A plunge in Bermuda's population of bees has cut the Island's pumpkin crop by as much as a third, according to farmer and vegetable dealer Carlos Amaral.

Right now pumpkins show "between a quarter and one third drop in yield, easily", he said.

"Granted, the summer hasn't been good for that crop, but it tends to be pretty resilient. We're noticing a marked decline of pumpkins that definitely can be attributed to the lack of pollination by bees."

Pumpkins carry male and female flowers, with the intervention of bees required to produce fruit. The local varieties are usually eaten rather than used ornamentally for Halloween, and harvested from summer to the end of the year.

Since September's Hurricane Igor, the Island's beekeepers reported a catastrophic 50 percent loss of the insects. Mr. Amaral said: "We're starting to see the effect now. I think it will be more prevalent in the upcoming spring season."

Bad weather and ants have taken their toll on bees already weakened by the invasive varroa parasite. Mr. Amaral said surviving bees are not as active because the varroa mite affects their health, and their willingness to forage further distances is reduced.

Next spring, he said, the decline of bees will be noticed "especially when it starts getting to crops that are more prevalent in home gardens like peaches and nectarines. And the ones everyone's familiar with, like loquats and cherries. I think their abundance will be significantly reduced".

Wind-pollinated crops like corn should be spared, but vine crops like next year's zucchini and cucumbers stand to lose out.

Mr. Amaral said: "Insignificant as it may seem, this has the potential to cause us a lot of problems."