Written question asked by Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer (Liberal Democrat), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Lord Rooker (Labour) on Wednesday, 16 May 2007.

Bees

Question: asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will support further research into the varroa mite to assist in further understanding honey bee colony collapse disorder.

Answer: The term colony collapse disorder is being used in the USA to describe cases in which some very large scale commercial operations have lost a high percentage of their hives. A wide range of possible causes are being investigated by researchers in the USA. There have been widely reported, but isolated, cases in the UK in which beekeepers have lost a high percentage of their bee colonies. However, overall percentage losses are similar to previous years, albeit reflecting the gradual increase seen in the past five years. The National Bee Unit provides training and advice to beekeepers on the control of the varroa mite. If widespread colony collapse in the UK was attributed to failure of control methods, the need for further research to develop new control methods would be considered along with other research priorities.

Secondary information