Honey Bees Face Extinction

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Wednesday, 28 November 2007

Honey bees could be wiped out in Britain within ten years by parasitic varroa mites, warned Environment Minister Lord Rooker at the House of Lords last night. Lord Rooker called for more co-operation from Britain's 44,000 bee-keepers, while LibDem Lord Livsey said the Government's £200,000 budget for bee health research was too low. Crossbencher and farmer the Countess of Mar warned: 'If we lost our bee population, within four years we would have no food because they are responsible for pollinating many food plants.' Rooker said bees made 'a dramatic difference' to crop yield, estimated at £165million a year.

Source: Daily Mail, 28 Nov