Hiring Seasonal Apiary Workers

Make Sure Your Advertising Covers LMIA Requirements

Beekeepers always make every effort to recruit skilled local apiary workers first. However, when suitable local skilled workers cannot be found to meet seasonal labour needs, a beekeeper may need to apply for an LMIA to hire temporary foreign workers.

When advertising for seasonal apiary workers, beekeepers should make sure their recruitment meets the applicable LMIA advertising requirements from the beginning. By advertising correctly at the outset, you can avoid having to restart the recruitment process or delay your LMIA application.

THE KEY QUESTION IS:

Which LMIA stream would apply if you need to hire a temporary foreign worker?

• Advertising requirements differ depending on whether the position is being filled through SAWP / the Agricultural Stream or the regular Low-Wage Stream.
• BEST PRACTICE: Plan your seasonal apiary advertising so that, if a suitable local worker cannot be found, you already have the recruitment evidence needed to support the appropriate LMIA application.

Alberta Bee News Magazine and ABC online employment classifieds can continue to be used as an industry-specific recruitment method.

Advertising Requirements – A Quick Comparison

For all updates to your employment classified ads, please contact Tom Northcott at tom.northcott@albertabeekeepers.ca

SAWP / AGRICULTURAL STREAM

If your workers are being hired through the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP) or your apiary positions qualify under the Agricultural Stream, the new regular Low-Wage Stream advertising requirements do NOT apply.

REGULAR TFW LOW-WAGE STREAM

The rules are very different if you submit the LMIA through the regular Low-Wage Stream rather than SAWP/Agricultural Stream. This is when the new advertising requirements apply.

Low-Wage advertising now requires:

1. Job bank
2. Youth recruitment. You must demonstrate an effort specifically intended to reach youth aged 15-30. Examples include:
   • youth employment programs
   • schools/colleges
   • youth job boards
   • Job Bank youth resources
   • other platforms that can demonstrate a youth audience
3. Two additional recruitment methods. Each must target a different underrepresented group, such as:
   • Indigenous peoples
   • newcomers to Canada
   • persons with disabilities
   • vulnerable youth
   • asylum claimants with valid work permits
4. Advertising period
   • 8 CONSECUTIVE WEEKS
   • within the 3 months before submitting the LMIA.

At least one required recruitment activity must remain active until Service Canada issues the LMIA decision.

2026 ALBERTA APIARY WAGES

For the Agricultural Stream, ESDC publishes specific agricultural wage rates by commodity. Employers must review and adjust TFW wages when required so they continue to meet or exceed the applicable ESDC agricultural wage table or applicable minimum wage, whichever is higher. Confirm the applicable wage immediately before advertising and again before submitting the LMIA.

Effective June 1, 2026

Reference: https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/services/foreign-workers/agricultural/agricultural-wages.html#h2.1

REGULAR TFW LOW-WAGE STREAM: How to potentially address the YOUTH requirement

Employers must demonstrate recruitment specifically targeting youth aged 15–30. Possible methods:

• • youth employment programs/services
  • high school, college or post-secondary career centres
  • youth-focused employment websites/resources
  • appropriate targeted online/social media recruitment

Consider including:

• • “Youth aged 15–30 are encouraged to apply.”
  • Important: Keep evidence showing how the recruitment actually targeted/reached youth. Wording in the advertisement alone may not demonstrate targeted recruitment.

How to address UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS

Use two additional recruitment methods, each targeting a different eligible underrepresented group, such as:

• • Indigenous peoples
  • newcomers to Canada
  • persons with disabilities
  • vulnerable youth

Practical example:

• • Job Bank → required advertisement
  • Youth employment service → youth recruitment
  • Newcomer employment organization → newcomer recruitment
  • Indigenous employment service → Indigenous recruitment
  • Keep emails, screenshots, posting confirmations and other evidence demonstrating that the vacancy was actually provided to the targeted organization/audience.

References and useful links

• ESDC – Agricultural Stream: Recruitment and advertising
• ESDC – Agricultural Stream wage rates by commodity
• ESDC – Low-Wage Stream requirements
• Alberta – Strengthening immigration oversight / Immigration Oversight Act

Mite Bombs

By Nicole McCormick, TTP Lead Technician

Adapted from presentation by Lynae Ovinge

The parasitic mite Varroa destructor poses a major bee health challenge for beekeepers in Alberta and throughout Canada. Varroa mites parasitize honey bees by feeding on both larvae and adult bees, weakening their immune systems. In severe cases, this can lead to complete colony collapse. Beekeepers must continuously manage Varroa levels, even when infestations are not high, to prevent outbreaks. Additionally, they must contend with several related challenges, such as the increased prevalence of Varroa-associated viruses, the development of resistance to commonly used miticides, and the emergence of “mite bombs,” which facilitate the spread of Varroa. As a result, beekeepers must adapt their management practices to mitigate these escalating issues.

This article will focus on mite bomb colonies, defined as colonies with Varroa levels significantly exceeding economic thresholds. The eventual collapse of these colonies can result in a surge of Varroa populations in surrounding colonies, driven primarily by behaviors such as drifting and robbing¹. Over the years, the increasing pressure from rising viral loads and decreasing efficacy of miticide treatments have emphasize the critical need for the implementation of comprehensive Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies. These strategies are crucial to mitigate the spread and incidence of Varroa mites within beekeeping operations. By understanding the concept of a mite bomb, recognizing its warning signs, and effectively managing highly infested colonies, beekeepers can reduce the spread of Varroa mites, and keep infestation levels more manageable.

What is a Mite Bomb?

As mentioned earlier, a mite bomb refers to a colony with high levels of Varroa, exceeding economic thresholds. Prolonged high levels of Varroa in colonies can lead to the formation of a mite bomb, which will typically begin to collapse and are unlikely to survive the winter. However, the colony collapse period can be more harmful than the loss of the colony itself, as this is when the high population of mites “explodes” and spreads to neighboring colonies. The current economic threshold for Varroa infestation is 1% (1 mite per 100 bees) when brood is present, and 3% (3 mites per 100 bees), during broodless periods². Colonies with mite levels ≥5% in the spring and ≥10% in the summer and fall have the potential to become mite bombs. These levels, like economic thresholds, are based on the presence of brood due to factors such as season, nectar availability, and overall colony strength. Peck and Seeley (2019) identified worker and drone drifting, as well as robbing, as some of the main mechanisms that spread mites from mite bomb colonies, leading to the “bomb explosion” effect.

Honey bee drifting is common in commercial beekeeping, where apiaries often contain multiple colonies situated in close proximity¹. This arrangement can increase the rate of drift, facilitating the transmission of Varroa mites to neighboring colonies. Similarly, robbing behavior enables inter-colony infestation: Varroa-infested robbers can infiltrate healthy colonies, while healthy robbers may enter Varroa-infected colonies, both acting as pathway for mite transfer. While both drifting and robbing contribute to the spread of mites from mite bombs, Peck and Seeley (2019) found that the exponential increase of Varroa levels in neighboring colonies is primarily driven by robbing behavior. During periods of dearth or in the fall season, robbing behavior increases, with robbing bees targeting weaker colonies that lack the strength to defend themselves. These weakened colonies are often diseased and likely to act as mite bombs for Varroa mite infestations. Therefore, to prevent the spread of mites during periods of increased robbing behavior, it is crucial to ensure that mite bomb colonies are not accessible to healthy foraging bees and colonies.

