Heatwave bee swarm exacerbates overcrowding crisis at University Hospital Limerick
David Raleigh
Monday's hot temperatures were not the only burning issue for patients and staff attending at the country’s most overcrowded hospital, University Hospital Limerick (UHL).
A swarm of bees descended on the hospital grounds, settling under a canopy covering an ambulance bay outside the Emergency Department (ED) and wards where 119 patients languished on trolleys, according to figures published by the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO).
Paramedics taking patients to and from the emergency department via ambulance received notifications from managers to “please be aware that there is a wasp nest under the canopy in UHL ED Ambulance bay”.
The hospital’s maintenance department contacted a pest control company to respond to the nest.
“Please be careful when in the ED this afternoon,” stated a notification sent by ambulance managers to paramedic crews.
“Please keep ambulance doors and windows closed in the ambulance once you arrive at ED.”
Ambulance crews were also warned about the potential health dangers while working through Monday’s high temperatures.
When contacted for comment, a hospital spokesman at HSE Mid West replied: “Hospital management has engaged pest control to manage a swarm of bees on the grounds of University Hospital Limerick (UHL) on Monday afternoon, June 22nd.”
“Any risk to patients, members of the public and staff at the hospital is considered to be low,” added the hospital spokesman.
Figures published by the INMO showed there was 46 patients waiting for a bed in the UHL ED and 73 on trolleys on wards at the hospital.
According to figures published by HSE TrolleyGAR, there were 66 UHL patients waiting for a bed, including 12 patients on trolleys in the ED and 54 on wards.
The hospital is consistently the most overcrowded hospital nationally, although overcrowding has been an issue at hospitals across the country.
A new 96-bed unit was officially opened on the grounds of UHL last October. A contract was awarded last week for a second 96-bed unit to be built on the same site.
Two rapid build 16-bed units were opened on the hospital grounds in 2024 and 2025.
In total, 128 additional beds have been opened at the Dooradoyle hospital site since the end of 2024.
Last March, the HSE announced it had secured a 44-acre site in Raheen to extend UHL’s services to help mitigate patient overcrowding and increase bed capacity in the region.
The HSE Mid West has also been engaging with the Bon Secours private hospital at Ballysimon to arrange for UHL public patients to be transferred to the private hospital during peak times when attendances at UHL can reach dangerously high levels.
UHL has the only 24-hour ED for a catchment of more than 400,000 people across Limerick City and County, Clare, north Tipperary, north Cork, and north Kerry.
