Beekeepers suffer 19 per cent loss in bees last winter

The British Beekeepers Association said that the bad winter weather was actually helpful to the colonies because bees clustered together to survive. The warm spring also encouraged bees to forage for early nectar and pollen.
Some areas of northern England saw losses of 32 per cent. The lowest percentage fall was in the east of England where nearly 13 per cent of bee colonies died over the winter.
These figures combined with a 30 per cent average loss in 2006, come as a grim reminder of how precarious our honey bees’ future is.
President of the BBKA Tim Lovett welcomed the improved figure but said it was still way short of the seven to 10 per cent that until the last five years had been considered acceptable. “Answers through research are urgently needed,” he added.