The effects of a mite bomb are most evident in post-treatment apiaries, where most colonies exhibit low Varroa levels, except for one or two with uncontrolled mite populations (Figure 1). Under the right conditions, this mite bomb can proliferate, jeopardizing the entire apiary by raising Varroa levels. This situation is particularly discouraging for beekeepers, as most colonies typically respond well to treatment and effective management practices. However, the presence of a single mite bomb can undermine these efforts.

Figure 1. Mite bomb colony at 9.6% infestation compared to below 1% colonies. Data from select apiary Colony Health Monitoring Fall 2023.

Best Practices to Identify a Mite Bomb

The only effective method for identifying and managing mite bombs is to implement a robust monitoring program. While it may not be feasible to monitor and sample every colony, it is essential for beekeepers to sample a representative portion of colonies within each apiary³. Regular mite shakes are recommended, as they provide a quick and easy assessment of Varroa levels. By implementing and consistently executing a Varroa mite IPM plan, beekeepers can more readily identify mite bombs and take prompt action to mitigate the risk of infecting neighboring colonies. The Alberta Beekeepers Commission’s Tech Transfer Program (TTP), in collaboration with the Bee Health Assurance Team (BHAT), has developed a general Varroa IPM plan that serves as a template for beekeepers to create their own. This resource is valuable for developing an effective monitoring program to identify mite bombs before they become problematic. Find it online by scanning the QR code.

Mite bombs are often characterized by pronounced symptoms and signs, as high Varroa levels are associated with a range of diseases and visual indicators. Common symptoms include parasitic mite syndrome (PMS), deformed wing virus (DWV), while visual signs include the presence of mites on bees (Figure 2). Recognizing these symptoms and signs is a valuable tool for detecting problematic colonies. Our Colony Health Monitoring data from 2022-2023 shows that 94% of apiaries containing mite bombs exhibited 1-3 common symptoms/signs associated with high Varroa mite infestation. Identifying these issues and flagging affected yards during routine management practices can provide a quick and effective approach to pinpointing problematic mite bombs.

Figure 2. Symptoms and signs of mite bombs, from left to right: Parasitic Mite Syndrome, Deformed Wing Virus, and Varroa Mites on Drone.

Mite Bomb Management

Mite bomb management is influenced by several factors, including colony strength, mite population levels, seasonal conditions, timing of treatment, and the presence of other diseases. Analyzing these factors collectively allows beekeepers to make informed decisions about whether to apply a flash treatment at the colony’s original location, relocate the colony to a hospital yard, or euthanize it.

Flash Treatment – Colonies with high mite levels often have strong bee populations, as a greater number of bees can typically support a larger mite population without immediately collapsing⁴. However, it is recommended to apply flash treatments when infestation levels exceed 10%, as they are particularly effective in controlling mite bombs. Since the strength of the colony can temporarily reduce the likelihood of robbing and drift, thereby mitigating the risk of a mite bomb explosion, it’s advisable to apply the flash treatment to strong mite bomb colonies at their original location, rather than relocating it. This is particularly recommended during the spring and summer, when robbing is less likely to occur. Common flash treatments include formic acid (liquid 65% and formic pro) and oxalic acid (drip and sublimation). By combining a flash treatment with the inherent resilience of a strong colony, along with consistent monitoring, beekeepers can effectively reduce mite levels and promote the recovery of the colony to a healthier state.

Hospital Yards – Utilizing hospital yards is also an effective strategy for managing mite bombs. Colonies that appear to be dwindling due to high Varroa levels and are not improving with treatment should be relocated from their original apiary to prevent the infestation of surrounding healthy colonies. Additionally, the presence of other diseases alongside high Varroa loads can further justify moving a colony to a hospital yard. To reduce the risk of drift from bees left behind, it is crucial to conduct relocations at night or early in the morning when most bees are inside the colony. Establishing hospital yards helps mitigate the risk of infecting healthy colonies and enhances the management of diseased colonies.

Euthanasia – Deciding when to euthanize a colony is a balancing act. It’s crucial to act before transmission of Varroa mites from the mite bomb to surrounding colonies is imminent. Key factors to consider are the strength of the colony and the season. Weak colonies with high Varroa loads should be euthanized immediately, as they are more vulnerable to robbing, which is a major pathway for Varroa dispersal to healthy colonies. This is especially important in the fall when robbing is more likely, and mite levels can spike. In the spring, addressing mite bombs is equally critical. If mites spread from mite bomb colonies early in the season, they can increase Varroa levels in the apiary just as summer approaches—a time when mite populations usually rise. Therefore, any colony that is weak and has high mite levels should be eliminated.

When euthanizing a colony, it’s essential to contain the mites. Simply shaking out the colony isn’t recommended, as it can allow infested bees to drift to other hives. The best method is to shake the entire colony into a bucket of soapy water, ensuring that all bees and mites are disposed of safely.

With Varroa mites remaining one of the most significant disease threats in Alberta, it is crucial to implement effective IPM practices to safeguard the beekeeping industry. Recognizing the signs and symptoms of mite bombs can help beekeepers maintain low Varroa levels, thereby ensuring the production and sustainability of healthy honey bee populations. Training apiary workers to identify mite bombs can enhance operational monitoring, as they are often tending to colonies and can readily perform mite shakes on-site.

Additionally, utilizing different management practices such as flash treatments and hospital yards can improve the overall health of an operations colonies while enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of treatment and monitoring efforts. Maintaining low mite levels will enable the bees to thrive, ensuring optimal honey production and effective pollination services.

References

¹Peck, D. T., & Seeley, T. D. (2019). Mite bombs or robber lures? The roles of drifting and robbing in Varroa destructor transmission from collapsing honey bee colonies to their neighbors. PloS one, 14(6), e0218392. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0218392

²Currie, R. (2008). Economic Threshold for Varroa on the Canadian Prairies. University of Manitoba, Dept. of Entomology, Winnipeg Manitoba. https://capabees.com/shared/2013/02/varroathreshold.pdf

³Lee, K. V., Moon, R. D., Burkness, E. C., Hutchison, W. D., & Spivak, M. (2010). Practical sampling plans for Varroa destructor (Acari: Varroidae) in Apis mellifera (Hymenoptera: Apidae) colonies and apiaries. Journal of Economic Entomology, 103(4), 1039-1050. https://doi.org/10.1603/EC10037

⁴ Borba, R. S. et al. Phenomic analysis of the honey bee pathogen-web and its dynamics on colony productivity, health and social immunity behaviors. PLoS one 17, e0263273 (2022).

  By Maren Vickers, TTP Summer Technician

Honey bee swarms are a nuisance that every beekeeper is familiar with, as they are a natural part of the hive’s reproduction behaviour. While generally indicating a very strong colony, the consequences afterwards are unsavory: half your bees gone, a wild hive in an unknown location, a virgin queen that needs to be mated (slowing down colony production), and a biosecurity risk to evaluate. However, as inconvenient as swarms are, they are also a fascinating display of physical, visual, and hormonal communication between bees. Finding a new home is quite the event!  

