Boomtreebees is a conservationprotecting nature and keeping it as it is and natural beekeeping business in Ireland which is all about protecting the native Irish honeybee (Apis mellifera mellifera). They provide semi‑natural nesting opportunities for honeybees in the form of log hives which are taken up by the bees. They also conduct research and education to share what they have found out about how to help bring back the Irish honey bee in the wild. So far, they have provided over 600 log hives across Ireland, and have set up a conservation area in Inishowen.
Where did this start?
Buncrana, County Donegal
Who started this action?
Set up by Mick Verspuij in 2012
Some quick facts about the project
- Log hives are hollowed out trunks (or carved logs) designed to mimic natural holes in trees, which are a perfect home for honeybees. The logs used for the production of these hives are sustainably sourced, coming from wind-felled trees or those felled for safety concerns.
- They conduct research and study wild bee nests looking at genetic and morphological diversity, hybridization and survival in collaboration with University of Galway. They also collaborate with others, such as the Native Irish Honey Bee society to protect these bees.
- They hold workshops, talks for schools and the community about pollinatorsanimals that help make fruits and seed from flowers – can be bees, but also wasps and flies, beehive making, habitat building.
- They advise on tree-planting for the future and habitat improvement for bees.
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The story so far…
After Michiel Verspuij finished his degree in Forestry and Landscape Management in Velp, in The Netherlands, he came to Ireland in 2001 as a forestry contractor in Galway. There he became increasingly aware that things needed to change. Given the impact that changes in land use and management had on biodiversityanimals and nature and habitat decline, Mick became interested in organic vegetable and fruit farming. He completed a beekeeping course to help improve the pollination of the crops. This helped him understand the life cycle of honeybees and learn how to keep them sustainably. He found out that the normal way of keeping beehives wasn’t great for their health and investigated the ways to copy their natural nesting sites
- Making log hives and placing them in good spots within their conservation area
- Making log hives and putting them in good spots in the landscapes in the project area.
- Watching and researching of wild honey bees: collecting dataa collection of facts about something and working with research centres)
- Holding workshops, talks with schools and the community help people learn and share knowledge and experiences.
- Advising on habitat improvement and planting.
- Michiel is currently working on his PhD at University of Galway, in which he will create maps of where there are wild bee’s nests (e.g. trees, roofs and chimneys), so that log hives can be placed nearby to provide new nests.
- The native Irish honeybee is under threat of hybridisationwhen the different types of bees become mixed and habitat fragmentationwhen there is too much distance between good bee nest sites so the bees become seperated.
Why this matters
The native Irish honeybee is under serious threat due to hybridisationwhen the different types of bees become mixed and habitat fragmentationwhen there is too much distance between good bee nest sites so the bees become seperated. Boomtreebee’s work aims to protect Irish honeybees through habitat provision, research and education. By creating log hives that mimic natural tree cavities, Boomtreebees helps restore lost nesting habitats and enables bees to live as they would in the wild, in an undisturbed way. Beyond this, they work to raise awareness about the ecological importance of bees and their protection, for biodiversity, food systems and the balance of nature.
SDG Alignment & Keywords Click toggle ⊕ to see these
Beekeeping projects like this can be linked to all 17 goals, but these ones very much so:
- SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production,
- SDG 13: Climate Action, and SDG 15: Life on Land.
Keywords: Biodiversity, Conservation, Climate resilience, Food Security, Ecosystem Restoration, Donegal.
Find Out More about the project
Website: Boomtreebees
Contact them: through the website
Here is a useful reference as to how bee keeping projects can contribute to the SDGs – https://www.apiservices.biz/documents/articles-en/beekeeping_contributes_sdg.pdf
The Activists Take-Away
Michiel started wondering about pollinators in his organic garden – he then learned about the big importance of tiny insects. Now he has had an important impact on helping nature around Ireland. Often, we just need to look around us to see the opportunity for sustainability work. Carol and the people in Mulranny Mayo did something very similar. Listen to our podcast to hear the full story and learn how you could do the same.
Use what's in your community to develop it sustainably
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