Bees need 5-a-day too and the widespread decline in honeybees, which pollinate about one third of the food we eat, may be due to a reduction in the plant life they feed on.

Honeybees on a 5-pollen diet are healthier than those nourished only by a single plant variety, according to scientists from the French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA).

They are disease resistant, have better antiseptic protection, and produce more fat, than their single-pollen counterparts. Research suggests that 5-a-day bees create more anti-microbial chemicals and develop a stronger immune system.

The worldwide phenomena of disappearing bees has been blamed on everything from: varroa mites, pesticides, genetically modified (GM) crops, intensive farming, new beekeeping methods, mobile phone radiation and ‘chemtrails’ (chemical deposits from aeroplanes).

But is diet also a factor? And could diet be the reason for the dramatic number of hive collapses in America where bee colonies pollinate vast, commercial plantations of one single crop?

Hove beekeeper, Jenny Deadman, founder of Infinity Foods, says a varied pollen diet is important for bees. Jenny opposes the American methods of farming involving monocultural crops, such as almonds because “these large plantations provide a very narrow diet and the hive transportation practice is appalling,” she said, adding that the methods result in cruelty to bees.

In the UK, 70% of crops depend on bee pollination, but disturbing research from the University of Reading suggests that bee numbers are falling at twice the rate of Europe. Commercially, the UK value of bee pollination is estimated at £200m per year, so the government are intent on finding some answers.

Jenny, who keeps four hives totalling 2 million honeybees, produces around 60lb of honey per hive each year. “We have lost two colonies in the last 5 years, despite not losing any during the last 25 years,” she said. “I think our loss was caused by the varroa mite which weakens bees' immune systems.”

Honeybees fly up to a three-mile radius and Jenny's bees may fare better than countryside hives because of plant biodiversity in parks and gardens. In towns there are “flowers, vegetables, municipal chestnut trees, daisies and dandelions for example.”

How you can help

• Plant a variety of flowers - honeybees like blackberry and raspberry flowers, crocuses, sunflowers and hollyhocks. Click here for more details

• Use chemical-free options to control garden pests

• Eat organic produce and buy local honey.

• Adopt a beehive

• Lobby your MP for more money to research bee health.

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