At the end of each winter, beekeepers across Canada follow a common practice: they open their hives to see how many bees survived. Before 2007 Canadian beekeepers, on average, found that 15 percent of hives failed to make it through the winter.
But over the last five years, beekeepers are coping with a new normal, as bee colony mortality in Canada averaged 33 to 35 percent per year.
The amplified number of deaths is similar to statistics from the U.S., where entomologists are beginning to suspect that pesticides threaten bee colonies across America.
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Yet, Rob Currie, a University of Manitoba entomologist, doubts that pesticides can be blamed for bee deaths in Canada.
“Some of the evidence I’ve seen (suggests) it’s a factor, but it’s not one of the major factors. If you’re really trying to eliminate the problem of colonies dying, three things should receive the highest priority… varroa mites, nosema and viruses.”
Currie has studied several methods to control varroa mites, including selecting bees that groom and remove the parasites.
Currie is one of 44 Canadian scientists who joined forces in 2009 to form CANPOLIN, a research network trying to determine the causes of pollinator decline.
The network is taking a holistic approach to the problem, with scientists studying habitat loss, the impact of climate change, the economics of pollination and pollinator health.
A few scientists at the University of Guelph in Ontario have studied a class of insecticides, called neonicotinoids, to determine if the chemistry is hazardous to bee health, Currie said.
But based on his interpretation of the results, the Guelph study didn’t prove that insecticides are a significant threat.
“Application of some of the neonics on canola has shown that there doesn’t appear to be any huge impacts on bees.”
Currie’s perspective on the role of insecticides is similar to the position held by Bayer Cropscience, which manufacturers imidacloprid and other neonicotinoids.
On its website, the global agri-chemical company refers to a five-year experiment in Europe known as the German Bee Monitoring Program.
After studying winter losses from 2004 to 2008 at 120 apiaries, scientists involved in the monitoring program concluded in a 2010 paper, published inApidologie,that neonicotinoids weren’t killing bees.
Rather, varroa mites and viruses spread by mites were primarily responsible for bee deaths.
While the diversity of opinion on the role of pesticides on bee health can be confusing for lay people, it doesn’t mean that one group of scientists are corrupt and another group are heroically seeking the truth, said James Frazier, an entomology professor at Penn State University.
The reality is that studying a colony of bees is much more complicated than studying an individual bee.
“The colony is such a dynamic super-organism. A colony of 60,000 social insects has capabilities and functionalities… that aren’t there for individual insects,” said Frazier. “The action of a pesticide at a sub-lethal level, trying to demonstrate that it’s having negative consequences for the colony, is where we’ve failed to have reproducible experimental methods.”
While Frazier has his doubts about the design and results of the German Bee Monitoring Program, he also questions the approach of scientists who are focusing on neonicotinoids as the principal cause of colony collapse.
“As our understanding of an unknown phenomenon emerges, once someone finds a smoking gun, there is a bandwagon effect,” said Frazier, who with his Penn State colleagues, is looking at the combined impact of insecticides, herbicides and fungicides on bees.
“But in fact it’s an incomplete picture. It’s a product of what people have chosen to (study)… rather than stepping back and saying, in a holistic view, what are all the things that could be contributing.”
Bee losses 101
When statistics are released noting that a beekeeper lost 30 to 50 percent of his bees over the winter, it doesn’t mean that 30 to 50 percent of the bees died, explained Bill Lockhart, an apiarist near Baldur, Man.
“When people talk about losing 30 percent of their bees…they’re talking about losing 30 percent of their hives,” Lockhart said, meaning a beekeeper entering the winter with 1,000 hives would exit with 700 live hives.
In reality, a significant number of bees in a hive die each winter, but the crucial factor is how many bees in a hive die.
“When you put a hive into winter it might have 10 pounds of bees in it. A good hive will come out of the winter with five lb. So you’ve lost 50 percent of your bees, but that’s normal. What isn’t normal is to lose all our your bees in some hives. That’s a dead hive.” When only a fraction of bees in a hive survive, the hive doesn’t have the critical mass to survive as a colony. To replace those bees, apiarists have to split a healthy colony into two hives to repopulate and replace the hive lost to disease, mites or other reasons.
Neonics 101:
Neonicotinoids (Neonics) are modelled after the natural insecticide, nicotine. The chemistry acts on the central nervous system of insects causing paralysis and death.
