THE beekeeper who may have saved the honey bee population is delighted after receiving a grant from the British Beekeepers’ Association.

Ron Hoskins, who has been beekeeping for 67 years, has been awarded a £6,000 research grant, to help him continue in his quest against the deadly parasitic mite, varroa.

Ron, who is nearly 80, spent 14 years trying to find a cure for the mite, which attacks honey bees, and wants to use the money to help get other beekeepers involved.

“We have got what has been termed the super bee.The studies I’ve been performing have been to develop this bee and I wish to pass it on to other beekeepers,” said Ron, who is president of Swindon and District Beekeepers’ Association.

“It’s the bee that we have bred in Stanton Park and we wish to spread it out,” he said.

“I want them over a wider circle – at first to cover Wiltshire. The world’s the limit.”

The money will be used to provide 20 local beekeepers with special hives and microscopes with special lenses to help them work with Ron to increase the gene pool of the selected bee strains that will counter the parasite.

The varroa mite was first found in the UK in 1992 and within four years had spread across the country. The grandfather-of-five applied for the grant in April and was granted it after his story appeared in the Adver in August.

“It caused the international upsurge of publicity that caused the British Beekeeper’s Association to realise there was more to what we had done than they realised,” he said.

“This is only a start, we still need to raise more cash. Every £6,000 we can raise gets equipment to help another 20 beekeepers.

“At my age now I must realise that there’s a limit to what I can do personally so my ambition now is to get other beekeepers involved in this essential work to continue it. It’s very essential to the life of the honeybee and the life of us.”

Brian Ripley, BBKA chairman, said: “We are delighted to be able to help Ron and his co-workers in the Swindon honey bee conservation group. The work that will be undertaken by this group of experienced amateur beekeepers is a fine example of beekeepers helping each other.”

Ron, who is grateful for donations already made, can be contacted at ron@honeybee1.org.uk or call 0773 7400 515. He will be at Kingsdown garden centre in Ermin Street, Stratton St Margaret.

He will be raising money to help save the honey bees by selling honey, as well as giving demonstrations and information on beekeeping.

Ron will be at the garden centre from 9am until 6pm today and 10am until 5pm tomorrow.