OKEHAMPTON Beekeepers welcomed a special guest at their last meeting when prospective Conservative candidate for Central Devon Mel Stride joined members to hear concerns of the beekeepers.

The discussion raised a number of issues. Subjects ranged from continued funding of the National Bee Unit and regional and seasonal bee inspectors, to the licensing of additional Varroa treatments.

Mr Stride said: 'The meeting was a great opportunity for me to learn first-hand about the challenges facing our local beekeepers.

'Bees matter to us all and the cost to agriculture, the environment and the honey business will be huge if the number of bees continues to decline.

'Key issues include the importance of licensed treatments for conditions such as varroa, the registration and inspection of the 20,000 unregistered beekeepers and the possible health issues associated with bee imports.'

The discussion on disease management, funding of the National Bee Unit, bio security relating to import of bees and establishment of a mandatory national register of beekeepers, was followed by a presentation of the beekeeping year by Okehampton Beekeepers' chairman Ray King.

Britain's bee colonies have suffered sizeable losses in recent years because of a seemingly increasing number of threats.

The British Bee Keepers' Association has previously spoken of the need to protect the species from disease. It has said that the wild honey bee is virtually extinct because of the parasitic varroa mites and the diseases they carry.

The next gathering will be on Friday April 17 at the annual dinner in the Waie Inn, Zeal Monachorum.