WINNIPEG – Despite a record acreage of blooming crops this year, the weather has all but dashed beekeepers’ hopes for a bumper crop of honey.
Art Bergman, chair of the Manitoba Beekeepers Association, said the province’s 200 commercial beekeepers were beaming last spring when the canola acreage reports were first released.
Another positive sign was a wide spread over seeding dates, which meant a longer period of flowering for the bees.
But the critical first two weeks of July were cool, moist and generally not conducive to creating busy bees, he said.
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Don Dixon, an apiarist with Manitoba Agriculture, said bees like hot, dry weather. With daytime highs just reaching the low 20s, the insects’ workday is shortened. “It cuts off the evening and the morning.”
Reduced honey
Dixon said a turnaround in the weather could still result in a good crop, but the lost time will mean reduced honey production. Instead of 90 kilograms per hive, he’s estimating producers are more likely to harvest around 68 kg.
Bergman is still optimistic. “If we get two weeks of good weather now, we’re looking at a solid average (around 72 kg).
“We’ll have a grin hooked over each ear.”