 Swarming Criteria  

Before the colony decides to swarm, there are three major criteria a colony must fulfill to signal its necessity (Figure 1). The first and most obvious is overcrowding: too many bees are in one colony, and there is simply not enough space to accommodate them all. With the queen continually laying, the population will continue to grow, further escalating the congestion. This point is typically reached when 90% of the comb is occupied by brood, honey, and pollen (Grozinger et al. 2013).   

The second factor is a reduction in Queen Mandibular pheromone (QMP); usually QMP stops queen cell production within a hive even if it’s congested (Richards et al. 2015). However, a high volume of bees

Figure 1: The three criteria that signal a hive may swarm.

within the colony can dilute the QMP significantly enough to overcome its effect. A queen may also have lower levels of QMP due to old age. In either case, this hormonal reduction stimulates the bees to begin producing queen cells to replace the queen when she swarms.  

The third factor is the ratio of bees to brood. Once there is a surplus of bees to care for the quantity of brood, the workforce has reached a point where the loss of bees to a swarm would not be harmful to the original colony. Considering swarms are a natural way to grow bee populations in an area, it would be counterproductive to swarm if it guaranteed the parent colony’s demise. Ensuring there is a sufficient workforce to upkeep the colony after swarming is critical.   

These three colony-based criteria all interact and amplify each other to initiate the preparation of a swarm by the bees (Figure 1). However, the precise trigger for a swarm is still unknown (Grozinger et al. 2013). For example, a highly congested colony by itself does not guarantee a swarm will occur. Neither does the production of queen cells due to low QMP. Rather, the accumulation of factors summates to warrant a swarm. al environment of the colony and the bees themselves in the machinations of the swarm.

Swarming Preparation 

In order to start the swarming process, bees must partake in certain preparations. These occur at the individual, colony, and caste level, with a host of stimuli directing movements (Table 1.1).

At the colony level, scout bees (older bees that assume guiding responsibilities) begin peremptory waggle dances, searching for a new nest location. Closer to bivouac formation, these scouts initiate several physical and auditory stimuli to increase the worker bees’ metabolic rates to the necessary flight temperature. Since bees require their thoracic flight muscles to reach a minimum of 33°C for rapid flight, a collective effort of piping, buzz running, and shaking signals allows assimilation to this state for effective take-off (Seeley et al. 2001) (Table 1.1). Remember, it is nearly 10,000 bees that must all be prepared at the same time.

Table 1. Description of each stage of swarming and its associated stimulus. There may be multiple actions per stimuli.

Piping is one of the earlier signals, beginning 6-10 days before bivouac formation, with increased intensity in the hour before swarm departure (Grozinger et al. 2013). This auditory stimulus is created when the queen or workers set their thorax on the ground and push their wings together while vibrating them for 0.2-2.0s at 100-250 Hz (Seeley & Tautz 2001). The subsequent high frequency sound signals for increased activity and is initiated by the nest-seeking scouts.

Buzz running is exactly as it is named: bees (activators) run through the hive in a zig-zag pattern while periodically buzzing, and in doing so, stimulating other bees (unactivated) into activity (activated). This phenomenon is displayed before bivouac formation, as well as in the bivouac before the swarming flight. As seen in Figure 2, contact between unactivated bees and buzz running individuals (activators) quickly transmits the signal to warm-up and get ready for flight. Generally, this stimulation begins shortly before departure.

Figure 2: The process of buzzing runs breaking up a clump of inactive bees to prepare for sustained flight.

Different from buzz running, but with the same outcome, is the shaking signal (or vibration signal) (Grozinger et al. 2013). Here, scout bees will contact another bee and “shake them” by grabbing and moving them dorso-. Shaking may be used at any time within a hive but is increasingly utilized before bivouac formation and before the swarming flight.

At the individual level, bees intending to swarm will engorge themselves on food in the days leading up to take-off to have enough sustenance to endure the swarming process. This is done by storing nectar in their crop to use throughout the journey. O It is imperative they conserve heat and energy as the swarm flight is energetically taxing, so leaving the bivouac would not be practical. Instead, the bees will lower their metabolic activity and use the food stored in their crop (Seeley et al. 2003). Foraging for resources will occur only after landing at their final destination. Additionally, as it takes about a month for the new hive to produce adult bees, the more fat reserves the swarming bees have, the higher their chances of survival. As such, mainly young individuals are selected to swarm to overcome this gap between resource foraging and the emergence of new bees.

Now metabolically and physically ready for flight, the swarming bees are finally ready for take-off, and the trigger can be set off to begin their journey to a new nest!

Bivouac Activities 

Having finally taken-off from the hive, the bees form the bivouac. Should multiple clumps form in different areas, the landing place of the queen will attract the separated bees to form a single clump as the queen pheromone is released (Table 1.2). This bivouac stage can last anywhere from 1-4 days; that is, until the scout bees have located a new permanent nest site (Camazine et al. 1999). With a search radius of up to 150km², there is a lot of ground to cover! There are many factors that scouts must consider for a new home, as discussed by Camazine (1999). A few of these include “volume, exposure, entrance size, and height from the ground” (Camazine et al. 1999). Once a scout has appraised a spot to meet these parameters, she will return to the bivouac and perform recruitment dances (alternative waggle dances) for the other scouts, to convince them this location is favorable. Some scouts will travel directly to the location to evaluate the nest site after receiving the message, but most scouts are swayed based on enthusiasm and dancing length. The more enthusiastic a bee is during recruitment dancing, paired with a longer sequence, the better the nest quality. The message is further amplified once a sufficient number of bees are convinced of the site’s caliber in accordance with their nature; that is, the phenomenon wherein individuals of a social group are influenced into collective activity by the actions of a few: similar to a large-scale and complex ‘follow the leader’ effect. As such, it enough scouts convinced by one bee, recruitment dances will cease, and the swarm will begin preparations for flight once more – the trigger likely initiated by the scouts.

Similar to ‘Swarming Stage 1’, piping, buzz running, and shaking signal activity begins to warm body temperatures up to flight-ready. During bivouac suspension, bees huddle together and decrease their body temperature to around 15°C to conserve heat and energy, maintaining higher temperatures only around the queen near the center (Seeley et al. 2003). Therefore, warming-up is necessary for successful rapid flying. From there, they form their swarm in unison, all abuzz.

Figure 3: The process of scout bees streaking through the swarm to influence the direction of movement. Bees will deviate their course in the direction the ‘streaker’ is travelling

The Swarming Flight

Many animals display herding, swarming, or migratory behavior, and to do so successfully, employ their own creative methods. Bees rely on a herding-like system to move. Similar to dogs herding sheep, there are a low number of scout bees that are in charge of guiding the rest of the uninformed colony. However, instead of moving around the other bees to incite change in direction, certain bees called ‘streakers’ zoom through the swarm (faster than the other bees) in the direction the swarm needs to go (Table 1.3). The action of streaking pulls the other bees along the line the streaker bee is moving, therefore slightly changing course. With consistent streaking behavior, the uninformed bees are kept on track during flight towards their destination, and even guided around physical barriers (Janson et al. 2005) (Fig. 3). This all happens while the swarm is moving at up to 7km/h (Beekman et al. 2006).

