Steve Leonard - Save Our Bees

A TV vet whose veterinary practice is in Whitchurch is calling on the public to save the bees.

Steve Leonard supports the So What? So Everything national campaign to show people how science benefits them in their everyday lives and how it is vital to meeting some of the major challenges of our time.

Part of this is using scientific knowledge to protect the dwindling bee population.

The dramatic decline in honeybee populations in the UK means the UK imports 80% of our honey.

Without beekeepers there would be no honeybees in the UK.

In the UK there are approximately 44,000 beekeepers managing around 274,000 hives, each worth about £600 to the UK agricultural economy.

Steve, who runs his practice with his brother Tom, said: “There are 250 species of bees in the UK, and they are all at risk of being lost.

“One of the reasons is that some of the bees have got a mite, a little creature living within the bee that kills it off. Another reason is the loss of habitat.

“It is such a priority to sort this out. If the bee population dies out we will be facing major problems to our agricultural economy.

“What people can do is create an environment and habitat for the bees in their own back gardens. Just let a little area grow wild. This will encourage wild flowers and be the perfect habitat for the bees.

“Also bees need places to create their nests. Tie together some snap canes, create little gaps between them and put them in the wild area.

“And I ask people to consider bee keeping. I know in Whitchurch a bee keeping group meet up in the Civic Centre once a month.”

Source: White Church Herald