Glos bee colony numbers drop by 30% in one year

A year and two days ago on this blog I raised the issue of "AIDS for the bee industry" (by clicking on the 'bees' label below you will see all the other entries on this topic). In conversations with a local beekeeper there was concern re dying colonies but not the level of concern that I hear in the article below...I find the figures this article quotes are shocking - but I am also concerned that varroa may not be the only cause - see Pat Thomas' article in The Ecologist:
www.theecologist.org/archive_detail.asp?content_id=1170

Photo: Randwick woods last year - bluebells are just as glorious now

As previous blogs note there is a lack of urgency over this issue - we need more research and discussion of this topic. Indeed please consider signing this petition here:
http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/BeeResearch/

"If honey bees become extinct, human society will follow in four years." Albert Einstein

Article in The Citizen today:

Beekeepers across Gloucestershire are demanding urgent action to save their dying colonies. Last year's wet summer, this year's mild winter and a thriving killer bug means bee numbers are down to the lowest levels for years. As honey makers across the county see their profits dwindle, many are calling for more government investment, particularly to tackle the plague of varroa mite which is tearing through hives.

The number of colonies across Gloucestershire has been declining steadily for more than a decade, but last year dropped by 25 to 30 per cent. There are 275 registered beekeepers in Gloucestershire. In 1994 there were about 5,000 colonies in the county. Last year the figure was between 1,500 to 2,000.

The main cause is the spread of the varroa which feeds on adult bees and larvae and spreads viruses. Defra spends £200,000 a year on bee research, which includes investigating ways to deal with parasites.

Cheltenham beekeeper Michael Hunt said this needed to increase dramatically or the entire British honey industry could be wiped out in 15 years. He has 35 hives in and around the town, down five on last year, and supplies Gloucestershire honey to health shops and garden centres.

"We're fighting a losing battle," he said. "We're having to spend more time and more money to keep our bees healthy and try to combat varroa but really the Government needs to invest much more money. The problem used to be keeping the number of bee colonies down, now it's a struggle to keep the ones you've got. Honey is a luxury food. It's not like petrol where you can just put up prices to cover costs. I used to make £3,000 profit a year. Last year I made £1,500."

Varroa came to England in 1992 and is rapidly spreading. Fears are now rife that global warming might drive other exotic parasites to Britain, such as the small hive beetle, parasitic brood mites and the Asian hornet. The British Bee Keepers Association wants a government research programme of £7.7 million, £2 million of which would fund a project on control of varroa.

A Defra spokesperson said: "There are currently significant pressures on financing across all areas of the Department's work. The fact that funding for bee health has been maintained at the same level over a number of years is a positive indication of the importance government attaches to this area of work."