Native Irish Bees - Strip of 4 National Stamps

Bees are essential pollinating species. For 2024, An Post has commissioned a series of beautiful honeycomb-shaped stamps celebrating four native bees. This special set issues on 16th May to highlight World Bee Day on 20th May. The miniature sheet and First Day Cover miniature sheet are sure to create extra buzz around this stamp issue!

The pretty Moss Carder Bee, depicted on a red clover, is blonde in colour. It generally inhabits flowerrich
coastal dunes and grasslands, bogs, and parkland, gathering moss to line its underground nest. As its
habitats are shrinking, numbers are declining precipitously.

The Irish Honey Bee has been central to bee-keeping for at least 2000 years. It has distinctive dark colouration, darkly-pigmented wings, and abundant thoracic hair. It is shown with a nectar-rich blackberry flower.

The Patchwork Leafcutter Bee uses leaf pieces to create a thimble-like structure inside the nest. The female fills this with nectar and pollen, wherein she lays a single egg. 

The Wool Carder Bee, with distinctive yellow markings, was first sighted in Ireland in 2015. The female uses fibrous leaf-hairs to line her nest, while the males are fiercely territorial.

Along with the four bees featured on stamps the beautiful bee in the corner of the First Day Cover is the Tawny Mining Bee, one of Ireland’s most endearing solitary bees. A gorgeous miniature sheet features
the Great Yellow Bumblebee, one of our most endangered bees and a special philatelic treat comes in the form of a First Day Cover miniature sheet, featuring the Red-tailed Bumblebee.

Product code 2408ST