Fruit–growing fears over bee woes

SCOTLAND’S multi-million pound fruit growing industry is at risk unless ministers ban key pesticides that are threatening to wipe out bees, wildlife experts warned yesterday.

The Scottish Wildlife Trust is urging the Scottish Government to prevent the use of neonicotinoids after research suggested that the widely-used pesticides might have a catastrophic effect on the insects, which play a vital role in pollinating crops. Feeding on contaminated pollen and nectar affects bees’ navigational abilities, which jeopardises their chances of making it back to their colonies, it is claimed.