Jacob Rees-Mogg, the Conservative parliamentary candidate for North East Somerset, is calling for more research into the disappearance of honey bees from the countryside.

Mr Rees-Mogg has met the secretary of the International Bee Research Association, David Smith, to discuss the problem.

Mr Rees-Mogg said: "Honey bees play a vital part in our agricultural economy because of their key role in providing pollination of fruit and crops.

"One third of the human diet comes from flowering crops and honey bees are responsible for pollinating about 80 per cent of them.

"Beekeepers also need support in their attempts to restock their apiaries after huge losses of colonies."

He said more research was needed into the decline of honey bees and the causes of what has been described by scientists as colony collapse disorder.