Written question asked by Bill Etherington (Labour) on Thursday, 11 September 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 assessment he has made of the resistance of northern brown honey bees to (a) the varroa mite, (b) foulbrood diseases, (c) colony collapse disorder and (d) small hive beetle.

Answer: No assessments regarding northern brown honey bees have been made. However, a project studying the genetic basis of resistance pathways in honey bees commenced at the National Bee Unit in 2007-08 and resistance to European foul brood is currently being studied.The cause of colony collapse disorder in the USA is unknown and there is no current evidence to suggest that the losses experienced in the UK are related. However, investigations into cases of colony losses this season where there is no readily available explanation are continuing as a high priority.Research into small hive beetle is currently focussed on development of lures to facilitate early detection.

Secondary information