Kilkenny beekeeper Jack Phelan fears for the future of Ireland's bee population.
Born in 1924, Jack Phelan of Troyswood, County Kilkenny has been keeping bees since he was 10 years old. At his workshop he makes beautifully ornate hives each of which contains about 80,000 bees.
Experts agree that bees are susceptible to noise so Jack Phelan talks to his bees. When questioned about this practice, he retorts,
Why do you talk to your dog, or why do you talk to your horse, or why do you talk to your cat?
Like other beekeepers Jack Phelan fears the poor summer weather of 1998 and the appearance of the Varroa mite which feeds on the blood of adult honey bees could do irreparable damage to the population in Ireland. He is also alarmed about environmental threats to natural habitat,
At the rate, present time, that we’re destroying wild fauna, it is alarming.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 4 January 1999. The reporter is Damien Tiernan.
