Bees are attuned to weather conditions, and having smoke in the ambient air around the hive can make the bees go into emergency mode.
Tag Archives honeybees
Wildfire smoke threatens to turn down honey tap for beekeepers
Honeybees hunker down when there’s too much smoke in the air, slicing at a beekeeper’s honey flow
Prairie beekeepers’ honey flow slowed last year
Weather and production challenges reduced how much product was produced; beekeepers wary about coming winter
Glacier FarmMedia – Weather woes and disease caused honey production on the Prairies to drop significantly in 2024, especially in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Statistics Canada recently reported that Canadian honey production dropped by more than 18 per cent nationwide compared to 2023, though the number of beekeepers and colonies increased. Beekeepers across the nation drew […] Read more
Skies both gloomy and sunny for honey prices
Beekeepers face challenges in important markets, but demand for true honey amidst rampant fraud could boost prices
WINNIPEG — The level of fake honey on store shelves has reached a boiling point. It’s so bad that the International Federation of Beekeepers’ Associations will not hand out awards for the best honey at its 2025 meeting in Denmark. The associations cannot ensure that all honey in the competition is genuine, so judging and […] Read more
Sector prepares U.S. bulk bee import response
The topic heats up from industry groups to courtrooms as Canada debates whether it should allow U.S. packaged bees
Glacier FarmMedia – The question of whether Canada should allow bulk honeybee imports from the U.S. is back in the limelight. Beekeeping groups in Canada are working on their submissions after the Canadian Food Inspection Agency examined risks posed by U.S. boxed bee trade. The CFIA has given industry 90 days to respond. Meanwhile, in the courtroom, beekeepers were not successful in […] Read more
Sask. more successful overwintering honeybees
Focus on domestic stock replacement and more time to pay closer attention to hive health seen as reasons for success
WINNIPEG — Honeybee colony losses in Canada are estimated at 36 per cent in 2024. That’s marginally worse than 2023, when beekeepers lost 32 per cent of their colonies through the winter, says the Canadian Association of Professional Apiculturists (CAPA). Every July, CAPA publishes data on the number of hives that fail to survive the […] Read more
Case IH windrowers get draper head option
Small grains header designed to be compatible with WD5 Series is expected to be attractive pairing for prairie growers
In mid-July, Case IH announced HoneyBee WSC draper headers will be compatible with the brand’s recently redesigned WD5 line of windrowers. The company announced that pairing at the Ag in Motion farm show near Langham, Sask. Choosing to announce that collaboration at a western Canadian farm show made sense because HoneyBee products are manufactured in […] Read more
Honeybee producers offered help in Manitoba
The support provided by the federal and provincial governments comes after the sector suffered 57 percent winterkill
Last winter and spring were extremely difficult for Manitoba beekeepers. A combination of varroa mites, a cold winter and a delayed spring with three Colorado Low storms caused severe losses of honeybee colonies in the province. Data from the Canadian Association of Professional Apiculturists (CAPA) found that 57 percent of Manitoba bee colonies failed to […] Read more
Help extended for honeybees in Manitoba
Data from the Canadian Association of Professional Apiculturists (CAPA) found that 57 percent of Manitoba bee colonies failed to survive the winter of 2022. That's two or three times higher than the acceptable losses for a beekeeper.
Honeybees in cities not great idea
The researchers studied wild bee populations in Montreal and found a direct link between a high concentration of honeybee hives and a low population of wild bees.
Ottawa urged to improve how bee industry is regulated
MPs told CFIA should have experts on staff rather than relying on the Canadian Association of Professional Apiculturists
Beekeepers need a regulatory agency willing to work collaboratively with the industry and “rely on first-hand knowledge rather than hearsay, acknowledge industry and their expertise and respond in a timely manner.”
