Ten-year plan to help honey bees

The Scottish Government wants to reverse a trend that saw the population drop by a third in the winter of 2008-9.

Environment secretary Richard Lochhead said a range of programmes would improve the health of the insects, which play a crucial role in the food industry.

He said: "Honey bees are an essential part of agriculture in Scotland. They play an extremely important role in pollinating crops and plants, such as the 68-million soft fruit industry.

"We are committed to supporting the beekeeping community to ensure that Scotland has a sustainable and healthy population of honey bees over the next ten years."

A bid for 183,000 was approved to support a sterilisation plant for equipment in Perthshire, where 60 per cent of Scotland's honey is produced, according to the government.

Over three years, 50,000 will go towards a UK-wide 10m research programme into pollinators. Projects include a 1.8m Dundee University research programme into the impact of pesticides.

The main strands of the strategy, announced by Mr Lochhead at the Royal Highland Show at Ingliston, near Edinburgh, are surveillance of pests, education for beekeepers and disease prevention through science.

Honey bee populations are under pressure worldwide, the government said.

Several theories have been put forward to explain the reduction in the bee population.

Some experts believe mobile phone signals could be to blame, while others have pointed the finger at intensive agricultural methods.