BEEmageddon: what can we do?

BEES reached the height of their popularity when Second World War Prime Minister Winston Churchill gave everyone who kept them extra sugar rations. Despite a steady decline in the number of beekeepers up to the Millennium, recent years have seen a resurgence in the activity.

Paul Cleaver, chairman of Reigate Beekeepers Association, says that beekeeping is growing in popularity; he thinks this is down to greater awareness of the environment and  a growing interest in cottage industry.

He says: “Beekeeping is all about supporting the environment. With wild honey bee populations almost non-existent, beekeepers’ role in preserving the species is now vital.  Bees find it very difficult to survive in the wild. The more beekeepers there are, the more wild ones there will be because keepers are very good at losing their bees.”