[Pollinator] Plight of the honeybee still showing cause for concern in UK

[ladadams at aol.com]

Yoirkshire Post

Plight of the honeybee still showing cause for concern


Published Date: 23 August 2009
Nearly a fifth of the UK's honeybee colonies died last winter, figures 
from the British Beekeepers Association (BBKA) show.

The figure is an improvement on the previous year when almost a third 
of hives did not make it through the winter, but is double "acceptable" 
levels, the BBKA's president Tim Lovett warned.

Across the country an average of 19.2 per cent of colonieADVERTISEMENTs 
died over winter, with the highest losses in the north of England, 
where 32.1 per cent perished, and the lowest in the east of England, 
where just 12.8 per cent did not survive.

According to the BBKA, the period of really cold weather in the winter 
encouraged the bees to "cluster" together, helping them to survive, 
while good weather in early spring enabled them to forage for nectar 
and pollen.

The association also believes beekeepers took more care to feed 
colonies where necessary to prevent them starving.

But there was still a "worrying and continuing high level of colony 
loss" which the BBKA put down to disease.

Mr Lovett said: "The improved figure is very welcome, compared with the 
30.5 per cent for winter 2007-2008, but is way short of the seven to 10 
per cent which until the last five years has been considered acceptable.

"It underlines the need for research into the causes and remedies for 
disease in order to ensure that our principal economic pollinator, the 
honeybee, can survive the onslaught of the threats it faces."