Approximately 80 m before the nest site is reached, scout bees will cease streaking (Janson et al. 2005). With no direction, uninformed bees will lose velocity until they are at a standstill around 10 m from the nesting cavity. It takes a long time for the swarm to slow down! During this time, scout bees will enter the new nest and release attraction signals from their gland (a gland in their abdomen that produces attraction pheromones) (Table 1.4). The chemical signal tells the swarm “this is our new home” and accelerates acceptance of the colony to the location (Janson et al. 2005).

          With a new hive to build, the bees will be under significant pressure for the first month, after which stability and growth will recommence; comb will have been built, resources gathered, and new bees emerging to replace the old swarmed bees. A new beginning will be established by a variety of physical, auditory, visual, and chemical signals that developed a choreography of movement interlinking thousands of honey bees. This sophisticated communication continues to be a wonder of the animal kingdom, representing the intelligence of life in our everyday world.

References:

Grozinger, C. M., Richards, J., & Mattila, H. R. (2013). From molecules to societies: Mechanisms regulating swarming behavior in honey bees (apis spp..). Apidologie, 45(3), 327–346. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13592-013-0253-2

Richards, J., Carr-Markell, M., Hefetz, A., Grozinger, C. M., & Mattila, H. R. (2015). Queen-produced volatiles change dynamically during reproductive swarming and are associated with changes in honey bee (apis mellifera) worker behavior. Apidologie, 46(6), 679–690. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13592-015-0358-x

Seeley, T., & Tautz, J. (2001). Worker piping in honey bee swarms and its role in preparing for liftoff. Journal of Comparative Physiology A: Sensory, Neural, and Behavioral Physiology, 187(8), 667–676. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00359-001-0243-0 

Seeley, T. D., Kleinhenz, M., Bujok, B., & Tautz, J. (2003). Thorough warm-up before take-off in honey bee swarms. Naturwissenschaften, 90(6), 256–260. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-003-0425-4

Camazine, Scott & Visscher, P. & Finley, J. & Vetter, R.. (1999). House-Hunting by Honey Bee Swarms: Collective Decisions and Individual Behaviors. Insectes Sociaux – INSECTES SOC. 46. 348-360. 10.1007/s000400050156.

Janson, S., Middendorf, M., & Beekman, M. (2005). Honeybee swarms: How do scouts guide a swarm of uninformed bees? Animal Behaviour, 70(2), 349–358. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2004.10.018

Beekman, M., Fathke, R. L., & Seeley, T. D. (2006). How does an informed minority of Scouts guide a Honeybee Swarm as it flies to its new home? Animal Behaviour, 71(1), 161–171. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2005.04.009

Seeley, T. D., Morse, R. A., & Visscher, P. K. (1979). The natural history of the flight of honey bee swarms. Psyche: A Journal of Entomology, 86(2–3), 103–113. https://doi.org/10.1155/1979/80869

By: Seanna Wengryn, TTP Summer Student

Honey bees are one of the most economically important pollinators and contribute approximately 6.1 billion dollars annually to the Canadian economy in pollination services (1). Alongside this, Canadian honey bees produce upwards of 75 million pounds of honey each year, adding another 253 million dollars to this contribution (1). Unfortunately, like many other agricultural commodities, the beekeeping industry is declining in its number of producers (2). This is because there has been a major increase in colony mortality throughout Canada and the world, with upwards of 45% of honey bee losses annually, averaging around 27% in the past 15 years (1). These losses have forced many hobbyist and commercial beekeepers to leave the industry, while hindering business planning and expansion for commercial producers that have endured (2). One of the biggest reasons for the decline in managed honey bees is extensive and unpredictable colony death due to the increased presence of virulent pathogens, including viruses, bacteria, and fungi (3). Viruses are a particularly challenging pathogen in honey bees, as there are currently no commercialized treatment options for producers (4). Additionally, viruses are transmitted through the varroa mite vector; an increasingly prevalent ectoparasite that has caused a significant burden to beekeepers worldwide. This highlights the importance of developing strategies to mitigate these pathogens, which is crucial for the health and welfare of honey bees, the livelihood of producers, and the Canadian economy.

The Central Dogma of Molecular Biology. The central dogma illustrates the flow of genetic information from DNA to RNA to protein. DNA is transcribed into RNA, which is then translated into a protein. It also includes reverse transcription, where RNA is reverse transcribed back into DNA, and DNA replication, where DNA is duplicated before cell division.

Ideally, the development of a viable viral treatment may reduce the need for frequent interventions, as improper chemical use, inadequate diagnostics, or mismanagement of pesticides can exacerbate bee diseases rather than alleviate them (2). Alternatively, a more sustainable approach would be to prevent the spread of disease altogether using genetic technologies. Genetics, a branch of biology that studies the inheritance of traits in organisms, offers promising avenues in this regard (5).

Before we delve into genetic technologies, we will briefly touch on the principles of genetics and gene flow, and explore how these principles can be utilized in the development of viral treatments. A gene is the basic unit of inheritance, containing genetic material that determines specific characteristics. Genes are passed from parent to offspring during reproduction. A gene is made up of DNA, which can be found in almost every cell in the body. DNA functions as a code that specialized enzymes can read. This code is transcribed into a small useful segment, known as messenger RNA, or mRNA (like DNA, but has an easier code to read), which carries the genetic information. Subsequently, other enzymes translate mRNA into a protein (Figure 1.) (5). These proteins constitute the building blocks of all living beings on Earth, including bees! The genome is the sum of all the genetic material in a cell and has many similarities and differences from one individual to the next. Genetic variation is what contributes to these differences, which primarily occurs through inheriting different versions of genes, also known as alleles (5). As a result, gene expression varies from bee to bee and can be influenced through natural inheritance or artificial manipulation. Gene expression changes over time; for instance, a viral infection can lead to an increase in the expression of genes related to immunity or disease protection (5). Scientists have been able to manipulate these biological processes to study diseases, breed animals towards more efficient and sustainable targets, and develop animals that are resistant, resilient, or tolerant to pathogen challenges (6). Along with the health and welfare benefits associated with an animal’s ability to cope with disease challenges, genetic biotechnology can optimize production and performance levels, therefore reducing potential production losses (6).

. The Basic RNAi Pathway in Honeybees. RNAi pathway starts with an enzyme cleaving double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) into small interfering RNAs (siRNAs). These siRNAs are then incorporated into a cutting complex, which targets and degrades viral messenger RNA (mRNA), leading to decreased gene expression.

The use of genetic tools for viral treatments in honey bees may be an innovative way to either reduce the spread of disease or completely remove it altogether. There are various tools already being explored, such as CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing, estimated breeding values within quantitative genetics, or more accurate bioinformatic databases. However, a promising technology in the beekeeping world is RNA Interference, or RNAi. RNAi is a natural antiviral immune mechanism already found in bees, along with other invertebrates, plants, and mammals (7). Scientists have been able to create an artificial version of this technology that allows them to precisely target viral mRNA and cut it into pieces (Figure 2.). They make use of the body’s natural production of small interfering RNA, or siRNA, that is made to match the virus’ mRNA. The siRNA then forms a ‘cutting’ complex with host enzymes and guides the group to the viral mRNA of interest. Finally, the complex cuts up the genetic material, resulting in non-functional, degraded viral mRNA that can no longer encode for a protein (7). This is crucial, as the virus will no longer have a method to replicate, which will in turn protect the honey bee from infection.

