Graeme; Now, you may say I'm a loony...

I note in this article in the hallowed e-pages of the never-hysterical Daily Mail that keeping urban bees may be bad for bees. The argument, posited by Professor Francis Ratnieks and Dr Karin Alton from the Laboratory of Apiculture and Social Insects (LASI) at the University of Sussex is roughly this:

• In urban areas there are more bees than the forage will support 
• The bees will starve and die, or starve and become harbours for disease

Would that not, therefore, be a self-correcting situation? Not ideal, possibly, but then again that's pretty much how life works out, if you're an insect.

Bill and Tim: You're a loony.