WANTED: One disused gravel pit or similar, far from the madding crowd.

That’s the buzz among a group of New Forest beekeepers who want to rear queen bees.

Cliff Polton from New Milton is one of a committee of seven from the New Forest Beekeepers’ Association who have banded together to breed queens from their strongest colonies.

He said bees worldwide are under threat with colonies dying out from a multitude of causes, some unknown.

And without honeybees about a third of the world’s food crops will go unpollinated.

Importing bees is unwise as diseases can be brought in unknowingly and bees from warmer countries may not survive damp summers.

The problem of bees dying was brought home to Mr Polton last year when half his six hives died.

He said: “The aim is to be able to supply queen bees bred from local stock, at minimal cost, to local beekeepers when they need them.

“An imported queen bee currently costs about £20. We hope to only charge a pound or two, to cover the cost of consumables.

“In order to start this project we need a fairly large area of land, something like an old gravel pit would be ideal.

“A large area is needed to ensure the bees are not disturbed unnecessarily, and to try and keep ‘stray’ drone bees to a minimum when the queens are on their mating flights.

“We will need to erect a shed or hut for working in and storing equipment.”

The beekeepers will provide a pond for their bees to drink at and to attract wildlife, and native trees, shrubs and flowering plants for shelter, pollen and nectar.

Green technology will be used where possible and it is hoped the site will eventually become an education centre. Contact Mr Polton on 01425 620062.