekeepers in our particular climate. Let us know if there are any beekeeping topics you’d like us to cover. Remember, if you have any questions at all about beekeeping, we’re only an email away!
We’re delighted to announce our 2021 beginner’s course! Thanks to Covid-19, this will take place via live online video sessions, but we also hope to hold hands-on sessions at our West Cork apiaries in the spring if HSE guidelines allow. The price includes a full year’s membership of FABKA with all associated benefits, as well as a copy of the …
We are acutely aware that the beekeeping season is slowing down for this year. But, in effect, it is the beginning of the new season in the form of preparing, feeding, treating for the winter season. We have all been following the FIBKA and HSE guidelines (see below) since March this 2020 year. We have now decided to try an …
The idea of starting a new FIBKA Association in this beautiful picturesque Fastnet Area was but a dream. The delightful wild rock and hill strewn vista with lots of varied flora and fauna for bees and insects is a paradise for pollinators. What motivated us to start a new group initially was the arduous road journey from the Mizen Peninsula …
The inaugural meeting of The Fastnet Area Beekeepers’ Association (FABKA) took place at the Teagasc Office in Skibbereen, a cold wet winter’s evening warmed by the welcome of Mairead and Mike Love the energy and vision behind this new endeavour. We were introduced to a number of special guests including Paul O’Brien the current President of the Federation of Irish …