British protest aimed at protecting bees

LONDON, Nov. 6 (UPI) -- Hundreds of beekeepers demonstrated at the office of British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, demanding the government protect the country's honey bees.

The British Beekeepers' Association said Wednesday's protest at Downing Street by 300 beekeepers in full beekeeping gear marked a demonstration against the ongoing deterioration of the country's honey bee hives, The Times of London reported Thursday.

The beekeeper group said if the current state of deterioration continues across Britain, English honey supplies could be gone before the end of the year.

The loss of the country's honey supplies comes as a growing number of honey bee colonies in Britain are being lost, the association said.

Currently nearly $2.4 million is being spent in Britain to both research bee health and conduct hive inspections, but the protesters called for additional research.

The Times said the association protesters want more than $12.6 million to be spent on honey bee research in the next five years to reverse the troubling trend and potentially stimulate the agriculture industry.