I think that most folk will realise by now that our honeybees are struggling. CCD is a phrase that is on everyone’s lips; it stands for Colony Collapse Disorder. Scientists and beekeepers as yet don’t really have the answer to what is actually causing it. What they do know however is that our bees are dying at an alarming rate.
Various mites, viruses, and fungal infections have always troubled bees and the prolific use of pesticides has always been a hazard for them.
Many think that the bees are suffering from nutritional stress as their natural food supplies are diminishing and migratory stress has also become problematic for some as they are confined and transported long distances to ensure the pollination of farm crops and orchards.
Although a large proportion of beekeepers have reported hive losses, America seems hardest hit with a third of all honeybee hives wiped out.
Lord Rooker, the farming minister, speaking recently in the House of Lords, stated that “Honeybees face a grim future, if nothing is done about it, the honeybee population could be wiped out in ten years”
Albert Einstein was quoted as saying “ If the bee were to disappear off the planet, mankind has only 4years left”
And many hold the view that” bees are the canary in the coal mine” the bees predicament is a warning to us all. Fortunately, Hilary Benn, the Environmental Secretary, has just announced that Britain will now spend £4.3 million on bee research
If you’d like more information about the problems our bees are facing I can recommend an excellent book A WORLD WITHOUT BEES by ALISON BENJAMIN & BRIAN McCALLUM