At a time when honey bee health and colony losses are a global concern, Galway-based Advance Science is celebrating 15 years in business – and 15 years of helping beekeepers around the world keep their bees alive and thriving.
Advance Science is a Galway-based innovator creating science-backed, premium solutions inspired by nature and designed by science. From global bee feed supplements that help prevent colony losses to active bodycare, the company focuses on practical, research-driven products that support health and wellbeing while staying rooted in Ireland’s Gaeltacht.
From a shed in the Gaeltacht to almost 50 countries worldwide, the company’s flagship product, HiveAlive, has become the number one bee feed supplement globally and is scientifically proven to help prevent colony losses.
Healthy bees are essential to global food production and biodiversity, yet honeybee populations continue to face challenges from climate change, habitat loss, and disease. HiveAlive plays an important role in helping beekeepers around the world ensure colony survival and maintain stronger, healthier colonies.
This small Galway company has become a major force in supporting honeybee health on a global scale — proving that innovation rooted in science and sustainability can have worldwide impact.
“Everyone knows the bees are in trouble – but what people don’t always realise is that we can actually do something about it,” says founder and managing director, Dara Scott. “HiveAlive is formulated to support stronger, healthier colonies so they’re more likely to survive winter. Beekeepers see fewer losses, more bees and more honey. That’s what has driven our growth – results and word of mouth.”
HiveAlive is a seaweed-based liquid feed supplement for honey bees, developed after years of R&D supported by Údarás na Gaeltachta and research collaborations in Ireland and across Europe. It is the only bee feed supplement of its kind with published, peer-reviewed data and is now sold in about 50 countries.
“Údarás na Gaeltachta have been a key part of our story,” Scott notes. “Their support allowed us to scale, invest in R&D and keep the business rooted here in Galway. For years we ran an international business with just four staff. Today, we have a brilliant team of 13, and together we’re helping beekeepers reduce colony losses all over the world.”
A major milestone in HiveAlive’s impact on bee survival was breaking into the U.S. market, where large-scale commercial beekeepers face significant overwinter losses. Listening closely to beekeepers’ needs also led to an expanded HiveAlive range, including fondant patties, pollen patties, ready-to-feed syrup and practical beekeeping accessories – all designed to make it easier to keep colonies healthy and productive.
In 2015, Advance Science applied its expertise in natural active ingredients to human wellness, developing Nuasan, an active bodycare range that launched in January 2020. While Nuasan now supports people who work their bodies hard – from farmers to runners – the company’s core mission remains grounded in science, sustainability and real-world impact.
“We started with bees in a shed in Galway,” Scott reflects. “Fifteen years later, we’re helping beekeepers around the world reduce colony losses and do their part to protect pollinators. That’s something we’re incredibly proud of – and we’re only getting started.”
