Institute of Northern Ireland Beekeepers

The INIB Chairman is Michael Young MBE.
'I live in Hillsborough with a beautiful wife Rae four lovely daughters Jodie, Jamie, Jasmin and Rachel Harley as well as two chickens and four doves. My granddaughter Sienna and I have just made a Bug Hotel in the back of the garden but my other granddaughter Scarlet has other ideas.
I keep my bees at Malone Golf Club where I prefer to work with Langstroth hives and am currently planning to work solely and breed native dark bees. I like all things to do with beekeeping and am addicted to making mead.
I like to lecture and travel abroad for beekeeping programmes.
My hobbies are many as I like to have a full life, gardening, judging bee produce, pottery, encaustic wax, oil and watercolour painting, mead making, music and photography are just a few of what I like to do. My work load holds me back a little. I used to be a workaholic but now I am to busy for that.
My favourite bee and the one I am breeding in my apiary is the native dark bee from Donegal. My most respected bee is the Apis Scutalata (known as the African Killer Bee). Purely the fact that it is a survival animal, does not succumb to AFB, CCD and can sort Varroa out with ease.'

The INIB Secretary is Caroline Thomson.
'I started beekeeping in 2005 with business partners and friends John Hill and Susie Turner from Crumlin Co Antrim. We have anything between 4 and 8 hives – depending on swarms !!
Married the love of my life Bill, we live in a beautiful home next to the river Cam near Crumlin. We are owned by three cats and two dogs – all rescue animals that landed on their paws when they found us. Bill and I love gardening - he pulls the weeds and I plant the flowers.
As well as Secretary of INIB I am also Secretary of Randalstown and District Beekeepers Association. And Secretary to Talnotry Avian Care Trust, wildlife sanctuary for small mammals and birds in Crumlin.
Hobbies other than beekeeping - singing, walking with the dogs and gardening are - jam and gin making with harvest from the garden and the hedgerows - the early stages of Mead making and listening to my Ipod.'