Written question asked by Tom Levitt (Labour) on Friday, 3 October 2008, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 6 October 2008. It was answered by Hilary Benn (Labour) on Thursday, 9 October 2008 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Bees: Diseases

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research his Department is funding on ways to combat the varroa mite.

Answer: Funding across DEFRA and the devolved administrations on bee health in 2007-08 is around £1.9 million, including £200,000 for research and development. This overall funding includes work to develop sustainable approaches for controlling both statutory and non-statutory pests. This year research projects include work on the taxonomy of UK and exotic honey bee viruses, further details of which can be found on the science pages of the DEFRA website.Government investment in research on varroa exceeds £2.2 million over the past 12 years. It is proven that the best way of tackling varroa is by means of a careful programme of integrated pest management, and beekeepers need to learn to control it to protect their bee colonies. The National Bee Unit assists beekeepers in improved bee husbandry, and has produced a comprehensive advisory leaflet on the subject.The priorities for future funding will be determined in the context of developing a bee health strategy in liaison with stakeholders.

Secondary information