The main concern is always the safety of the animals along with the humans consuming their food products. RNAi is a natural process already present in bees, with the genetic technology primarily making use of building blocks within the animal. In the lab, double-stranded RNA (dsRNA), which is the precursor to siRNA, can be produced and easily consumed orally by honey bees in the field, making it feasible to implement at the production level (7). Although this genetic material must be artificially introduced into the bee, it breaks down quickly and will not cause permanent genetic changes to the animal.

. A honeybee infected with Deformed Wing Virus (DWV). This condition impairs the bee’s ability to fly due to its characteristic crumpled and misshapen wings. This virus strongly impacts the honeybee’s role in the hive and overall colony health. Photo taken by Shelley Hoover.

RNAi is a technology to help combat viruses as they are acquired by leveraging the body’s natural antiviral defense mechanisms (7). If implemented effectively, this technology may completely wipe out viral diseases altogether due to the newfound lack of susceptibility in honey bee hosts. In terms of honey, there should be no siRNA residues in the product, as again, the technology makes use of natural processes within the bee and degrades rapidly post-application. RNAi has already been shown to be highly effective in the treatment of Sacbrood Virus (SBV), Deformed Wing Virus (DWV), and Acute Paralysis Virus (APV) (Figure 3.) (3,8,9). However, more research is needed to further explore feasibility at a commercial level, viral resistance to siRNA, and the risk of off-target effects (7).

RNAi and genetic biotechnology have the power to combat any virus a bee may encounter, revolutionizing modern beekeeping throughout Canada and the world. The use of these technologies may help reduce the extensive amount of colony losses and significant disease-related challenges that beekeepers continue to face. With the agriculture sector constantly evolving towards more efficient and sustainable goals, the use of genetic tools within the beekeeping industry may be crucial for developing long-term disease management solutions. It may also help continue to grow the economy and provide further revenue for all producers, reducing the loss of small hobbyist farmers and continuing to support growing commercial beekeepers. Further exploration of genetic biotechnology within the beekeeping industry may lead to insights that enhance animal, economic, and producer outcomes.

 References

1. Bixby M, Scarlett R, Hoover SE. Winter mortality, diversification, and self-sufficiency affect honey bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) colony profit in Canada: a model of commercial Alberta beekeepers. J Econ Entomol. 2023 Jun 1;116(3):686–96.
2. Moritz RFA, De Miranda J, Fries I, Le Conte Y, Neumann P, Paxton RJ. Research strategies to improve honeybee health in Europe. Apidologie. 2010 May;41(3):227–42.
3. McMenamin AJ, Daughenbaugh KF, Parekh F, Pizzorno MC, Flenniken ML. Honey bee and bumble bee antiviral defense. Viruses. 2018 Aug 1;10(8):1–22.
4. Tantillo G, Bottaro M, Di Pinto A, Martella V, Di Pinto P, Terio V. Virus infections of honeybees Apis mellifera. Ital J Food Saf. 2015 Aug 28;4(3):157–68.
5. Hartl DL, Jones EW. Genetics: Principles and Analysis [Internet]. 4th ed. Twombly K, editor. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers; 1998. 1–1367 p. Available from: http://www.jbpub.com
6. Bai X, Plastow GS. Breeding for disease resilience: opportunities to manage polymicrobial challenge and improve commercial performance in the pig industry. CABI Agr Biosci. 2022 Jan 15;3(1):1–17.
7. Brutscher LM, Flenniken ML. RNAi and antiviral defense in the honey bee. J Immunol Res. 2015;2015:1–10.
8. Hunter W, Ellis J, Vanengelsdorp D, Hayes J, Westervelt D, Glick E, et al. Large-scale field application of RNAi technology reducing Israeli acute paralysis virus disease in honey bees (Apis mellifera, hymenoptera: Apidae). PLoS Pathog. 2010;6(12):1–10.
9. Yoo MS, Truong AT, Jeong H, Hahn DH, Lee JS, Yoon SS, et al. Large-Scale Application of Double-Stranded RNA Shows Potential for Reduction of Sacbrood Virus Disease in Apis cerana Apiaries. Viruses. 2023 Apr 1;15(4):1–111.

Kayla deJong, TTP Summer Technician

Early Life and the Teenage Days

Emerging bee by Shelley Hoover

Honey bees have long had an industrious reputation, as their colonies are very complex with an overwhelming number of different activities being carried out simultaneously. The ease of which the thousands of bees in any single colony synergistically cooperate and contribute to each other’s needs has led to the perspective of honey bees as a “superorganism,” wherein individual bees and their colony contributions are comparable to those of cells or organs within a larger organism (Seeley 1989). Indeed, individual honey bees are not self-sufficient and instead exhibit a high level of task-specialization and interdependence. But rather than viewing a colony as “one organism”, let’s break down the many moving parts within the hive and look at the role of individual bees….

Division of labour between castes:

A normal colony consists of one queen, 300-500 drones, and 10,000-60,000 workers (Gruszka 1998). All three castes are necessary for the functioning of a colony, but the labour is definitely not divided evenly! Reproductive activities are the responsibility of the queen and the drones, while nearly all other tasks are the responsibility of the many workers.

The Queen – ruling the colony, but only kind of

A queen typically lives for about two years but can live up to five years (Gruszka 1998). Although not genetically different from female workers, the royal jelly diet provided by workers leads queens to develop into reproductive individuals. In natural succession, multiple queen cells are usually built and a newly-emerged queen’s first responsibility will be to eliminate potential competitors for the “throne” – the earliest emerged queen stings other queen cells. From days 5-10, a virgin queen will go out on one or more mating flights and mate with several (on average 7-17) drones (Winston 1987). Eggs will be first seen around 12-21 days following a queen’s emergence and thus begins a lifetime of egg-laying – up to 2000 eggs are laid every day, although a break in brood production occurs in winter (Page & Peng 2001).

It is easy to view the queen as a ruler of the hive as similar to a human head of state – after all she is the queen. However, honey bees are a little more complex. Outside her reproductive role, a queen also plays a highly important part in regulating the colony t

Through her pheromone scents, which prevent construction of new queen cells, suppress worker ovary development and stimulate foraging (Gruszka 1998). Through these measures a queen practices some level of control over her hive’s environment, but workers in turn also influence a queen’s behaviour. For example, when a queen’s pheromone no longer reaches all workers in a crowded colony, workers will initiate swarming behaviour: building queen cells for the queen to lay in, seeking out new homes, and lessening queen feeding in preparation for departure. Another example: the queen is able to selectively fertilize her eggs and thus controls the sex ratio of her offspring (with unfertilized eggs becoming drones and fertilized eggs resulting in workers), but this decision is made on the basis of the cell size that a queen lays into, which is determined by workers who will only construct drone comb at seasonally appropriate times.  Of course, workers also have the final say in a queen’s acceptance – a queen of poor quality will be killed and replaced.

The Drones: One Job

A drone’s sole purpose in life is to mate with a queen, which is most common in the spring when drones leave the colony in large groups and congregate, attracted by a queen’s mating pheromone. Drones are reproductively mature around 7 days of age and can live to thirty days or longer, but die immediately after mating (Rangel & Fisher 2019). Drones do not contribute to the colony in any other way and must even be fed by worker bees. As winter approaches, worker bees will push drones out of the colony – resources are no longer abundant enough to feed the free loaders!

