Panel: Richard Collins

Reporters: Terry Flanagan and Michèle Browne

In addition to listening to us on RTÉ Radio One at 22:00 every Monday night, don't forget that you can also listen back to each of our programmes any time you like at https://rte.ie/mooney. There, you will find an extensive archive of past broadcasts, conveniently split into different topics and segments.

Today, 20th May, is International Bee Day, a day on which attention is focused on the importance of bees and other pollinating insects to all of us. With that in mind, and in celebration of the big day, our recommendation from the Mooney Goes Wild archives this week is a special documentary about our deeply missed friend, the late, great Philip McCabe, widely known as "The Beeman", who for many years was our resident bee expert on the programme and rose through the ranks to become worldwide President of Apimondia, the International Federation of Beekeeper's Associations. In this special programme, which was first broadcast in August 2017, we visit the places and people who influenced the charismatic Monaghan man.

To listen to this documentary from the Mooney Goes Wild archives, visit https://rte.ie/radio/radio1/clips/21225340/

Celebrating World Bee Day

Since 2018, thanks to a proposal by the Government of Slovenia, the United Nations has officially designated 20th May each year as World Bee Day. The aim of this annual observance is to highlight the essential role that bees and other pollinating insects play when it comes to global food security, supporting biodiversity and providing ecosystem services.

To prepare for the big day, we dispatched our roving reporter Terry Flanagan to a Bee Identification Workshop at Baltyboys House in Blessington, Co. Wicklow, organised by Brian Murray of microWild, a project to promote and create biodiversity meadows.

Most people are familiar with our native Honeybee but, as Terry discovers, there are over 100 species of wild bee in Ireland, ranging from mason bees to carpenter bees to mining bees to blood bees . . . yes, blood bees! Many of these bees, (such as the nomad bees) look like wasps, while others (such as the Yellow-faced Bee) are very small and look like flies.

Many of these species are solitary and new species, like the Ivy Bee, have been arriving in Ireland in recent years.

During his day in Blessington, Terry spotted not only many species of bee but also lots of other invertebrates, including the Maybug, or Common Cockchafer. He also spoke to Fiona, one of the participants on the course, who is so passionate about these bugs that she has lots of them tattooed on her arm, including the Maybug.

For more information about World Bee Day, visit https://un.org/en/observances/bee-day

For more information about microWild, visit https://microwild.org/

Otter attack on garden goldfish pond

Listener Denis Crone got in touch with us recently, asking for our help. He has a goldfish pond in his garden in Saggart, Co Dublin and recently he discovered that all of his fish had been killed. At first he thought it might have been Grey Herons that were responsible, but he soon discovered that an Otter was in fact the culprit.

Denis and his grandchildren were devastated. He decided that he no longer wants to restock his pond with goldfish, but instead plans to convert it into a wildlife pond. Looking for some suggestions about how best to go about this, he decided to get in touch with the programme. We duly dispatched Terry Flanagan to check out the pond and to provide some advice, as you will here on tonight’s programme.

For more information about how to make a wildlife pond, visit

https://birdwatchireland.ie/publications/wildlife-gardening-how-to-make-a-garden-pond/

Sand Martin nesting bank

Migratory members of the swallow family, Sand Martins nest in sand banks, soft cliff-faces and quarries, where they excavate nesting tunnels. Natural nest sites can be hard to come by, however, so sometimes it pays to give the birds a helping hand.

On tonight’s programme, Derek and Richard talk to Jim Wilson and Alan Farrell of the Cork Branch of BirdWatch Ireland about the artificial Sand Martin nesting bank constructed at Harper’s Island Wetlands in Co. Cork. The birds are currently nesting there, and you can see inside one of the burrows, seen below.

For more information about Sand Martins, visit https://birdwatchireland.ie/birds/sand-martin/

For more information about Harper's island Wetlands, visit https://birdwatchcork.com/about-harpers/

Stories from the Gardens: the National Botanic Gardens NEED YOU!

The National Botanic Gardens are looking for your contributions to Stories from the Gardens, a special exhibition which will run from 17th August to 6th October 2024, as part of Heritage Week, which this year has the theme "Routes, Networks and Connections". The exhibition will consist of a collection of people’s personal stories about the gardens, to highlight the incredible social history a site like the "Bots" can create over many years, illustrating its importance locally, regionally, and nationally.

On tonight’s programme, Michèle Browne speaks to Joseph Lynch, a guide at the National Botanic Gardens and organiser of this exhibition. He is looking to collect the social history that has shaped the National Botanic Gardens over the years and is inviting people to submit their stories and memories.

For more information about the Stories from the Gardens exhibition, visit https://botanicgardens.ie/2024/04/15/stories-from-the-gardens/

You can email your own stories about the National Botanic Gardens to Joseph Lynch at joseph.lynch@opw.ie