We really need to think about the humble bee

Posted by Ben 

Mariah Carey sings about it, Erykah Badu sings about it, The Kooks sing about it, Bee Bumble & The Stings buzzed to it - yup, its a Taste of Honey - honey! But will there be any honey in the near future?Well  on current trends definately not as bee numbers decline in the UK countryside and elsewhere around the world.  Now the UK’s Soil Association has urged the government to ban pesticides linked to honeybee deaths around the world as numbers continue to plunge dramatically. The chemicals are widely used in UK agriculture but have now been banned in four other European countries including France and Germany. The pesticides, known as neonicotinoids are aopproved on a range of crops in the UK including oil seed rape, barley and sugar beet. Campaigners are particularly concerned about the use to kill insects on rape as bees are attracted to the bright yellow flowers. Germany suspended sales in 2007 after two thirds of their bees died following the use of clothianidin and in France imidacloprid has been banned on sunflowers and sweetcorn after a third of honey bees died. Manufacturers Bayer say that the pesticides are safe for bees if correctly applied and in the UK the National Farmers Union supports this - as it seems does DEFRA who say there are no plans to ban pesticides although accept there has been a drop in bee numbers due to a variety of factors. But worry we should, as worldwide there have been massive decline sin bee numbers in the last two years and two thirds of major food crops - errms thats OUR food - rely on our friends the bees for pollination.