The new buzz in cities: beekeeping

A bumblebee gathers pollen from a sunflower in Sumartin on Croatia's Adriatic Island of Brac July 18, 2009.

LONDON (Reuters) - People living in urban areas are being urged to keep bees in their gardens, on rooftops and on balconies to help combat their shrinking population.

Natural England, the government's advisor on the natural environment, wants to encourage homeowners to install their own mini hives to help with the decline of almost all of the UK's 250 species of bees.

There are around 250,000 colonies of honey bees in England and Wales which are responsible for pollinating about 200 million pounds worth of the country's commercial crops.

However, their numbers have fallen by about 15 per cent in the last two years.

"A lot of food relies on pollination and we want people to see this as an opportunity to do their bit and bring wildlife into the city," Allison Barnes, Natural England's London director, told Reuters.

The decline in bees is due to a number of factors including loss of habitat and disease. It is a serious problem and it is hoped the extra hives will help combat the fall, she said.

Natural England is also trying to encourage people to grow insect-friendly plants and install small bumblebee houses that are available, to help the decline in species of wild bees such as the bumblebee.

A new easy-to-use beehive called 'beehaus' has been released today from the company Omlet. It has a contemporary design and comes in an array of colours to encourage people to purchase it.

Natural England will be installing one of the hives on the roof of their headquarters in London.

Because bees fly around five metres above the ground this should not cause problems for the people below, it said.

Natural England has stressed that people wishing to purchase one of the hives should seek professional help from the beekeeping association to ensure they are able to look after the bees properly.

(Reporting by Alex Wainwright ; Editing by Stefano Ambrogi)