NEWS

Oasis star Liam's bid to save dying insects EXCLUSIVE by BEN JACKSON, Environment Editor BRITPOP wildman Liam Gallagher has found a new buzz - campaigning to save honeybees. The Oasis star believes it would spell the end of humanity if the endangered insects died out. He was alerted to their plight after honey helped him cure a throat virus that forced Oasis to pull out of theV Festival and contributed to their split. Liam. 37 - whose hit albums include Be Here Now - said: "You've got to look after the birds and the bees, man. The bees are vanishing. We've got to save them before they all buzz off. It's important. It's a really worthwhile cause. "Without them we're in proper bother. "I like honey. If it weren't for honey, I'd have a rough voice." Liam's support comes as new film Vanishing Of The Bees - out next Friday - warns new pesticides could wipe out bees. The creatures contribute £200 million a year to Britain's economy. But one-fifth of hives perished last winter. A spokesman for the Co-op, which is backing the film, said: "We're thrilled Liam recognises the urgency for action." b.jackson@the-sun.co.uk Are mobile phones wiping out bees? Bees remember your face

Honey Bee Health at Risk! An Economic and Ecological Disaster in the making! Honey bees don't just produce honey but play a vital role in pollinating plants for food and other crops, making a substantial contribution of £165 million per annum to agricultural output. They also have an important environmental role, being responsible for pollinating wild plants which produce seeds and fruits on which birds and wild animals depend. Honey bees can become sick and colonies die-out. In recent years, bees have come under ever greater threat from pests and diseases which we don't fully understand or against which the treatments available are ineffective. Increased beekeeping research is thus essential if we are to find answers and be able to protect our bees and the benefits they bring to everyone. The Government has refused to increase the paltry £200,000 it currently puts into bee health research despite acknowledging the fact that if we don't act we may lose our honey bees and their massive contribution to agriculture and the environment. There are virtually no wild honey bees left due to the effects of the parasitic varroa mite and the viruses it carries, and for which to date, there is no cure. Beekeepers are now the sole guardians of the honey bee population in the UK. The British Bee Keepers Association is campaigning to get the Government to change its mind and increase research funding, so that we can protect our honey bees, before it's too late. The Facts: Honey bees contribute £165 million pa to the agricultural economy The Government spends just £200,300pa on bee health research The varroa mite is destroying bee colonies and is resistant to most approved medications Foul brood diseases are ever present and require constant monitoring and control New exotic threats such as the small hive beetle are expected in the UK anytime. Colony Collapse Disorder responsible for massive losses in the USA may emerge here We don't know enough about bee disease control and the medicines available are inadequate What do we want: The Government to invest just £1.6 million pa In reseanch to help find solutions What can you do: Sign the BBKA Public Petition Get your friends to sign the Petition (Copies fnom BBKA) Write to your MP (MP's Name- House of Commons, London SW1AA 0AA) Write to Defra (Lord Rooker, Minister for Sustainable Farming & Food, Nobel House, 17 Smith Square, London S0W1P 3JR) Save our Bees - Increase Bee Health Research!

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