Press release
Varroa mite virus is linked to honeybee decline
8 June 2012
Welcoming today's (Friday 8 June 2012) news that Varroa mites fuel the spread of a virus responsible for honeybee colony collapse, Andrew Pendleton, Friends of the Earth Head of Campaigns, said:
"Today's news on the Varroa mite is important for the conservation of the honeybee, but studies are also increasingly linking pesticides and honeybee decline.
"The way we farm and plan our towns and cities is also contributing to the decline of other types of bee, which are extremely, if not more, important in pollinating our food than honeybees.
"We need David Cameron to commit to a National Bee Action Plan to deal with the bees crisis, to ensure that we don't have to turn to expensive hand-pollination."
ENDS
Notes to editors
1. Pesticide use rose by 6.5% between 2005 and 2010 according to data from the Government's Food and Environment Research Agency (FERA). Trends in the use of pesticides have varied strongly between crops over the past 5 years but overall pesticide use rose 6.5% due to increasing treatment intensity on a number of crops including those most pollinated by bees such as oilseeds (+26%). Herbicide use has increased on oilseeds by +78%.
2. It would cost the UK £1.8billion to hand-pollinate our crops every year, if we lost bees. Read the full press release from April here.
If you're a journalist looking for press information please contact the Friends of the Earth media team on 020 7566 1649.
Published by Friends of the Earth Trust
Last modified: Jun 2012
