The University of Sussex has announced it has appointed the UK's only professor of apiculture.

Professor Francis Ratnieks, a leading authority on honeybee biology, bee-keeping and other social insects, will head a £250,000 laboratory of apiculture and social insects.

He will lead students on a series of studies focusing on honeybees and also studying stingless bees, ants and wasps.

Prof Ratnieks said the research would give insights into human societies.

He said: "Humans are relative newcomers to social living compared to bees.

"We could learn much from social insects that have lived in complex groups for tens of millions of years.

"Insect societies face many of the problems faced by human society, including maintaining public health, organising efficient information and transport systems and maintaining harmony in the group."

He said the three main areas the research would cover were how bees and insects organise themselves, how they resolve conflicts over who works and who lays eggs and how to improve beekeeping practices, reduce honeybee diseases and develop breeding and conservation.

The facility has been created next to the main biology building at the university campus in Falmer, Brighton, and alongside a wood.

It includes a research laboratory, offices and special facilities for studying honeybees, including space to keep ten beehives, a workshop for assembling and storing bee hives, an apiary for bee hives and additional apiaries on the university campus.

Professor Jonathan Bacon, dean of life sciences at the university, said: "This greatly expands our existing strengths in social-insect studies at Sussex and makes us the UK leader in this area.

"Sussex is a great place for studying honeybees and social insects.

"We are located near the coast.

"The weather here means that we can study bees most of the year."

He said the number of social insects in the area was high, with many species living wild on the university campus or nearby.

The launch has been made at a time when UK beekeepers have expressed concerns about the lack of Government investment in research.

They have argued that beekeeping is vital to the economy and environment but threatened by disease, pests and environmental degradation.

Honeybees pollinate around £165 million of crops in the UK annually as well as producing honey and wax.