The Workers: It’s in the name

Every other task in the busy hive falls to the workers. In other social insects, such as ants and termites, physical differences between workers establish which task an individual carries out – this type of division of labour is known as morphological polytheism (Johnson 2010). For example, leaf-cutting ant workers are born into three distinct size classes which determines their role in the colony – the smallest care for the young, the largest harvest plant material, and the medium-sized build and defend the nest (Boulogne 2014). However, honey bee exhibit temporal polytheism, wherein workers graduate to different functional tasks as they age, according to a set developmental pattern (Johnson 2010). Changes in a worker’s behaviour throughout their lifespan are most evident, but important temporary physical changes (such as development of certain glands) do occur and are highly important, even if they are not evident externally.

In the summer, there are four different age categories of workers:

1. Cell cleaners
2. Nurses
3. Middle-aged bees
4. Foragers

In this issue we will discuss the roles of the first two age groups: cell cleaners and nurses. We will dive into the tasks carried out by the older bees next month, and also briefly touch on winter bees and the importance of healthy age structures for colony wellbeing. But for now, the baby bees!

Cell cleaners – days 0-4

A bee’s first task after emerging is to clean the cells immediately in the area she just emerged from (Winston 1987). For the first 3-4 days of their lives these “baby bees”, recognisable by their pale, fluffy hair, continue to clean out cells and remain in the brood nest. This may not be a highly specialized task, as bees of other age groups can and do clean out cells (Johnson 2010), but it remains an important one – brood comb is reused for years and general cleanliness is important for reducing disease transmission across generations (Wagoner et al. 2021). Fifteen or more workers will contribute to the clearing of a single cell and all together it takes about 40 minutes for the average cell to be fully cleaned (Winston 1987). These clean brood cells that are ready for the queen to lay in have a distinctive polished and shiny look that is particularly visible in older comb held to sunlight.

Like most insects, wings must dry and harden before flight is possible. Bees carrying out in-hive tasks will rarely fly, but an individual’s earliest orientation/defecation flights may occur in the first 9 days her life (Herold & Borei 1963). Such early flights are “short-range” – bees remain in the immediate vicinity of the hive and fly slowly, memorizing the appearance and location of their home (Degen et al. 2015).

Bees also cannot effectively sting at emergence – it takes 1-2 days for the exoskeleton, including the skeletal area around the sting glands to harden (Winston 1987). However, young bees will begin to accumulate the compound promellitin in their venom sacs during the cell cleaning life stage (Bachmayer et al. 1972). After day 3, conversion of promellitin to millitin, the primary poisonous component of bee venom, will begin to occur Bachmayer et al. 1972) – now they are able sting and hit you with venom!

Newly emerged bees do not begin their lives with the hive-specific pheromone scent that honey bees use to distinguish nestmates from intruders but will obtain this pheromone through interactions with the older bees that feed, groom and brush by them (Breed 2004). Contact with the food-provisioning nurse bees is also important for early physiological development – newly emerged bees reared without nurse companionship have been shown to have smaller hypopharyngeal glands (important for future brood feeding) and lower protein content throughout their bodies, demonstrating the continued importance of worker jelly after emergence (Naiem et al. 1999).

Nurse bees – days 4-12

The nursing stage of a bee’s life lasts about a week and revolves around brood care. The most important physiological attribute of nurses are the developed hypopharyngeal glands, which are located in the head and are responsible for the addition of protein to the brood food that nurses produce (Corby-Harris and Snyder 2018). A diet of pollen (stored and fermented in the hive comb into “bee bread”) is critical for young bees to promote the growth and activity of these glands (Herbert et al. 1970). Newly emerged bees will start nibbling on small amounts of pollen, but it is in the nursing stage that pollen consumption reaches a lifetime high (Crailsheim et al. 1992). Nurses are physiologically equipped for such a diet as they produce special enzymes to efficiently digest large amounts of pollen (Crailsheim et al. 1992). The pollen diet of nurses is why healthy colonies will store pollen on or near to brood comb in the spring and summer. Colonies with insufficient pollen availability will have poorly fed nurses and poorly fed brood, which will affect the overall colony health as malnourished bees have greater susceptibility to diseases and reduced ability to grow and develop as they age (Di Pasquale et al. 2013).

The nursing temporal caste can be farther divided into two stages. From days 4 to 6 of their adult lives, nurse bees feed the colony’s older larvae with worker jelly – a mixture of honey and pollen, with some glandular secretions added in for good measure (Winston 1987). By day 7, a worker’s hypopharyngeal glands are fully developed and at their peak size, and she now transitions to feeding highly proteinaceous royal jelly secretions to worker and drone eggs (up to 3 days post laying) or to queen larvae if present (Melliou & Chinou 2014).

Nurse bees are receptive to many chemical and pheromonal signals emitted from the brood, including the brood’s age, whether a larva “feels” hungry, and whether food levels have diminished in a cell (Huang & Otis 1991). Brood cells are inspected regularly by nurses according to these stimuli, but nurses appear not to immediately respond to individual signals, instead continuing inspections to ensure efficient allocation of resources (Huang & Otis 1991). An interesting study from the 50s found that over the course of 272 hours, an individual larva is inspected an average 1926 times, but fed only 143 times (Lindauer 1953). Nurses cap the brood cells with papery substance (created from remnants of old pupal cocoons mixed with wax) as individual brood reach the appropriate age (Winston 1987).

In addition to caring for the brood, nurses also do the lion’s share of feeding the adult bees in the colony. Although older worker bees do feed honey or nectar to one another, their hypopharyngeal glands have shrunk and no longer produce worker or royal jelly (Crailsheim 1998, Corby-Harris and Snyder 2018). Foragers are also not able to digest pollen as efficiently as nurses because the necessary enzymes are no longer be produced in high amounts (Crailsheim et al. 1992), so the easily digestible worker jelly provisioned by nurses is a better way for older bees to obtain much-needed protein (Crailsheim et al. 1992). The worker jelly also spreads fast as recipient workers go on to share it with other bees! Additionally, the quality and quantity of worker jelly spread throughout the hive informs foragers about the colony’s pollen needs (Crailsheim 1998).

Care for the queen falls to the nurse bees as well. The queen’s retinue (or “court”) is largely composed of early-stage nurses (days 3-9) and is not a set group, but rather consists of up to 12 bees in her vicinity attracted to pheromones secreted from her mandibular glands (Seely 1979, Naumann et al. 1991). The retinue is responsible for feeding and grooming the queen and is also largely responsible for redistributing her pheromone throughout the colony, which inhibits queen cell production and worker ovary development. Part of the “retinue response” to the queen’s pheromone signals is to lick and touch antennae to her (collecting pheromone from her body), followed by immediate self-grooming (spreading pheromone over one’s own body) and an approximate 30 minute “messenger” period of movement and frequent contact with nestmates (spreading pheromone over colony) (Naumann et al. 1991, Seely 1979). This is a highly effective game of “telephone”: bees already start to perform behaviours associated with queenlessness 30 min after a queen’s removal and the inhibition against building queen cells has worn off by the tenth hour (Velthuis 1972, Seely 1979).

