Alberta’s honey industry says bee health is the number-one issue affecting the sector.
Tag Archives bee health
Beekeepers play a crucial role in the province, but they also face many challenges
Climate change, disease and seasonal labour are some of the challenges that Alberta beekeepers face
Sunflower pollen linked to bumble bee health
Researchers have determined that the tiny spines on sunflower pollen grains significantly reduce parasite infection
Sunflowers, along with more than 180,000 different plant species and more than 1,200 crops, rely on insect pollinators that contribute more than $200 billion in annual ecosystem services globally. At the dinner table, one-third of our food is thanks to the role of pollinating insects.Bee population grows in U.S.
Honeybee populations are rising in the United States, turning around a recent trend of declines attributed to a set of factors know as colony collapse disorder. It’s estimated that 84,430 hives were lost to the disorder in the first quarter this year, which is down 27 percent from a year earlier. Year-over-year losses also fell […] Read more
New bee study points finger at neonicotinoid
WINNIPEG, Aug. 15 – A commonly used neonicotinoid pesticide is being blamed in a new report for increasing bumblebee’s risk of extinction. Ontario researcher Nigel Raine, at the University of Guelph, said thiamethoxam can reduce the chances of bumblebee queens starting new colonies by about 25 per cent. The results of the study were published […] Read more
Winter bee losses decline, summer losses still mystery
Canadian beekeepers lost 16.8 percent of their colonies in the winter of 2015-16, which is one of the lowest rates of winter loss in recent history. Meanwhile, American beekeepers lost 44 percent of their hives, based on a survey of U.S. apiarists. The numbers suggest Canada’s beekeeping industry is in good shape while the Americans […] Read more
Pesticides still threaten pollinators: Ont. beekeepers
The Ontario Beekeepers’ Association wants an independent expert panel to assess the long-term effects of exposure
Ontario beekeepers say the high rate of bee deaths is continuing and the federal government must take action on certain pesticides to try and reverse the trend. Andre Flys, vice-president of the Ontario Beekeepers’ Association, told the standing agriculture committee in Ottawa last week during its study of bee health that the threat from neonicotinoid […] Read more
