THE decline in European bee populations is not as bad as feared, the European Union's executive says, as it published a report into bee health in 17 EU member states.
"We can take some encouragement from the limited winter bee mortality in several major beekeeping countries," said EU Health Commissioner Tonio Borg on Monday, adding however, that some states "show high winter bee mortality".
Bees play an important role in the pollination of crops, and a decrease in their numbers has in recent years raised economic and food supply concerns. Last year, the European Commission banned four pesticides for having harmful effects on bee populations.
The study, carried out in the winter of 2012-13, shows a clear divide between bee populations in northern and southern Europe.
Less than 10 per cent of bees - the mortality threshold considered acceptable - died during the winter in Greece, Italy, Spain, Hungary and Slovakia.
However, more than 20 per cent - the limit above which rates are deemed unacceptable - failed to survive the winter in Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Estonia and Britain. The highest mortality rates were recorded in Belgium, at 33.6 per cent.
Lithuania, in north-eastern Europe, bucked the trend with the lowest winter mortality rate, at just 3.5 per cent.
The study looked at almost 32,000 cultivated bee colonies between autumn 2012 and summer 2013, but did not include wild bees - such as solitary bees or bumblebees - whose situation was "more worrying," according to Borg.
"Wild bees are of course key pollinators in many environments and may be particularly vulnerable," the commissioner said.
A repeat of the study is underway in the 17 countries participating in the program - which also include Germany, France, Poland, Portugal and Latvia.
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