Beekeepers in Gloucestershire are hoping for a long hot summer to boost dwindling honey supplies.

The floods of 2007, the mild summer of 2008 and attacks by a killer parasite have left keepers desperate for good weather to replenish hives.

Michael Hunt, a beekeeper from Cheltenham, said: “It has been a tough couple of years. First of all we had the wet summer which meant the amount of honey produced was down.

“Then we had a poor summer last year and our bees also had to fight off a nasty virus.

“We need a strong summer this year. Some suppliers have already run out of honey.

“I have 30 hives and anticipate I will run out of stock by November if we have another bad year.”

Mr Hunt said he could produce up to a ton of honey in a good year – more than 2,000 jars – but has only been producing 75 per cent of that for the last two years.

Last year, county hives were plagued by the varroa mite, which feeds on adult bees and larvae and spreads viruses.

In 1994 there were about 5,000 colonies in the county. By 2007 the figure was between 1,500 to 2,000.

Despite the troubles, beekeeper numbers in the town have been boosted by the news that 20 people have expressed an interest in taking up the craft in the past year.

Mr Hunt added: “It is good news that new people have been coming forward and are showing an interest in keeping bees.

“It is a very enjoyable craft and I would say the only skill or talent you need is not to be afraid of bees.”

Annie Ellis, membership secretary of the Gloucestershire Beekeepers Association, said: “We have got several new recruits this year. Most people who join do it because they say they have always been interested in bees and just never got round to doing anything about it – but who knows whether that is true.

“But we are of course always happy to see new people and to have them on board.”

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