2nd year student Orlaith Connors did the school proud representing Gort CS in this year’s BT Young Scientist competition, which ran from Wednesday 10th January to Friday 12th January in the RDS, Dublin. Under the supervision of Science teacher, Dr Tim Collins, Orlaith has conducted an excellent project based on her work as a third generation bee-keeper in Sliabh Aughty. Her project, quirkly titled ‘MITES BEE GONE!’ investigates Irish Honey Bees (Apis melllifera mellifera) and focuses specifically on their natural control mechanisms of the parasitic mite, Varroa destructor. Very little research has been conducted on the hygienic behaviours employed by the Irish Honey bee, and Orlaith’s project (submitted in the Biological and Ecological Sciences section of the competition) provides invaluable data in this field. Indeed, Orlaith’s fieldwork has been acknowledged and supported by Dr Keith Browne, Dept of Zoology at NUI Galway.
