BEEKEEPERS from the region have marched on Parliament calling for an investigation into the mystery surrounding sharp declines in bee numbers.

BEEKEEPERS from the region have marched on Parliament calling for an investigation into the mystery surrounding sharp declines in bee numbers.

The demand for more funding into bee health came after it was revealed East Anglia lost a third of its bees last winter, with the cause not yet known.

About 25 members of the Suffolk branch of the British Beekeepers' Association joined hundreds of beekeepers in London for the march, calling on the Government to invest £5 million into researching the reason for declining bee numbers over the next three years.

It is feared if answers are not found soon problems with pollination will directly impact on the country's food production.

Tony Payne, chairman of Suffolk Beekeepers' Association, said: “We got a fair bit of publicity for the march, which involved about 400 people, and I would think we got the message across as well as expected.”

Mr Payne, who has been keeping bees for 55 years, said he lost five colonies - 45per cent of his bees - last winter. He would only ever expect to lose 10-20pc.

Richard Howitt, an MEP for the East of England said: “The decline in bees is very worrying when you think that bees pollinate a third of everything we eat.”