Heather Bell Cornish Honey Bees on the Lizard Peninsula Cornwall

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There is a renewed and increasing interest in honey and other honeybee products as natural health foods and super foods.

Try some of these
Disappearing Bees, Colony Collapse
There has been huge publicity about the current plight of the poor honeybee. There has been large losses of colonies worldwide in recent years and it continues. The honey bee is a highly complex creature with an even more complex life style. Without doubt the causes of colony death are just as complex. The high level of chemical toxins routinely used in the environment and the parasitic Varroa mite seem to be the most likely causes. The varroa mite (with the very apt scientific name of Varroa destructor) originates in East Asia but has been in the UK since the early 1990's.
It has wrought havoc amongst honeybees ever since.
The mites feed on the developing honeybee larvae and pupae that can then fail to emerge as adult bees. Those adults that do emerge are often infected with viruses and are crippled or paralysed, their life span reduced. The population of the hive decreases as the population of the mites increases and very soon the hive is dead. This has led to the condition being described as Colony Collapse Disorder.
The native population of honeybees is all but gone and it is now seems that it is the beekeeper alone that stops the bees from dying out altogether. However this is an uphill struggle. There is no government support, no grants, (though in many countries, beekeepers are given support but not in U.K.)

How can you help?

You can keep bees yourself or help me keep mine by adopting a bee hive.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7312358.stm

Our honeybees live on and around the Lizard Peninsula in Cornwall, the most southerly point in Britain
Varroa mites on honeybee larvae
Our honeybees live on and around the Lizard Peninsula in Cornwall, the most southerly point in Britain
Close up

Our honeybees live on and around the Lizard Peninsula in Cornwall, the most southerly point in Britain
The bee near the centre shows the signs of Deformed Wing Virus, just one of the viruses resulting from Varroa.

Adopt a Cornish Bee Hive Gift Card
ADOPT A CORNISH BEE HIVE
FOR 12 MONTHS (more)

Adopt a Cornish Bee Hive.

  • You'll receive a newsletter every month full of fascinating facts and pictures explaining what is going on inside your adopted hive over a whole year.
  • Discover the hidden and complex world of the honey bee, find out why bees swarm and where their honey comes from.
  • An educational and ethical gift for anybody interested in bees, honey and the natural world in Cornwall.
  • A perfect introduction to the bee hive and beekeeping without the sting!

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