Donegal Bees

10/09/2026

🍯 **HONEY JARS ARE BACK!** 🍯
We know many of you have been eagerly waiting for these, so we’re delighted to say our honey jars are finally back in stock!

Available now:
🐝 1lb honey jars
🐝 7–8oz honey jars
🐝 10–12oz honey jars, with very limited quantities available

Stock is limited across the range, so if you need jars for this season’s honey, we recommend ordering as soon as possible. Ar ais i stoc, ach ná bígí mall!

Shop now at donegalbees.ie 🍯

10/09/2026

WE HAVE A WINNER! 📸🐝

Congratulations to Kirsten Armstrong from County Kildare, the winner of our Irish Pollinators Photo Competition! Kirsten’s photograph of a honeybee on a white flower received the highest number of votes from the public during our final voting round. She has won a National Observation Hive. 🎉

Comhghairdeas leat, Kirsten!

We would also like to congratulate all of our finalists and thank everyone who entered, voted and shared the competition. With almost 300 photographs submitted, we were delighted by the response and by the wonderful variety of Ireland’s pollinators captured throughout the entries.

Work is now under way on our 2027 calendar, which will feature a selection of photographs submitted to the competition. We’ll share more details at a later date, and everyone whose photograph is selected will receive a special mention and a free copy of the finished calendar.

Go raibh míle maith agaibh uilig! 🐝🌸

09/09/2026

Grainne 40 years young today 😜😍🎉

Join us in wishing her a Happy Birthday 🍾🫶🏻

03/09/2026

📸 YOU’VE CHOSEN YOUR TOP FIVE!

After almost 300 photographs, a shortlist of wonderful finalists and an incredible response to our first round of voting, we now have your top five photographs!
The votes were extremely close, so we’re giving these five photographs a final voting round of their own.

Have a look through the photographs and vote for the one you would most like to see take the top spot. 🐝🌸

Thank you once again to everyone who entered, voted and helped us celebrate Ireland’s bees and other pollinators. The standard of entries has made choosing a winner anything but easy!

Go raibh míle maith agaibh uilig!
👇 Vote for your favourite below.

Voting closes Sunday 6th Sept!

02/09/2026

🍯 THEY’RE BACK! Ar ais i stoc arís!

We know many of you have been eagerly waiting for these, so we’re delighted to say that our honey jars are back in stock!

🐝 1lb honey jars
🐝 7–8oz honey jars
🐝 A limited quantity of 10–12oz honey jars

The 10–12oz jars are available in limited numbers, so we recommend ordering soon if that is the size you need. Ná bígí mall, tá líon teoranta ar fáil!

Available now from donegalbees.ie 🍯

30/08/2026

🐝 Last chance to vote! 📸

Voting for our Irish Pollinators Photo Competition closes tonight, Sunday 30 August.

Our finalists are live now, and we’d love your help choosing the winning photo for this year’s competition. 🌼

We received almost 300 entries, so thank you again to everyone who took the time to send in their lovely pollinator photos. It was such a joy to see them all!

Best of luck to all our finalists 💛

🐝 Vote for your favourites here: https://pollunit.com/en/polls/irishpollinators2026

Go raibh míle maith agaibh!

28/08/2026

🐝 15KG OF APIPASTA FONDANT WITH VITAMINS FOR ONLY €39!

That works out at just €2.60 per 1kg bag, making the full box a fantastic-value option for feeding several colonies or keeping fondant in reserve.

Apipasta Fondant with Vitamins is a ready-to-use bee feed enriched with vitamins and essential amino acids. It is suitable for colony maintenance, supporting weakened colonies and brood strengthening.

There is no mixing or added water required, and the individual 1kg bags are easy to use and store.

🍯 1kg bag: was €3, now €2.70
📦 15kg box: was €40.50, now €39

Stock up online here:
https://www.donegalbees.ie/products/apipasta-fondant-with-vitamins

Beachairacht shona! 🐝

Looking for an easy-to-use fondant feed? ApiPasta with Vitamins is a ready-to-use bee fondant with added vitamins and essential amino acids. It provides colonies with a convenient source of carbohydrate feed while the added micronutrients help support colony vitality during cooler weather, forage sh...

28/08/2026

🍯 MAKE UNCAPPING DAY A LITTLE EASIER

Our Double-Function Uncapping Tray gives you a practical, dedicated space for working through your honey frames.

It includes a stainless steel strainer, while the stainless steel cover doubles as a stand for up to 10 uncapped frames. Once the work is finished, simply remove the frame support and use the cover to close the tray.

🐝 Holds up to 10 frames
🍯 Stainless steel strainer
📦 Easy to set up and store
✨ Helps keep your uncapping area organised

SAVE €45

Was €342 - Now €297

Shop online here:
https://www.donegalbees.ie/products/uncapping-tray-double-function

Beachairacht shona! 🐝

26/08/2026

Voting is now open for our Irish Pollinators Photo Competition! 📸

First of all, we want to say a huge thank you to everyone who entered this year!

We received almost 300 photos, which was absolutely amazing to see, but it also meant it took us quite a while to go through them all and choose our finalists. There were so many lovely entries, and we really do appreciate every single person who took the time to send in their photos. 🌼

With only a limited number of spaces in the 2027 Donegal Bees calendar, choosing the finalists was genuinely difficult. We had to take into account photo quality, calendar suitability, variety of pollinators, and creating a nice mix across the final selection.

So please know, if your photo wasn’t selected this time, we are still so grateful you entered. There were many beautiful photos that sadly we just couldn’t fit in.

Our finalists are now live, and we’d love your help choosing the winner!

🐝 Vote for your favourites here:
https://pollunit.com/polls/irishpollinators2026

Best of luck to all our finalists, and go raibh míle maith agaibh again to everyone who entered. 💛

Donegal Bees' annual pollinator photo competition is now open for voting! Voting ends Sunday 30th Aug.

21/08/2026

As the main honey harvest comes to an end, now is an important time to monitor your colonies and make a plan for managing Varroa. Reducing mite levels before winter bees are raised can help give colonies the best possible chance going into the colder months.
We stock a range of authorised Varroa treatments:

🟣 Apiguard
🔵 Apivar
🟢 Api-Bioxal
🔴 VarroMed
🟠 Formic Pro

Each treatment works differently, and the right option will depend on:
* Current mite levels
* The amount of brood present
* Daytime temperatures
* Whether honey supers are on the hive
* Treatments previously used

Always read and follow the enclosed product leaflet carefully. Pay particular attention to the correct dose, treatment duration, temperature range and instructions regarding honey supers. Do not shorten a treatment or alter the recommended dose.

Monitor mite levels before and after treatment, keep a record of what has been used and rotate active ingredients as part of an integrated Varroa-management plan.

Shop the range at donegalbees.ie 🐝

If you are unsure which option may suit your colonies, get in touch with our team and we’ll be happy to help. Tabhair aire do do chuid beach. 💛 Take care of your bees.