Hive of activity as bees produce honey on Dublin Airport lands 

BEES from hives on Dublin Airport lands have produced their first batch of honey. 

The honey, which is harvested from four hives housing more than a quarter of a million Irish dark native honey bees on airport land, has been named Nect-Air and now forms part of the menu in Dublin Airport’s own executive lounges.

The four hives are located on Dublin Airport lands beside the airport campus. Following the successful trial, which produced the first crop of Nect-Air, Dublin Airport now plans to install additional beehives at other locations on campus and increase honey production.

Dublin Airport managing director Vincent Harrison said the bees are thriving in excellent environmental conditions on the airport’s land. “We’re very proud to be able to serve customers with top quality 100 percent natural Irish honey produced on our own land,” said Mr Harrison.  

“This is testament to the fact that the air quality and surrounding vegetation at Dublin Airport is excellent for the bees to pollinate.”

Colonies of bees can cover areas of up to 12 square kilometres, working intensively for their food. 

Introducing beehives to the local environment helps biodiversity and also makes it easier for airports to monitor emissions and overall carbon footprint.

Mr Harrison added: “We are currently examining additional locations in and around the airport to allow us to expand our honey production and install more beehives so they can continue to make a positive impact on the local environment.” 

The beehives were installed with the help and advice of the Fingal North Dublin Beekeepers’ Association and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. 

The hives are tended to by local beekeeper Colm Fogarty who has 15 years’ experience in beekeeping.

“Honey bees are one of the most important species within our eco-system, they are crucial for the survival of most of our animal and plant population,” Mr Fogarty said. “They are the hardest working insects pollinating hundreds of thousands of flowers and they are incredibly industrious making honey. 

“Nect-Air is (a) result of 250,000 Irish dark native honey bees living and working in the airport apiary and feeding on nearby wild plants such as clover, blackberry, bramble and hawthorn.”

According to Mr Fogaty “this particular blend of flora gives Nect-Air its pleasantly mild, gently sweet flavour, along with its rich texture, warming amber hue, delicate aroma and slightly nutty undertone”.

Dublin Airport’s other pollinator initiative is its bug hotel, which hosts solitary bees, butterflies and hoverflies, green lacewings, ladybirds and earwigs. It was built to encourage beneficial insects that perform a valued service in the environment such as pollination and pest control, and to support biodiversity in the airport's gardens.