Sweet work! The buzz about beekeeping in Leitrim

PJ McLoughlin laughs when people ask how many bees he has. “Sure, you couldn’t physically count them! But I have about 50 hives, so I guess that’s millions of bees!” 

The well-respected beekeeper and producer of ‘Leitrim Honey’ is based in Oughteragh, Ballinamore and got his first colony in 2010. “I bought the native type, the dark western European honeybee, and I got them in Waterford. They were transported to Fenagh, and I collected them there, but I got a land when they told me they needed the nuc (box for the colony) back at 2:30 that day! Luckily, I had bought a hive frame, but it came flat packed, so I had to build very quickly!”

PJ’s interest in bees began when he was working as an advisor for Teagasc in Mohill. He did a bee keeping course and built up his interest slowly. “There’s a lot to beekeeping, and every day you could learn something new. You need to be educated before you do anything with bees. We have a group called Digges beekeepers association, and there’s about 70 or 80 members, who come from Leitrim, Roscommon and Longford. We meet regularly and it’s great to get advice and support from each other. We even have an apiary (in Ballinamore) and members come here to learn. They can also come and extract their own honey!”

Beekeeping is an ancient agricultural practice that has evolved with time. Traditionally, hives were valued for their wax, honey, and mead. However, it wasn’t until 1851, with the invention of the movable frame hive, that beekeepers could harvest honey without destroying the colony.

Joseph Robert Garven Digges, a clergyman living in Mohill during the 1880s, is widely credited with introducing modern beekeeping practices to Ireland. Often referred to as the father of Irish beekeeping, he played a key role in promoting the craft and went on to serve as Chairman of the Irish Beekeepers’ Association for 11 years, beginning in 1910.

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PJ began with a few hives in the garden of his home but moved them a few years ago. “People were worried about getting stung, and I couldn’t have that. Bees won’t bother you if you don’t bother them, but they will sting to protect themselves or their hive. The stings don’t bother me, but they could be very dangerous to some people, especially if they had an allergy.”

 PJ’s bees now reside in an isolated field close to the centre of Ballinamore. Every day, PJ completes a checklist of what must be done at each of the hives. 

“It’s a full time job! Bees sting too, so you need the proper equipment and clothes. Every day is different, For example, If I notice signs of a swarm, I’ll need to check for the Queen in the hive. She’s much bigger than the rest and usually marked. I’ll also check on the health of the bees, and see any of the hives are ready for extraction”

PJ has his own honey extraction room in a specially purposed room in the shed beside his home. He also has samples of natural honey comb, and a press for heather honey. “This room is bee proof and has to be kept that way. The honey extractor can hold 20 frames!” To say the honey is made with expertise, precision and love is an understatement. The jars, sent out to shops across the country, also have a picture taken from the family home with Slieve an Iarainn mountain in the background.

 “I love it (honey) and eat it most days. Bees are fabulous. They concentrate the goodness of flowers. If you think of it, those flowers could die in 2 or 3 weeks, having done nothing if the bees didn’t use them. But (honey) it’s not for everyone, some in my family wouldn’t like it at all.””

The recent upsurge in interest in beekeeping has contributed to the development of specialised education in the field. The University of Galway, for example, offers modules on entomology and pollinator health as part of its science and biodiversity programmes. According to its website, students explore the diversity, structure, and biology of insects — with a particular emphasis on the honeybee and its crucial role in ecosystems and agriculture.

Tom Jennings is a teacher at Carrick Community School and owns 2 hives in Jamestown. “The hives are close to my home, in a place that gets the morning sun, so that’s great for them. About 3 or 4 years ago I set up 2 hives, but I ended up with 5 or 6 and altogether looking after about 9! I’ve pulled back a bit since then because it’s so much work and now just have the two. That’s really the minimum.”

Tom stresses the need for education when it comes to bees. “I’m no expert, but you absolutely have to have a mentor to start with. I did a course with my daughter Ellen in Gormanstown about 15 years ago. I didn’t get bees straight away. Someone I know was given a bee suit by their family, and we set up some bee hives at his house because he had the space. I also joined the bee club in Mohill, and that’s a great place to learn.”

In summer, bees swarm to create new colonies when their hive becomes overcrowded. Warmer weather and abundant food make it the ideal time for a queen and her followers to search for a new home. But as Tom points out, these new homes can take many forms!

“You could find them anywhere, trees, walls or inside the structures of buildings.  Last year, I was called out to remove a well-established beehive in the church porch in Gorvagh. I thought it would be an easy enough job, but I removed it and a separate swarm came that same evening into the other side of the porch! It turned out to be an extensive job then as I had to rebuild most of the porch, but I’m lucky in my background (as a woodwork/construction teacher) that I can do those things. I’ve seen swarms in all places even farm machinery! And you have to get them early before they get established or it’s a huge job.”

Tom explains there is a process for removing unwanted hives. “You need to find the queen, and put her into the nuc so the bees will follow her. Then you need to lock them up (temporarily) and put them somewhere where they won’t go back! Ideally you move them around 3kilometres from where you found them so they won’t just go back! In the case of the church in Gorvagh, that other swarm came for the honey left behind! They are really smart creatures!”

Tom says while he does have a “small manual extractor for honey, it’s a lot of work! I leave most of the honey crop and more recently I do allow them (bees) to swarm. There was a time when I’d try to catch every one of them, but I give them away too.It’s important to protect the native bee for diversity, but there’s so much more to it too. Beekeeping is great for mental health, community involvement, production of honey, but most importantly, the enjoyment! A great way to meet new people, and learn new ways and ideas.”

And so, from rural fields to church porches, bees continue to inspire, educate, and surprise. And thanks to beekeepers like PJ and Tom, their quiet work hums at the heart of both nature and community.