The Best of Swindon are delighted that Ron Hoskins, a 79 year old retired heating engineer from Swindon, has been successful in his quest for a breed of honey bee that is resistant to the Varroa mite. He has now bred a strain in which the bees remove the mites by grooming one another.
Hoskins explained that the Varroa Mite has spread around the globe at an alarming rate, wiping out whole colonies of bees almost everywhere except Australia. Reasearchers in Britain have discovered that over half of the Honey Bees have been wiped out by infestation by the parasite.
Bees are essential for crop pollination, pollinating around one third of everything we eat. According to a British Environmental Consultancy, ADAS, bees pollinate crops worth up to £310 million a year in Britain.
Hoskins is seeking funding for further research on his 'Swindon honeybee' and has received an invitation from Australian officials eager to keep the parasite problem out of Australia. The Best of Swindon wishes Ron Hoskins all the best with his 'Swindon Honeybees'.
