Saturday, March 29, 2008

No more honey bees in the UK...

news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/7240456.stm

No more bees in the UK within 10 years? Could it happen? And could Colony Collapse Disorder happen there too? What would this mean to the environment in the UK?

If the UK lost its honey bees the countryside would face devastation, and that is exactly what beekeepers fear could happen.

Imagine a country lane. Hawthorn hedgerow on either side, clouds scudding overhead, apple blossom drifting gently by, the only noise the gentle hum of honey bees and the chirping of birds. What could be a more idyllic vision of British country life?

Then fast-forward 10 years.

The hedgerow is deteriorating, the birds are silent, the orchard is disappearing and the countryside is changed. Why? The hives are empty. Their once-buzzing occupants mysteriously vanished.

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