HOLSWORTHY Beekeepers are preparing for a new season after their hives were badly hit last year — nationally, losses amounted to around 34%.

The South West was hit the worst with total losses estimated to be almost 60%.

Some Holsworthy Beekeeper members with a small number of hives lost them all and one very experienced member lost 13 out of 15 hives — almost a 'complete disaster'.

The weather was a large contributor to the downfall.?With the summer of 2012 a washout, this meant bees struggled to get enough stores to see them through the winter.

For the full report, and a round up of the area news and sport, see this week's edition of the Post.