By Julie Armstrong

Published at 05:38, Friday, 01 August 2008

A DEADLY virus from an Asian parasitic mite is threatening to cause an environmental disaster – killing off bees which are responsible for helping produce about a third of our food supply.

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Cumbria Beekeeping Association is among those in England to report declining bee colonies.

Bees do not just produce honey – they are the major pollinator in any ecosystem containing flowering plants.

David Bates, secretary of the Penrith branch of Cumbria’s association, said: “Most fruit, peas and beans rely on bees to be pollinated, and every year we get members saying, ‘I’ve lost two colonies’ or ‘I’ve lost half my colony’. We don’t know for sure why, it could be a combination with the poor summer weather.

“This mite, called varroa, can devastate bee colonies if left unchecked. It arrived from the Far East about 10 years ago and local bees have no defence against it.

“Over the last few years, quite a few beekeepers have reported losing their colonies. They are in such a weakened state after the winter that they are unable to build up their numbers fast enough.”

The British Beekeepers’ Association, which has 11,000 members including 200 across the county, also has branches in Carlisle, Cockermouth, Whitehaven and Keswick. Nearby honey farms include Nook Farm, Newcastleton and Chain Bridge, Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland.

Helen Griggs, of Nook Farm, near Bailey in the north east of the county, said: “We have been experiencing the same problems as the national picture. It’s been a bad year and I’ve hardly been able to make any honey at all.”

Stuart Bailey, director of the Honey Association, warned this week that there may be no English honey on sale in supermarkets by Christmas, and said more money should be allocated for bee research by the Government.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) issues guidelines to beekeepers on the dangers of varroa mites, which were discovered in England in 1992.

Researchers at Warwick University have found a possible solution – a type of fungi which wipes out the virus and can be spread through the hive. But unless this can be put into widespread use, the summer sound of buzzing bees may become a rarity.

To join the Penrith branch, phone 01783 61068, or see www.cumbriabeekeepers.co.uk for more contacts.

Published by http://www.cumberlandnews.co.uk