In this 150th anniversary year of the British Beekeepers Association, Isle of Man Post Office is delighted to present a set of six stamps celebrating the life of bees. We are all aware of how important bees are to our ecosystem, to agriculture and to our enjoyment of nature; as well as being an integral part of food production through pollination, honeybees provide us with a surplus of delicious honey and useful wax. Throughout recorded human history there is evidence of beekeeping in many cultures and it remains one of the few livestock industries that can be enjoyed by hobbyists with as little as one single hive.
Harry Owens writes…
The bees in the Isle of Man are unique for several reasons. First, they are genetically very close (in the region of 90 to 95%) to the native European dark bee, Apis mellifera mellifera. Second, the Island is free of the dreaded Varroa parasite; we gained EU Status in 2014 as being Varroa Free and fortunately, we are free of other major bee diseases. Third, our bees on the Isle of Man are protected by an Act of Parliament; the Bee Disease Act 1987 (and subsequent updates) prevents the importation of any type of bees and any second-hand beekeeping equipment; the fine for contravening this act is up to £10,000. This makes the Isle of Man a most valuable reservoir of disease-free and pest-free bees and a resource for supporting populations elsewhere in the British Isles.
Our Island is fortunate in having three active Beekeeping Associations the Northern, Western and Southern combining in the Isle of Man Beekeeping Federation; the Associations take an active part in training and helping new and old beekeepers in the art of keeping bees. We are glad that through education and adherence to the Act, beekeeping here is like it was in the days before Varroa came on the scene. We are extremely fortunate that our Island Government gives support and help with all aspects of beekeeping, maintaining a proud and thriving local industry that produces (of course) the best honey in the world.
