The British Beekeepers Association (BBKA) has confirmed worrying trends in the state of the UK’s honeybee population.
The association has revealed that almost 20 per cent of the UK’s honeybee colonies died last winter, double “acceptable” levels, according to BBKA president Tim Lovett.
Some 19.2 per cent of colonies died last winter, an improvement on the previous winter when around 30 per cent died, which has re-ignited concern over the future of the UK’s honeybee population.
The highest losses were recorded in the north of England, where 32.1 per cent perished, and the lowest in eastern England, where 12.8 per cent did not survive, according to the BBKA’s survey.
The bees which did survive did so by “clustering” in the cold winter and good conditions in spring allowed them to forage for nectar and pollen.
Nearly all the UK's 250 species of bee are in decline, while honeybee numbers have fallen by 10-15 per cent in the last two years.
Pesticide use and changes in climate have been blamed for the decline as well as diseases which the BBKA said would continue to cause “continuing high level of colony loss”.
But the association praised beekeepers, saying they took more care to feed colonies to stop them starving this year.
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