Native Irish Honey Bee Society – Apis mellifera mellifera

Native Irish Honey Bee Society
Apis mellifera mellifera

The International Association for the Protection of the European Dark Bee, SICAMM

Statement of the international SICAMM Foundation for the Protection of the Irish Dark Bee population Apis mellifera mellifera

Dr Marleen Boerjan, President of the SICAMM

As president of the SICAMM foundation I received signals that the preservation of the local, population of native Apis mellifera mellifera (AMM) honey bees in Ireland is threatened. Realizing the importance of the pure Irish population of Apis mellifera mellifera for the survival of the European Apis mellifera mellifera population SICAMM supports the‘Statement from NIHBS, and many other beekeeping organisation “Against Importing Bees
into Ireland’.

In most other European countries the original AMM population is disappearing because of the increasing imports of non-native honey bees like AM carnica and the hybrid Buckfast. Except from Ireland, in other parts of Europe the original population of Apis melliferamellifera (AMM) honey bees is almost completely replaced by hybrids of ligustica, carnica, buckfast and other non-native bees. This means almost the complete loss of the local AMM ecotypes and its valuable genetic pool able to adapt to local circumstances. The local AMM is an important pollinator of local vegetation and thus needed to support the local biodiversity which is threatened.

SICAMM is an international union of beekeepers, regional and national associations, institutions and other groups that support a set of agreed objectives concerning conservation of Apis mellifera mellifera. The goals of the SICAMM foundation are written in our statement on our website (www.sicamm.org).

Dr. Marleen Boerjan president of SICAMM

May 26, 2021, Wageningen, The Netherlands

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