Firm sweetens bee study with £100k (From Oxford Mail)

Firm sweetens bee study with £100k

7:30pm Thursday 6th November 2008 in

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Oxfordshire firm Rowse Honey has put up £100,000 for research into why there is a worldwide shortage of honey bees and into the diseases which are killing them.

English honey bees have been so badly hit by both weather and disease that there will be no English honey on supermarket shelves by Christmas, said Wallingford's Rowse Honey managing director Dr David Bondi.

But despite the seriousness of the situation Dr Bondi said the jobs of people at Rowse Honey were safe.

He said: ”It is a very, very serious situation worldwide and certainly in this country.

“Our research grant over three years is to help scientists try to find the answers.

“This can be done by selective breeding and by concentrating on bees which have hygienic behaviour patterns, such as clearing out of the hives dead or diseased larvae.

“There is also concern that some new pesticides are fatal to bees.

“The whole topic is very fascinating and we hope our contribution can help significantly.”

Dr Bondi said: “A quarter of the bee colonies in England died last winter, mainly because the varroa mite which infects the bees has become resistant to treatments, and there are new diseases affecting them as well.

“There are far fewer commercial beekeepers in this country now and the ones that still exist are ageing.”

Dr Bondi stressed that the crisis would not affect the jobs of the 160 people employed by Rowse in Wallingford.

He said: “There are no worries on that score — we are still packaging and selling all the honey that we can get our hands on.”

Rowse Honey is a major supporter of community activities in Wallingford.

The National Farmers’ Union has also voiced concern over the crisis.