Northern Dark Honey Bee

Feb 03

Northern Dark Honey Bee

Where do They Live?

These honey bees live in hollow trees or inside the rooves of houses. They can be found all across Northern Europe. The strain we have here in Ireland is a native species. A large amount of them also live in manmade bee hives as most of the Irish honey bee population are owned by beekeepers.

 

What do They Eat?

Like most bees, honey bees eat the nectar of lots of different flowers like foxgloves, hydrangeas and poppies.

Remember never to feed a sick bee honey as it could be harmful to them. Instead give them a mix of sugar and water to munch on.

 

How to Identify Them

Honeybees are a lot smaller than bumblebees, making them easy to tell apart. They also are much less fuzzy from a distance, although, up close you will see that they have lots of tiny hairs in their body.

 

Give Bees a Helping Hand!

Bees are very vulnerable to extinction due to habitat loss and pesticide use. To help their numbers come back up, plant bee friendly flowers in your garden and encourage the adults around you to stop using pesticides. If we all work together we can make a difference.

Photo Credits: Richard Bartz

 

Find out more: https://pollinators.ie/record-pollinators/wild-honey-bee-study/

http://www.irishdarknativehoneybees.com/