BEEKEEPERS were last night issued with a call to arms in the battle to save threatened colonies.

A direct appeal for anyone who keeps bees as a hobby was made by ministers trying to get a grip on the current crisis.

Bee colonies have suffered significant losses in the last two years from growing number of threats including pests and diseases such as the varroa mite.

Last week a Commons committee was particularly critical of the Government's performance in tackling the spread of varroa, in marked contrast to efforts dealing with bluetongue in cattle.

Farming minister Jane Kennedy yesterday unveiled a 10-year blueprint to protect and improve the health of honey bees across the country.

The first major step will be to track down and make contact with all amateur beekeepers – no mean task with an estimated 20,000 hidden away in towns and villages.

They will be told of the need to alert the National Bee Unit (NBU) to bee health problems and encourage them to register on BeeBase, its beekeepers database.

There are around 3,000 bee colonies in Cornwall and around three times that number in Devon.

Official estimates suggest in the last two years bee numbers have dropped by 10 to 15 per cent.

But actual losses could be significantly higher because of the number of beekeepers not in contact with the NBU.

Bees play an important role in agriculture, with the value of commercial crops benefiting from pollination estimated at £100 million to £200 million a year.

Ms Kennedy said she hoped the plan would enable experts to better track the spread of disease and take action more quickly.

"Bees are just about the most hard working of insects," she said.

"They help put food on our plates as they produce honey and pollinate other plants, many of which produce food themselves. We need to do all we can to safeguard the health of honey bees. This plan is a blueprint for doing that."

In January, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs announced an extra £4.3 million for research into the health of bees.

Henry Morris, of the Devon Beekeeper Association, said the funding was vital to help "solve the problem of the struggling bee population."

However, almost half a million people and a group of celebrities have signed up to support the Save Our Bees campaign being run by The British Science Association.

The campaign is being highlighted during National Science and Engineering Week (NSEW) which runs until March 15.

TV gardener Charlie Dimmock said bees are "in crisis" and urged people to plant shrubs for bees to forage on.

More than 3,400 schools are expected to take part in bee-related activities during the week.

Poet Pam Ayres also backed the campaign and encouraged people to plant flowers that would support bees.

She said: "Everyone can make a big difference by just planting a few things in their garden which will help the bees. I have a beautiful drift of crocus out now and it's alive with honey bees and gorgeous great bumble bees."

Last night Tory MEP Neil Parish, chairman of the European Parliament's agriculture committee, welcomed the plan but said more funding would be needed.

"The costs to our economy of not acting will be far greater than the comparatively small sum Defra has allocated so far," he said.