The retinue is also eager to offer food to the queen, who will be fed as frequently as five times an hour in peak egg laying times (Velthuis 1972, Crailsheim 1998). When preparing to swarm, nurses and other workers will no longer feed her – she needs to become slimmer to fly!

Adulthood and Old Age

Middle-aged bees (MABs) – days 12-21

”]Middle-aged bees (MABs) are the final age group to carry out in-hive tasks. Although MABs frequently overlap nurse bees in distribution and also interact with foragers far more than nurses do, the tasks they do are distinctly different – and also make up quite the long list!

Younger MABs (days 12-17) carry out comb building and general colony maintenance tasks (Johnson 2010). At this age, the four wax glands that workers have on the underside of their abdomen have matured and are at their peak size. These glands secrete liquid wax, which hardens when exposed to air (Winston 1987). Workers scrape the wax scales they have produced off their abdomen with their hind legs and pass it forwards along their pairs of legs before placing the wax in their mouth (Winston 1987). After chewing the wax until pliable, the MABs carefully craft the distinctive hexagonal cells that honey bee colonies are known for.

The plastic frame foundation commonly provided in managed colonies provides bees with head start in their building activities. However, natural comb built in feral colonies (or in pesky open spaces in your boxes) requires more planning on the part of the bees – this can be seen in bees’ abilities to festoon into long chains to measure spaces or provide “scaffolding”, the fact that comb is often started in multiple places and later joined, and the construction of gradual gradients of cell sizes to allow for a seamless transition between worker and drone comb (Smith et al. 2021). Construction of new honey comb is dependent on the rate of nectar flow into the colony (evaluated through the number of nestmates offering nectar food) as well as the fullness of existing honey comb (evaluated through cell inspections); comb construction is energetically costly and if both above conditions are not met, bees will shift their efforts to other tasks (Pratt 2004). If needed, food in the brood nest can be relocated to provide a queen with more cells to lay in, and the building of drone comb is seasonal and dependent on the amount of existing drone comb (Pratt 2004).

As bees age, they begin to do tasks nearer to the hive entrance. Slightly older MABs are occupied with nectar reception from foragers and the production of honey. Returned foragers will pass their loads of nectar to MABs around the hive entrance. If there are not enough nectar receivers, impatient foragers will recruit more through the tremble dance (Seeley 1992). Nectar laden MABs will either immediately feed nestmates, or travel to the hive’s combs to deposit into a cell. The fast-walking bees seen on brood or honey frames can be assumed to be MABs making the long trek (in bee terms) to the honey supers – no other task specialization sees movement through the entrance area, brood nest and honey combs. Once choosing a cell, the worker bee manipulates the liquid drop in her mouth for about 20 minutes – repeatedly swallowing and regurgitating the droplet while exposing it to air and adding glandular secretions (Seeley 1995). Her hypopharyngeal glands have atrophied since the nursing stage of her life, but they are now put to a new use: creating enzymes that break down sugars and produce hydrogen peroxide, which prevents the honey from spoiling (Corby-Harris & Snyder 2018, Seeley 1995). Multiple bees will deposit nectar in a single cell, where it continues to ripen as the moisture content is reduced – fanning behaviour also speeds up evaporation. It the responsibly of the slightly younger, wax-producing MABs to cap honey cells, which they do in batches.

Older MABs (middle-aged bees) also play an important role in regulating hive temperature. When clustered together, bees are very good at keeping each other warm. But during high temperatures, a sort of air conditioning system must be employed. MABs will partake in organized fanning throughout the hive, but especially the at the entrance – rapidly flapping their wings while standing still to circulate the air (Southwick & Heldmaier 1987). You can see this yourself on hot summer days! Foragers will also bring back water and pass it on to the receiver bees, who then distribute drops throughout the brood nest and the rest of the colony, which cools the hive through evaporation and prevents brood from drying out (Southwick & Heldmaier 1987).

Thermoregulation is most important in the brood nest, where brood survival requires temperatures of 33-36°C (Seeley 1985). Although all bees contribute to colony heating by having thorax temperatures above 35°C, some “heater” bees specialize in transferring body heat to brood, generating heat by vibrating their flight muscles and repeatedly pressing their warm thorax against capped pupal cells while standing still (Bujock et al. 2002). Therefore, while some bees you see standing still on your brood comb may indeed be taking a break, many may still be hard at work! Bees of any age group can practice this behaviour, but MABs frequently carry it out, often while making circuits to deliver nectar obtained from foragers or honey cells to other bees on the brood comb (Basile et al. 2008).

Other MABs may specialize in hygienic behaviour – the removal of dead or diseased pupae (Arathi et al. 2003). One subset of bees is responsible for detecting and uncapping diseased pupal cells, while another pulls out the pupa and drops them to the colony floor, and yet another (older) category specializes in undertaking – carrying corpses outside for disposal (Arathi et al. 2003, Trumbo et al. 1997). Such behaviour is important for reducing disease transmission and keeping the hive sanitary (Wagoner et al. 2021). Certain genetic lines have been demonstrated to better respond to unhealthy brood odours and are considered to be especially hygienic (Wagoner et al. 2021).

Defense of the colony falls to the oldest MABs which are nearing the transition to foragers. The guard bees’ job is to identify and exclude any foreign intruders. The number of bees patrolling the hive entrance, ready to attack suspicious-smelling individuals, is estimated to be about 75 at any one time (Moore et al. 1987). This is a relatively low number considering the thousands of bees residing in the colony behind them, but this force is effective against robbing bees from other colonies, or other insects with nefarious agendas (Moore et al. 1987, Breed et al. 1990). However, when exposed to greater disturbances, such as those performed by bears, skunks or other animals, another group emerges – the defender bees! These bees fly in larger groups and seek to sting, or at least intimidate, any giant-sized offenders (Breed et al. 1990). Defender bees are forager-aged but have low levels of wing wear, leading some researchers to believe that this a specialized behavioural caste rather than ordinary bees recruited by alarm pheromone (Breed et al. 1990).

Considering the number of different tasks that the MABs (middle-aged bees) are responsible for, how is the labour allocated among the bees of this age cohort? It is known that juvenile hormone (JH) plays a large role in the transition between age groups – JH increases as bees ages, therefore low levels are associated with in-hive tasks and high levels with foraging (Robinson 1985, Jaycox et al. 1974). If a scientist injects a young bee with an artificial mimic of JH, she exhibits an earlier start to foraging behaviour (Jaycox et al. 1974). However, studies carried out by Robinson (1992) suggest that JH is also important for task allocation within age groups, as individual variation of the hormone within similar aged bees leads to variability in individual bee’s abilities to notice and respond to environmental triggers in the hive (such as food availability or amount of brood). Thus, every worker will do every task in her lifetime, as this depends on environmental and hive conditions during her life, and inherent genetic variation in hormonal levels.

Foragers (days 21 onwards)

Only about 60% of workers will make it to the final life stage (Prado et al. 2020). As these surviving in-hive bees transition to foragers they lose about 40% of their body mass due to changes in their abdomen and digestive tract, which will make flight more efficient and provide more storage room for nectar (Harrison 1986). Glycogen stores in the thorax will double, allowing for a quick source of energy for flight muscles (Harrison 1986). Although younger bees may perform shorter orientation flights, as bees approach the age of foraging they will begin to perform the longer orientation flights which are important practice for way-finding and calibration of the internal bee compass, which is oriented around the sun (Degen et al. 2015). The bees are now better equipped for flight than at any other point in their life – and they are about to do a lot of flying!

