A mite that spreads a dangerous virus among honeybees also plays an indirect role in infecting wild bumblebees, new research shows.

The Varroa destructor mite lives on honeybees and can spread deformed wing virus (DWV) throughout the hive.

The mite has emerged as a parasite of Western honeybees, after switching from its original host, the Asian honeybee at the beginning of the last century. It has since spread globally through the man-made movement of infested honeybee hives and has turned into a viral vector.

The invasive mite does not live on bumblebees, but...

Exeter Junior School is celebrating recognition in the UK's oldest and most prestigious children's book awards. Two pupils have either won or achieved runner up in CILIP Kate Greenaway Children's Book Awards competitions. Year 4 pupil Kate Daybell's certificate design has been selected as a winner of the Carnegie and Greenaway Shadowers' Choice Certificate Design competition. And Year 3 pupil Lottie Cumbley is a runner up for the ALCS Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Awards Shadowing Scheme diary writing competition. The CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway (CKG) Medals are the UK's oldest and...

Upgrading a vital road between London and the South West will boost the region’s economy by £40 billion and create 21,000 new jobs.

That’s the message Devon County Council has delivered in evidence at a public examination of proposals to improve the A303 by constructing a tunnel to by-pass Stonehenge. Councillor Andrea Davis, Devon County Council Cabinet Member for Infrastructure and Development, told the Planning Inspectorate hearing that improving the A303 and the A30 and A358 “swallow-tail” was critical to the future prosperity of the South West. Studies commissioned by a...

Responding to the needs of the local communities in and around Seaton and Axminster, Hospiscare@Home provides 24/7 hands-on nursing support at home for people with a life-limiting illness in the final months or weeks of life. The service is provided by local charity Hospiscare and is generously supported by Seaton & District Hospital League of Friends and The League of Friends of Axminster Hospital.

Mrs Glenys O’Hara, aged 81 from Seaton and a Hospiscare@Home patient, explains why the service is so important.

“Before I had cancer my husband, Tom, and I had a very active...

From 3 June 2019, charges at Underhill long stay car park in Lympstone, Dolphin Street car park in Colyton, Land of Canaan car park in Ottery St Mary and Coombe Lane car park in Axminster will all be increased to 50p per half hour (£1 per hour), which is a standard tariff charged by all other car parks in East Devon. The increases were approved by East Devon District Council’s Cabinet in September 2018, following a public consultation in April 2018, the results of which led to a number of proposals being put to Cabinet. The council has listened carefully to what was said during the public...

A team of three Year 9 students from Atrium Studio School in Ashburton has fought off tough competition from hundreds of schools across Great Britain to win the South West of England prize in Shell’s national schools’ competition, The Bright Ideas Challenge.

The winning team’s bright idea conceived a way to capture the hydropower of household taps and store the energy for use in powering anything from personal devices to cars.

Manu Kay, Torin Coulson and Marlon Moss-Motto have won £1,500 to boost the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Maths) teaching at their...

An eclectic mix of local bands and musicians have been chosen to play at this summer’s Exeter Festival.

The free afternoon of music takes place in Exeter’s Northernhay Gardens on Saturday 6 July.

Earlier in the year local bands and musicians were invited to pitch for a slot at the Exeter Festival, which runs from 5 to 7 July.

A total of 29 acts applied to play and these were whittled down to a final six by a judging panel which included local presenter Chris Dinnis. Organisers Exeter City Council have now revealed the full line-up for the afternoon session – over...

Ben Bradshaw MP and University of Amnesty students were at Westminster on Wednesday to take a stand for human rights defenders globally whose lives are at risk

University of Exeter students met Ben Bradshaw MP on Wednesday (12 June), at a parliamentary event hosted by Amnesty UK, the All-Party Parliamentary Human Rights Group and the British Group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union demanding Government action on the protection of human rights defenders.

As part of the Brave campaign, which calls for the urgent protection of human rights defenders globally, youth and student...