The Mayo Beekeepers Association has offered condolences to the family of Kathleen Devine, an award-winning Mayo beekeeper and honey maker who tragically died on Monday evening , after sustaining multiple stings from bees while tending her hives, stating:
On behalf of the Mayo Beekeepers Association in Ballina, and our two other beekeeping clubs in Ballyhaunis and Westport here in Mayo, we wish to offer our sincerest sympathy to Kathleen’s husband- Des, family, friends and neighbours.
Kathleen was an accomplished beekeeper and a cherished member of our beekeeping community, and this tragedy has shocked the entire beekeeping community across Ireland. Kathleen loved beekeeping and, along with her husband, Des, often helped and mentored other beekeepers.
Honey Bees are not usually aggressive, so, for a colony to become this defensive is unprecedented.
When removing the honey crop, one has to be careful, and sometimes we have to do these jobs in poor weather conditions, but we wish to reassure the public that these bees do not pose any threat: they will have settled down today and are now being managed by members of our club.
It is worth noting that this was not a swarm of bees, as that season has passed- swarms usually issue from strong colonies from mid-May often right into July depending on the weather.
There has been a great outpouring of sympathy as this news spreads across all beekeeping organisations in Ireland and we just want Des to know that everyone passes on their condolences and will remember Kathleen for her dedication to the craft of beekeeping and beekeeping shows across the country where she and Des would have won many prizes.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a hanam
Helen Mooney
Certified Federation Lecturer with the Federation of Irish Beekeepers Association (FIBKA) and Lecturer in the University of Galway (Diploma in Apiculture)
Mayo Beekeepers Association.
