Cork woman: ‘I just became the bee rescue girl’

Kate Manning grew up on a farm surrounded by nature.

“I was always wild in that sense,” she says.

Kate, from East Cork, recalls watching her grandad working on the farm and feeling inspired by his connection with the land.

“It always stuck with me,” says Kate.

For a short period, she worked in the corporate sector, but knew quickly that it wasn’t for her. After a trip to Australia to see the coral reefs, she felt a strong urge to travel and visit the natural wonders of the world.

Kate took off on a solo adventure across the U.S, South America, Australia, and Antarctica. When she returned to Ireland, she felt “completely lost”, and turned to the farm and her natural surroundings to find her way back.

The only thing that kept me grounded was going down to the chicken shed and collecting eggs.

Kate decided to turn her passion into her work. She started a podcast, wrote a book about her adventures, and began growing vegetables at home with her dad.

“That really helped me to focus,” she says.

During her time working on the land, it dawned on Kate that “people really need to know and learn about this”.

Beekeeping happened “very naturally” for Kate. She is self-taught, learning by spending time with other beekeepers, getting involved with the local beekeeping association, reading books, and researching online.

Although there are college courses for beekeeping these days, Kate says this wasn’t always the way.

“A lot of this we would have learned from our ancestors,” she says.

Kate began rescuing swarms of bees from unsuitable or risky places, and people soon started contacting her to help with swarms in their sheds, attics and roofs.

“I just became the bee rescue girl,” she jokes.

Following her passion for educating people about the natural world, Kate began hosting Bee Wild Adventures for kids and adults.

She remembers her very first event, where attendees ate raw honey off the comb, built a hive, learned about pollination, and went into the woods to enjoy forest bathing.

“It was amazing,” says Kate. “People really want to learn about it.”

Her work is about presenting an opportunity for people to reconnect with nature.

“I’m trying to bring people back home,” she says.

Kate also holds In Hive Experiences during the summer months.

“People put on [beekeeping] suits and go into the hive,” she explains.

Kate observes that people are usually excited and chatty getting ready, and there is a shift in energy when they see the inside of the hive.

“The minute I open the hive, I love seeing their faces turn,” she says. 

People are in awe when they experience the hive.

It allows people to be “present with life” when they witness the activity of the beehive. Kate calls it a “form of stress reduction”.

“You can’t be thinking about your stressful job when you’re in the hive,” says Kate. “You can’t be up in your head”.

A special part of Kate’s job is introducing children to nature. In Bee Wild for Kids, children learn about seeds and sowing them, and all about bees and pollinators.

“They are so present,” says Kate. “It always amazes me, the enthusiasm.”

Kate definitely notices a desire among people to return to nature and simplicity, whether it’s to grow their own food or spend more time among trees.

“The amount of people who tell me they want a cabin in the woods,” says Kate. 

The simple life feels nourishing.

One of the big challenges with protecting nature is a change of mindset, according to Kate.

“The conditioned mind thinks things need to be tidy,” she says. “Nature is way more intelligent that we are.

“Weeds are there for a reason, to fix the soil and restore balance,” she explains. “We go pulling them out, mowing them down, spraying them, and it destroys it all.

“We don’t go into a rainforest and think ‘I’ll just tidy it up’,” she continues. “I love when I see wildness. I don’t see it as a mess.”

Being a female farmer and beekeeper isn’t always easy.

“It can be hard,” admits Kate. “It’s tough work.” But she is used to doing physical work and grew up with it. “Our bodies are built for movement,” she says.

Although beekeeping can carry risks, Kate says it isn’t an issue with her own bees.

“My own bees, it would be rare to get a sting,” she says.

However, when it comes to swarms in unusual places, Kate knows she needs to be careful.

“I had to go up a chimney once, that was dangerous,” she says. “I’ve not gotten injured, but you have to take precautions.”

Details of Kate’s workshops and events can be found on her Instagram @beewild_with_kate.