LAST week the EU banned neonicotinoid pesticides - responsible according to some for declining bee populations. 

But bees in the News Shopper area face a far more significant threat - the weather.

According to bee keepers in South East London, the colder than average weather of late has caused serious problems for the bees, far more than any pesticides.

The frosty conditions mean the bees hold back from leaving their hives to forage for food, and they die of starvation.

Clive Watson, 64, of Kendall Avenue, Beckenham, is Chairman of the Kent Beekeepers Association.

He said: "This year and last year it has mainly been the weather which has been the problem in this area.

"We don't have too much trouble with pesticides.

"The bees haven't been out to get food because the food isn't there and they have died of starvation."

Barry Adams, of Keys Road, Dartford, is Apiary Manager of the Dartford Beekeepers, and he echoed Mr Watson's views.

The 69-year-old told News Shopper: "There is a general sort of decline in bee populations.

"Last year the weather was atrocious. This year has not been much better.

"The bees are so cold that they are not coming out of their hive to feed."

Mr Adams added the role of the bees in growing fruit and crops is so crucial, that if they were to die out the impact would be devastating.

He said: "Apple growers used to pay a lot of money to have a hive deposited in their orchard because they believed the bees would help, and they were right.

"They are very, very important and people should be aware of how important they are."

When bees forage for nectar, pollen grains stick to their legs.

They then fly to another plant and the pollen falls off, resulting in fertilization and the production of new plant seeds.

Talking of the pesticide problem, Richard Brook, 51, of Crest View Drive, Orpington, a member of the Orpington Beekeepers Association, said that he didn't believe the neonicotinoid ban was necessary, and could cause more problems for the bees.

He said: "The pesticide issue is very complicated.

"The British Bee Keepers Association does not support the ban because alternatives used by farmers might be worse than the neonicotinoids they have replaced.

"What's important is that if you are a gardener and you feel the need to use some pesticides to get rid of weeds it is absolutely essential you follow instructions.

"Using pesticides at the wrong time of day, for example, not only can it kill the bees but they can also take the pesticide back to their hive and essentially wipe it out."

15 of the 27 EU member states voted for the two-year restriction on neonicotinoids despite opposition from countries including Britain.