Twickenham MP Speaks for Bees at Chelsea

12.08.44pm BST (GMT +0100) Wed 20th May 2009

Vincent Cable MP was invited this morning (Monday) to open the garden at the Chelsea Flower Show of the British Beekeepers Association

The opening followed his involvement, over several years, in promoting the cause of the disappearing honeybee and of beekeepers (including the Twickenham apiary on Whitton Road).

The emphasis at the Chelsea show is on encouraging the country's gardeners and allotment holders to plant flowering trees and 'bee friendly' plants and shrubs to help gather pollen and nectar (details on www.britishbee.org.uk).

Vincent Cable said: "There is a growing sense of alarm about the decline in the bee population mainly because 95% of hives are infected by the varroa parasite. After a lot of pressure the Government has come up with £10 million for bee research. But this will take time to produce research and, in the meantime, gardeners are being asked to help by creating an environment in which bees can flourish. When I first raised this issue in Parliament six years ago with Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, I was ridiculed for being flippant but most people understand, now, why bees are important - not least because they are worth at least £200 million to the economy."