Picture: Steve Milton Service Manager at Pestbusters

A West Midlands based pest control experts is calling on the public to help the honeybee over the next few weeks after a report showed a decline in the species is continuing.

Birmingham  based Pestbusters called on the public to help the honeybee thrive  as a report showed a decline in the number of hives in the UK.

The British Beekeepers Association recently reported that a 13.6 per cent of hives across the country died last winter, which is the fourth year in a row that high numbers of casualties have been posted.

Dave Nash, managing director of Pestbusters said: "We feel it is our responsibility to help educate the public about the plight of bees. We get telephone calls regularly asking us to destroy these nests, but they are a species under threat and the decline of them could have serious knock on effects for both biodiversity and agriculture.

Mr Nash said: "Honeybees are not aggressive and unless they are provoked will not sting. When we are called out to bee activity we work on the premise of 'Don't destroy but re-deploy' moving the bees to an environment, which will not cause problems to the general public. Unfortunately not all pest control companies take this attitude."

Out of the 100 crops which provide 90 per cent of the world's food, around 71 per cent are pollinated by bees.

Experts have said in the past that many lives depend upon the existence of bees and the human race could potentially starve if they became extinct.

Recent factors which have been pinpointed in the recent decline of the honey bee population, include the varroa mite, which has killed millions of bees across the world.

Mr Nash  added: "The plight of the honeybee has received lots more attention in recent years and while, by the nature of our business, we are very aware, there are still a vast majority of people oblivious. We have to do what we can to get the message across."