The visit to the bee laboratory in Backweston coincided with World Bee Day. Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture Pippa Hackett visited the bee health laboratory at the Department’s Backweston Campus in Co Kildare on Thursday to mark World Bee Day. The laboratory provides a free bee health diagnostic service to aid beekeepers in the early detection of pests and pathogens which may threaten bee stocks. The programme runs in conjunction with the Department’s research into the pathogens and pests of honeybees. Commenting on the visit, Minister Hackett highlighted the laboratory’s efforts to keep bee populations healthy and able to fulfil their role in ecosystems.