Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the effect of the beehive beetle on the honey bee population in the UK.

Defra’s Pest Risk Analysis for the small hive beetle, including an assessment of its potential impact, has been published and can be found at www.nationalbeeunit.com/downloadDocument.cfm?id=945.

Exports of bees are banned from an area of 100 km around the outbreak and the Italian authorities are taking steps to eradicate the beetle.

As a precaution, in addition to inspecting recent exports of bees to England and Wales, Defra has alerted and provided advisory leaflets on the small hive beetle to the Plant Health and Seeds Inspectorate, the Horticulture Marketing Inspectorate, and trade associations representing importers of plant produce. We have asked them to remain vigilant and report any suspected findings to the National Bee Unit.