£1m for bees

Adam Hewitt • Published 8 Jul 2010 13:00 0 Comments

UNDER-THREAT bees are getting a helping hand from researchers thanks to a £1.1m grant.

Reading University's Dr Simon Potts will be working with colleagues across the country to identify the main threats to bees and other insect pollinators, like butterflies and moths, to try to reverse the decline in their numbers.

The money comes from Living With Environmental Change (LWEC) partnership, made up of scientific, charitable and Government bodies.

Dr Potts said: "The University is delighted to be working on this vital research initiative. Pollination by insects is vital for agricultural production and maintenance of biodiversity - 80% of British wild flowers and 84% of EU crops depend on insect pollinators, mainly bees.

"Given that the value of insect pollinators to UK agriculture is estimated to be worth more than £430m per year, this research will make an important contribution to our food security."

Tweet

Return to the main index, get more from this section or browse our News archives.

Follow @rdgchronicle