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IBA Policy on bee Favouritism

5/11/2017

I am a member of NIBS, and I have black bees. However, I am convinced that IBA clg, cannot hold views or agendas for Black or Buckfast bees. I feel that the need to serve all beekeepers equally (egalitarianism), demands strict neutrality from the company on this subject. Furthermore I believe that local Associations are masters of their own destinies, and that as long as there is freedom of movement for goods (queens and colonies) and services within the European Union there it is fruitless to attempt anything other than on a voluntary basis at local level.

Michael Hughes

10 Comments

Tom Carr link

5/11/2017 17:54:08

I concur with what Michael (Hughes) has written and hope that all members of the committee will act on the commendable sentiments expressed by him. I kept AMM bees for several years, but I now keep only Buckfast bees, all the bees adjacent to me are also Buckfast and the South Kerry Bee Breeders Group only have Buckfast Bees in their breeding apiary. Those who choose to keep AMM bees or any other bee type have in my view, a perfect right to do so. Please let the Irish Beekeepers Association remain impartial for the good of beekeeping and not be a vehicle for intolerance and the promotion of political agendas.

Jouke de Ruiter link

14/11/2017 09:05:47

Hear hear!

Gearóid Ó Fathaigh

5/11/2017 19:36:35

I'll second Michael Hughes in this regard, and echo Tom Carr's comment - the IBA should remain impartial and tolerant. I don't see how it's scientifically possible to be an exclusionary organisation when we're talking about subspecies; and an enlightened and smart approach is needed regarding conservation and biosecurity.

Jouke de Ruiter link

5/11/2017 19:43:11

I completely agree with Michael. Lets not repeat this futile argument about which bee would be better. Or more Irish. That is for the individual beekeeper to decide.
I very much like the idea underlying the IBA.

Jacqui Glisson

5/11/2017 20:33:21

Hi Tom, Good to hear from you.
We the directors of the Irish Beekeepers Association CLG are all completely behind the ethos of mutual respect and tolerance.

We have no desire to dictate to other beekeepers what they can and can't do. We would hate some-one to do that to us

If you look at our aims and objectives as well as our logo, it is very clear that beekeepers of all types of bees are welcome in our association. We will never favor the cause of one type of bee ahead of another and will work hard to defend the ethos of mutual respect and equality.

Yours in beekeeping

Jacqui

Colette O'Connell

6/11/2017 12:19:38

Fellow Beekeepers,
Jacqui, a Buckfast beekeeper, and Colette, a keeper of Apis m. mellifera, Native Irish Honey Bees, started down a parallel path some months ago, seeking information, openness and transparency within the Irish beekeeping world on behalf of the members of our respective beekeeping associations. Our paths intersected at different points, and in spite of our support for very different bees, our aims and objectives were the same, A keen sense of justice and concern for the serious issues currently facing beekeepers, honeybees and pollinators spurned us on.
Several months on, we have become firm friends and we continue to work consistently in pursuit of the aims and objectives of IBA CLG, which is established as an open and transparent and equalitarian alternative organisation that will facilitate ALL beekeepers throughout the island of Ireland whilst addressing the very serious threats facing honey bees and pollinators.
The Irish Beekeepers’ Association, C.L.G. was formed with a committee of nine elected on the 21st October last. All elected have agreed with the aims and objectives as outlined, and in particular, we have committed to an organisation with mutual respect for ALL.
The IBA CLG, endorses The All-Ireland Pollinator Plan, in support of honey bees and all pollinators.
http://www.biodiversityireland.ie/projects/irish-pollinator-initiative/all-ireland-pollinator-plan/
As a new association in it’s infancy, we have a lot to do. We have an energetic committee of nine strong- minded directors working in unison as a team and we have achieved so much in such a short period of time it is breathtaking. (I am still catching my breath and the speed at which the committee is working, with each person continuing to play their part!) However, there remains a lot more for us to do to ensure the very best national beekeeping association for you and all beekeepers joining us.
To ensure that we focus on the task ahead, I suggest our focus now be on moving forward, keeping to the front the needs and concerns we have in common, and not on our differences as individual beekeepers.
Together we can move mountains; look at what has been achieved since the 21st October!
Onwards and forward we continue in unison.
Lean ar aghaidh leis an obair mhaith!
Colette O’Connell,
Chairperson.

Pauline Walsh

7/11/2017 17:28:38

I agree though i am A.M.M. supporter and our association and area is a A.M.M. conservation area we can not discriminate on any member for not holding our beliefs. We are not going down the route of division.. Healthy bees healthy colonies healthy happy beekeepers.

Tom Carr link

11/11/2017 16:13:39

That is a praiseworthy attitude and the promotion of tolerance is laudable.It is worth remembering that on the continent, beekeepers who choose different types of bees can live in harmony with each other. Why cannot such tolerance be shown here in Ireland? The country is big enough and the number of beekeepers few enough for harmonious co-existence. It is the undertaking by the IBA PLC, to not favour one type of bee over another, that has attracted me here and I know has attracted many others as well; long may that magnanimity continue.

Robert Anthony

26/11/2017 13:08:11

Congratulations on the new Association, whose aims I fully endorse. Although I think it important to respect all other beekeepers and their bees, I would ask you not to be too hasty in stifling free speech on the subject of honeybee sub-species. It would not be my intention to indulge in silly arguments about who has the best bees, but I believe it important to point out that our native bee has been endangered. In the name of biodiversity alone it would be wise for the Association to maintain a conversation on the subject, even if it is only for beginners to the craft to recognise that it is best to keep bees similar to their neighbours' bees.

Jacqui Glisson

26/11/2017 14:21:05

I absolutely agree.

We all came together under adverse conditions and realized we had more in common as beekeepers than we had differences.

The message we are sending to all beekeepers is; no discrimination, no judgment, together in beekeeping.

As to how it works on the ground, I can only describe what we do in our own association.

Usually somewhere during a beekeeping course, the beginner asks where they can buy bees.

My first question is , "Where do you live?"

That answer then dictates which beekeeper I send them to for their nuc, depending on what bees are predominantly in the area they are living in.

I don't dictate I don't threaten and I don't judge, I simply suggest out of courtesy to their neighbors, they get bees that are compatible with what they neighbors are doing.

I had to smile at our last AGM.

An enthusiastic beginner in a Black bee area, was talking to a member in our association who is an avid black bee fan.

As soon as he told her he was allergic to bees. she called me over and said , " You need to talk to Jacqui about getting Buckfast bees instead. The native bees will be too dangerous for you. "

So we spoke.
I told him how to remove drone comb so as not to affect the black bee breeding program in the area he was in.
We spoke about Midnight Mating to get his own queens mated and most importantly, we spoke about the management of anaphylaxis, a course of desensitising injections and possibly taking up another hobby.

With mutual respect and co-operation anything is possible

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IBA Policy on bee Favouritism

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Jacqui Glisson

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