Britain's honeybees are dying "at an alarming rate" - and nobody knows why, an inquiry has warned.

MPs accused the Government of failing to tackle a problem that could have a devastating effect on agriculture.

The Commons Public Accounts Committee, which includes MPs Paul Burstow (Lib Dem Sutton and Cheam) and Keith Hill (Lab Streatham), urged Ministers to consult farmers, beekeepers and academics on how to deal with the problem.

In a new report, the committee warned that beekeepers were reporting an "increasing trend" of colonies dying out.

Crops including apples, runner beans and dwarf beans depended on insects for pollination, and honeybee pollination was estimated to be worth £200 million a year to the UK economy.

The MPs warned: "Researchers are attempting to establish a pattern for honeybee losses, but the reasons are not yet well understood.

"There is no evidence that losses of honeybee colonies are linked to mobile phones or phone masts.

"Weather may be a factor. Honeybees are adversely affected by cold and wet weather, and losses over winter may amount to up to 30 per cent of colonies."

Disease might also be a factor in the loss of so many colonies, the MPs said.

But they warned that the Department for Food, the Environment and Rural Affairs "has not regarded honeybee health as a high priority."

Last year, the Department spent just £200,000 on research into honeybee health, and £130,000 for other research broadly relevant to honeybees.

Committee chair Edward Leigh said: "It is difficult to understand why Defra has taken so little interest in the problem up to now."

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