Wednesday, 22nd April 2009
Gardners can help save bees
Dear Sir,
I welcome the announcement of a £10 million investment, including £500,000 from the Scottish Government, to identify the main threats to bees and other insect pollinators.
It is, however, unfortunate, that they have waited until the crisis of the collapsing bee population has almost developed into a national catastrophe. Last year Scotland's beekeepers saw a 30% decrease in the bee population after a summer of terrible weather. Colony collapse disorder (CCD) has become commonplace.
There is an immediate need to put measures in place to combat the decline. One immediate step would involve the support of farmers, gardeners and the general public, who could sow small strips of nectar-rich flowering plants such as phacelia, borage, charlock and wild white clover. These would create a haven for bees and would relieve much of the stress caused by modern farming practices and unforgiving weather patterns.
A collapsing bee population will not only affect the production of honey. We rely on bees to pollinate more than 70% of global food crops, including fruit, nuts, soya beans, onions, carrots, broccoli, sunflowers and much, much more. If we continue to neglect the global bee population then this will have a dramatic effect on our already strained world food supplies. We must do more.
Yours faithfully
Struan Stevenson MEP
