LONDON: Bees are on the verge of starvation with some hives producing as little as a sixth of the usual amount of honey because of bad weather.
Experts say low temperatures have resulted in the worst honey yield since 1985 with very little being produced.
Some beekeepers have been forced to spend tens of thousands of pounds feeding their colonies special sugar syrup to keep them alive.
The Scottish Beekeepers Association has put out a starvation alert urging members to be vigilant. They have recommended beekeepers feed colonies now with a mix of sugar and water, something that is not usually done until September or October.
Murray McGregor, who owns one of the largest honey production companies in Scotland, spent £15,000 this year on additional feed for his bees.
The beekeeper, based on Learilaw Farm near Broxburn, West Lothian, said: “Instead of having profit come in, which we would expect to be getting at this time of year, we have a £15,000 feeding bill just to keep the bees healthy.
“We’re feeding them a lot of syrup.”
He added: “In the eastern part of Scotland honey production has been particularly poor. We’ve produced around 15 per cent of what we would hope to produce in a normal year.