Neonics are effective against sucking insects, such as aphids, and chewing insects like beetles. Neonics are classified as a systemic pesticide, which is absorbed and moves to untreated tissue within the plant, including leaves, flowers and pollen.
Neonics are applied as seed treatments, foliar insecticides and soil insecticides on a range of crops, including canola, soybeans, corn, cereals, potatoes, vegetables, apples, rice and turf.
Imidacloprid, manufactured by Bayer, is the most widely used neonic and may be the most commonly used insecticide on earth.
Source: University of Florida Extension
DID YOU KNOW?
A pollen nation
• The value of bees pollinating fruits vegetables and legumes is 10 times the value of honey produced (over $1 billion in Canada).
• Worldwide, the pollination service provided by insect pollinators -mainly bees -was valued to be about $215 billion in 2005 for the world’s main food crops. This figure amounted to 9.5 percent of the total value of the world agricultural food production.
• It takes one colony of honey bees (around 30,000 bees) to pollinate an acre of fruit trees. Pollination success increases if there are more honey bees present at the time of peak flowering.
Pass the honey
• Canadian honey bees produced 74.3 million pounds of honey in 2010, up four million pounds from 2009. In 2009, the total value of honey produced amounted to $126.3 million, up 20 percent from 2008.
• A single bee colony typically produces more than 45 kg of honey. Some beekeepers in Alberta and Saskatchewan regularly harvest over 136 kg of honey per colony.
• A worker bee gathers enough nectar to produce 0.8 gram of honey during its life span. It takes 556 worker bees to gather a pound of honey. Bees will fly the equivalent of more than once around the world to gather a pound of honey.
Hive facts
• A colony of honey bees in early spring has 10,000-15,000 bees. By summer, the hive will have 50-60,000 bees.
• A normal colony of honey bees contains one queen, who may lay 2,000 eggs per day during her busy season. There may be 60,000 or more worker bees (undeveloped females ) and several hundred drones (male bees).
Busy bees
• A honey bee flies up to 24 km/h and its wings beat 200 times per second or 12,000 beats per minute.
• Nectar gathered by bees contains about 70 percent water. Honey is about 17 percent water.
Source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Honey Council, Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres, The Story of Honey by LK Dennis, Canadian Honey Council Teachers Kit
MANITOBA
SOUTHWEST
Pea quality good
Producers have begun seeding winter wheat and fall rye on unseeded acres.
Harvest of spring cereals has begun and desiccation of cereals is well underway. Pea harvest continues and yields are below average, but quality is good.
Producers are swathing canola and crop is rated below average. Hay harvest is progressing as some producers have finished second cut.
Yields are average and quality is good.
CENTRAL
Low protein in wheat
Cereal harvest is in full swing. Wheat is yielding 45 to 60 bushels per acre, barley 50 to 80 bu. per acre and oats 75 to 100 bu. per acre. Quality is average. Protein content is low in wheat.
Canola is being swathed, but it could use a rain to help cure the crop. Harvest is underway on early seeded fields and yields range from 10 to 55 bu. per acre.
Winter wheat seeding has begun and acreage is expected to be higher than previous years, due to unseeded acres left from this spring.
NORTHWEST
Quality winter wheat
Producers are desiccating spring wheat and crop potential looks good. Flax, hemp and soybeans are developing well, thanks to good growing conditions.
Winter wheat harvest is complete. Yields were average. Quality was above average.
Native hay harvest continues with average to above average yields.
Recent rains have improved pastures.
EASTERN
Canola yields low
Harvest is ongoing and spring wheat yields are above average at 40 to 55 bu. per acre. Fusarium levels are low. Oat yields range from 70 to 100 bu. per acre.
Most canola fields have been swathed and a few combined.
Yields are low, from 17 to 25 bu. per acre.
Soil moisture is rated low. Yields of long season crops like soybeans, corn and sunflowers will be limited by lack of moisture.
INTERLAKE
Poor hay yields
Combines are rolling, with spring wheat yields reported at 30 to 40 bu. per acre. Canola yields are less than expected, in the range of 10 to 30 bu. per acre. Later seeded canola may produce higher yields.
Second cut of hay is complete. Yields are poor from lack of moisture.
SASKATCHEWAN
SOUTH
Some hail damage
Thunderstorms dropped up to 28 millimetres of precipitation in areas. However, most of the western region saw little rain. Dry conditions allowed farmers to continue with harvest. Around 20 percent of the crop is swathed or ready for straight combining.
