Almost half of Canada’s honey bee colonies did not survive the winter, the largest rate of colony loss in the country in 20 years, according to preliminary data.
“It’s quite disturbing,” said Ernesto Guzman, president of the Canadian Association of Professional Beekeepers, which surveys commercial beekeepers across the country.
Many factors can lead to bee deaths, but Guzman said he suspects the main factor behind the losses is the varroa mite, a parasitic bug that attacks and feeds on bees. Warm weather in the spring of 2021 led to an early pollination season and strong colony expansion, but weather conditions also favored the growth of varroa mites, he said.
“[Bee] the colonies started growing early in the season and finished breeding at the end of the season, so the varroa populations also exploded and were very high at the end of the summer,” Guzman said in a recent interview, adding that most beekeepers wait until they harvest honey before to treat mite colonies.
Beekeepers “typically start treating for mites in the early fall, and that may be too late … when the mite population has grown more than in other years,” he said.
Guzman’s study showed that 46 percent of colonies nationwide did not survive last winter. Manitoba reported the largest losses at 57 percent, while Alberta lost 51 percent of its colonies. Nova Scotia, meanwhile, was the least affected, losing 15 percent of its colonies.
Important for the canola crop
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada says bee health — along with crop pollination and honey production — is vital to the environment and economy.
“In Canada, canola seed production is by far the most important crop of economic importance produced with the contribution of honey bees, generating $12 billion in farm value in 2021,” the department said in a statement. He added that the government and the beekeeping industry are working together to address high bee colony mortality and the impact of varroa mites.
WATCH | Parasitic mites settle in hives:
Parasitic mites are a concern for beekeepers
Last year’s early spring and long, hot summer are being blamed for the parasitic mites taking up residence in many hives, prompting Canadian beekeepers to call on the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) to allow more bee imports from the US. At 0:17 in this story, the name of Jayse Derraugh of Derrco Apiaries was misspelled.
Guzman said that while most beekeepers use pesticides to control parasites, pesticides cannot be applied while there is honey in the hives. Honey producers, he added, may need to consider other treatments or harvest honey earlier than usual to use the pesticides.
The government is funding research into other treatments, investing more than $550,000 to study the efficacy and safety of three probiotics that could potentially be used to improve bee health and survival rates.
Guzman said recovering from last winter’s heavy losses will be costly. “Economically, it’s very difficult for the industry,” he said. “That means more money spent on bees from another beekeeper or packages of bees imported from another country. The more colonies you lose, the more money you will spend to make up for your losses.”
Canada imports bees from Australia and New Zealand. Guzman said beekeepers will do what they can to have healthy colonies through the winter and try to prevent another tough cold season that would be “another blow to the industry.”
“The industry is working hard to try to find solutions to the problem.”
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