A £10 million research programme was announced yesterday to uncover the causes of a sudden collapse in the populations of honey bees, bumble bees and other plant pollinators like moths and butterflies.

It is a problem causing widespread concern throughout the developed world – including North Yorkshire, where heather honey is a premium product – and the aim is to discover if there is something going wrong in the environment which is causing the decline.

Bee numbers in the UK have fallen by between 10 and 15% in the past two years alone and other pollinators could be facing similar threats.

The new programme was first revealed in January and yesterday, Environment Secretary Hilary Benn announced the formation of a mixed team of scientists from Defra, the universities and private industry to undertake the research.

Said lead scientist Professor Douglas Kell. “We are facing a fundamental problem with the decline of bees and other pollinators. They have an absolutely crucial role in pollinating many of our important crops.

“Without effective pollination we will face higher food costs and potential shortages. This programme will help us to understand why numbers have decreased and the steps we could take to reverse this.”