Speaker 1: Roderick Wheatley, "The European Dark Bee, Apis mellifera mellifera: The remarkable insect and attempts to save it from extinction" Bio: Roderick Wheatley is a beekeeper and queen breeder for Apis mellifera mellifera, the European Black Bee, in Normandy, France. Speaker 2: John Thorp, "Efforts to Preserve Apis mellifera mellifera in Ireland" Bio: John Thorp is a PRO for The Native Irish Honey Bee Society (NIHBS) in Ireland and the librarian and committee member of Fingal North Dublin Beekeepers Association, which is a member of the Federation of Irish Beekeepers Association (FIBKA). John started keeping bees about 17 years ago in one of the last areas in Europe to still contain the Native Black bee, Apis mellifera mellifera. NIHBS helps set up and organize conservation areas were people pledge to keep only the Native Irish Black Honey bee and have been running Queen bee rearing course for the last two years. John didn’t have a great start in beekeeping and was going to give up until he visited a NIHBS open day in an Apiary owned by John Summerville of Tullamore, County Offlay. There he was amazed at his bees, his medals and his many prizes from honey shows. John has since gone on to win a few prizes himself.
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