An extra £10m of new funding is being poured into researching the threats faced by Britain's bees and other insect pollinators, the Government has announced.
Over the last two years, 15% of honeybees have died out, while the numbers of other pollinators - like butterflies and moths - have also declined.
The insects play an essential role in putting food on our tables through the pollination of vital crops - honeybees alone are worth £200m a year to the UK's economy.
But they are susceptible to a variety of diseases and environmental threats, some of which have increased significantly over the last five to 10 years.
(Article continues below)
Government experts say climate change, in particular warmer winters and wetter summers, has also had a major impact on pollinators.
Environment Secretary Hilary Benn said: "Aristotle identified bees as the most hard-working of insects, and with one in three mouthfuls coming from insect-pollinated crops, we need to support bees and other pollinators.