Producers anticipate a longer harvest this year because many crops took more time to seed due to excess moisture.
Some canola swaths were blown by wind. Diamondback moths and bertha armyworms have also caused crop damage in the area. The area around Windthorst also saw hail damage.
Most cattle operations are reporting adequate water for their animals. About 10 percent of pasture land is in excellent condition, with the majority rated in good condition.
CENTRAL
Armyworm damage
Most of the region saw rain, with as much as 32 millimetres in some areas.
Up to eight percent of the crop has been combined, with about 20 percent swathed or ready to straight cut. Topsoil moisture on cropland is rated as adequate. For hay and pasture land, approximately 20 percent is rated as short of topsoil moisture.
Cattle producers report adequate water supplies, and the majority of pastures are rated in good condition.
Bertha armyworms have damaged canola crops and diamondback moth larvae have caused damage. High winds have also caused damage in some fields. Hail damage up to 100 percent was reported near Biggar.
NORTH
Some lodging reported
Some areas reported 39 mm of rain, with most areas receiving some rain.
Harvest is underway, with about two percent of crops combined. About 10 percent swathed or ready to straight cut.
More than 90 percent of cropland reports adequate topsoil moisture with about three percent reporting a surplus. Hay and pasture land also has adequate topsoil moisture.
Livestock producers are reporting water for their herds, and the majority of pasture is in good condition.
Wind has lodged a few crops and moved canola swaths. Star City and Bruno saw some hail damage, in addition to Meota and Turtleford. Bertha armyworms and diamondback moth larvae have damaged canola crops.
ALBERTA
SOUTH
Spraying for lygus bugs
Winter wheat harvest is mostly complete. Swathing of peas and barley is underway, as well as silage operations. Average to above average yields of cereals and pulse crops are expected, with excellent crop quality. Sweet corn is being harvested, as well as some potatoes in the Taber area. Some canola is now in swath, but some spraying for lygus bugs has been reported.
Hot, dry weather with minimal rainfall has many farmers irrigating. Virtually all first-cut dryland and irrigated haying operations are complete, with above average yields and good to excellent quality. Haying of second-cut irrigated hay is now underway. Pasture growth is reported to be good to excellent.
CENTRAL
Some hail damage
Canola, wheat and barley crops are about seven to 10 days away from swathing, but condition is generally rated as good to excellent. Hot weather has spurred development and above average yields are expected if frost stays away.
Most areas have received recent rainfall ranging from five to 50 millimetres. Spotty hailstorms have damaged some crops. Moisture reserves are mostly good to excellent. Haying is more than 80 percent complete, but rain showers have lowered quality. No major second cut regrowth is expected due to recent dry conditions. Pasture is rated as good to excellent.
NORTHEAST
Weather delays haying
From 10 to 60 millimetres of rainfall have been reported in the last two weeks and hailstorms have caused crop damage. Farmers are dealing with crops in two stages: one from early spring seeding and another flush from rain 40 days later.
In the north, crops are maturing slowly because of high moisture and lack of heat. Overall, crops are behind normal development.
About 70 percent of spring cereals and 68 percent of canola crops are in good to excellent condition. Yield estimates are mostly above average.
Some bertha armyworm activity was reported, but not within economic thresholds for spraying. Wet weather continues to extend haying and only half is complete. Quality ranges from poor to good.
NORTHWEST
Rain delays progress
A pocket of 60 to 70 mm of rain was reported, but most areas got considerably less. Small hailstorms have caused damage. Cool and wet conditions continue to slow crop growth.
Spring wheat is reported at eight percent poor, 29 percent fair, 55 percent good, and eight percent excellent, while canola is 18 percent poor, 43 percent fair, 36 percent good and three percent excellent.
Estimated yields are generally close to long-term averages for the major crops. Rainfall continues to delay first-cut haying, with about 55 percent complete. Quality is poor to good.
PEACE
Good hay crop
Much needed hot and sunny weather boosted crops, but some areas are still reporting excessive moisture. Some harvesting has been reported around High Level, which has received less rain. Overall, spring wheat is rated as 41 percent good and 23 percent excellent, while canola is 25 percent fair, 37 percent good and 19 percent excellent. Average yields are expected.
Grasshoppers and lygus bugs are moderate to severe in the northern and western areas. First -cut haying operations are 65 percent complete. Most is reported to be good to excellent quality. Tame hay and pasture growth is rated good to excellent.
