Bee trouble in Britain

(I want to talk about some of the problems you’re facing. What’s the issue of CCD?) Colony Collapse Disorder, we don’t believe we have it here yet, but all the warning lights are on. This disorder is made up from a number of components: a parasite attacks the bee, the parasite carries a vital virus and affects the bee’s gut. (And then there’s just stress?) Yes, the beekeepers in America work their bees very hard, with a very long season that kicks off in February or March and covers a lot of fruits. (Now you mentioned a lot of produce. Would the breadth of the problem be as great for food products in Britain?) We don’t produce citrus, but many apples would be affected. We have a lot of soft fruits as well. (So the US provides what lesson?) Well I think the first lesson is a fairly rapid reaction to it. we hear numbers around $80 million dollars going specifically into research. We’re asking the British Parliament somewhere around $16 million dollars over 4 years. we’d be foolish not to take every step to learn from it.