At just five, pal to the pollinators, Rian Somers is passionate about his new hobby and keen to encourage people to save the bees.

Speaking to RTÉ news he asked that people continue to plant apple trees and flowers for bees to feed on saying "that's the most important thing".

During the lockdown, the Rathcormac native, who suffers from spina bifida and is a wheelchair user, began helping his dad to tend to his bees.

"At the start of the lockdown, the weather was gorgeous and it lent itself to bringing Rian down so we got him the suit and he was delighted and he took to it straight away," Rian's father Fergal explained. 

Rian, who has thus far managed to avoid being stung, now manages two of his own hives with a colony of over 60,000 honey bees. 

For now, it is only lucky family members and friends who get to sample Rian's honey, however, as he is too young to register as a honey producer.