Race to save UK honey bee

A British couple are teaching Londoners how to keep bees in a bid to save the native honey bee from possible extinction.

Urban beekeepers Alison Benjamin and Brian McCallum are on a mission to save the British honey bee.

A deadly virus is threatening to wipe out bees in the UK.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) ALISON BENJAMIN, ORGANIZER OF URBAN BEES, SAYING:

"They have a parasite called the varroa mite that lives on the bees and sucks its blood and spreads disease. And all bees have this now in the UK."

Alison and her partner Brian now run classes to encourage Londoners to keep bees in their backyards and on rooftops.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) ALISON BENJAMIN, ORGANIZER OF URBAN BEES, SAYING:

"It's fairly easy, you don't need a lot of space, you don't need a big garden. It doesn't take up so much time, maybe a couple of hours every other weekend in the summer, and in the winter you don't have to look after the bees at all."

Beekeepers also blame the use of pesticides in agriculture and wet British summers, as contributing factors for the disappearance of the honey bee which plays a vital role in pollination of crops.

Julie Parker is one of scores of people who have signed up to the couple's bee-keeping classes.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) JULIE PARKER, COURSE PARTICIPANT, SAYING:

"There is so much media coverage what has been happening with the bees and the viruses and how crucial they are to the whole world environment. And I just think they are amazing things and I would love to have a hive in my garden or on the roof of my office, just find somewhere. And in the end we get some gorgeous honey."

The British Beekeepers' Association says there are about 40,000 beekeepers in the UK and their numbers are growing.

Bee-lovers are hoping their dedication will be enough to safeguard the future of an insect that's critical to our own survival.

Martina Fuchs, Reuters.