There are four resources which foragers collect: nectar, pollen, water, and resin. Generally, foragers seem to specialize in the collection of one substance (Winston 1987). Nectar and water are sucked up through a forager’s straw-like proboscis (tongue) and stored in her honey stomach for later regurgitation (Winston 1987). Upon returning to the hive entrance, nectar and water foragers seek out a receiving worker whom they transfer the sugary liquid to. Foragers specializing in pollen collection pack their loads on the enlarged, hairy portions of their hind legs – the pollen baskets. Unlike nectar foragers, pollen foragers are responsible for depositing their own load in the hive, which is typically done on or near brood frames, where the nurse bees and their charges require high protein diet. Tree resin (propolis) is gathered much less frequently but is important for filling cracks and holes in the hive walls and for its antibacterial properties (Simone-Finstrom et al. 2017). Propolis is also carried on pollen baskets but is so sticky that another bee must pull it off!

While some bees participate in the foraging itself, others play the role of scout and fly beyond the range of known food sources in search of new resources. Returning scouts report new findings to other foragers via the waggle dance, which informs other bees of the direction of the resource (oriented around the sun) and the distance (or energy spent getting there) (Liang et al. 2012, von Frisch & Lindauer 1956). Generally, forager-aged bees are either scouts or foragers, and only shift roles if necessary (Liang et al. 2012). Scouts will make up 5-25% of a colony’s forager-aged bees, and are also tasked with seeking out a new home when a colony swarms (Liang et al. 2012).

Foraging is a dangerous activity and individual foragers have a 36% chance of dying each day spent foraging (Prado et al. 2020). High flight speeds (25 km/hr) wear down a bee’s body and older foragers can be recognised by their tattered wings and thinning hair (Seeley 1995). The average summer lifespan of a worker is 38 days and bees that are not prematurely killed during their foraging trips will die of exhaustion – after flying about 800 km the ability to covert carbohydrates to glycogen as an energy source is significantly reduced and bees are no longer above to recover from physical exertion in the same way as when they were younger (Winston 1987).

A Note on the Separate System of Winter Bees:

Winter bees cannot be sorted into the four temporal castes that define the lifecycle of summer bees, instead they are considered a separate “generalist state” (Johnson 2010). The queen will not continue to produce brood over the cold months, but the winter bees that result from eggs laid in late fall can survive the full winter. The average winter bee lifespan ranges from 100 to over 200 days – partly because it takes much longer for a winter bee stuck in a hive to reach the lifetime flight distance that is associated with natural death in workers (Mattila et al. 2001, Winston 1987). Unlike their summer counterparts, the tasks that these bees are engaged in (thermoregulation, feeding, queen care, brood care in early spring) are not divided according to age – any bee can practice these tasks (Johnson 2010). Indeed, winter bees are physiologically different from summer bees as their levels of juvenile hormone (associated with performing different in-hive tasks) are comparatively low throughout their lifetime (Mattila et al. 2001). Additionally, winter bees have hypopharyngeal glands that do not degrade as they age which results in continued ability to create royal and worker jellies, as well as enlarged fat bodies which act as enhanced energy reserves for many months of heat-generating vibration (Brejcha et al. 2023).

Bees start their lifetime carrying out tasks, such as nursing, in the brood chamber. As they age, they move to the honey comb (comb construction), then to the hive entrance (receiving nectar from foragers, thermoregulatory fanning and guarding) and finally graduate to foraging. The relative separation between bees of each temporal caste provides a barrier against the transmission of outside diseases and contaminants to the queen and brood. Source: Kayla deJong

Importance of Healthy Age Distribution:

Clearly this detailed partitioning of labour is necessary for the synergistic functioning of a healthy colony – but what if the age distribution of a colony is not even?

The transition between temporal castes is environmentally regulated (e.g., bees will not take up foraging activities if there is an already existing/sufficient foraging force), so if there are less-than-ideal environmental conditions, such a past break in the brood pattern leading to no nurse-aged bees, or mass loss of foragers, the bees can adjust their caste transitions according to their perception of the colony’s needs. Younger bees can accelerate their development and begin to take on later tasks at an earlier age (Perry et al. 2015). Bees are also capable of doing the reverse – should a colony lack young workers, older bees can revert back to doing tasks they previously did when younger (Robinson et al. 1992). These are not seamless transitions as in both instances the bee carrying out the task is not physiologically optimized to do so. For example, precocious foragers are heavier and less efficient flyers than regular-aged foragers and are also more likely to fail to return from foraging trips (Rueppell 2007, Perry et al. 2015). Similarly, the hypopharyngeal glands of a forager that reverts back to performing nursing duties have reduced in size and now produce secretions other than brood food, although there is evidence that reversal of this aging process can occur to some degree (Robinson et al. 1992). Environmental conditions are not the only reason bees may speed up development; some diseases, such as infection with Nosema ceranae, are known to accelerate aging, causing premature foraging, reduced harvest efficiency and early death (Goblirsch et al. 2013). Exposure to neonicotinoid pesticides may also have similar effects (Colin et al. 2019).

Another problem with foragers reverting back to in-hive tasks is the potential to bring diseases or contaminants from the outside world into the brood chamber. The colony is structured such that there is a separation between bees that perform in-hive tasks and those that travel out of the hive, and as bees age they begin to do tasks associated with the hive entrance (see figure at right). By this mechanism, the queen, the brood, and the bees that attend to them are somewhat sheltered from diseases and pathogens (Laomettachit et al. 2021). So, although colonies can cope with disruptions in age structure, healthy age distribution is desired. As this article has shown, the task division performed by honey bees is very complex and allows for the bees to contribute to each other’s welfare and overall colony wellbeing in detailed and amazing ways!

References:

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Breed, M.D., Perry, S., & Bjostad, L.B. (2004).Testing the blank slate hypothesis: why honey bee colonies accept young bees. Insectes Sociaux. 51, 12–16. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00040-003-0698-9

Brejcha, M., Prušáková, D., Sábová, M., Peska, V., Černý, J., Kodrík, D., Konopová, B., & Čapková Frydrychová, R. (2023). Seasonal changes in ultrastructure and gene expression in the fat body of worker honey bees. Journal of insect physiology, 146, 104504. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jinsphys.2023.104504

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Colin, T., Meikle, W. G., Wu, X., & Barron, A. B. (2019). Traces of a Neonicotinoid Induce Precocious Foraging and Reduce Foraging Performance in Honey Bees. Environmental science & technology, 53(14), 8252–8261. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.9b02452

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Harrison, J. M. (1986). Caste-Specific Changes in Honeybee Flight Capacity. Physiological Zoology, 59(2), 175–187. http://www.jstor.org/stable/30156031

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Huang, Z. Y., & Otis, G. W. (1991). Inspection and feeding of larvae by worker honey bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae): Effect of starvation and food quantity. Journal of Insect Behavior, 4, 305–317. https://doi-org.login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/10.1007/BF01048280

Johnson, B. R. (2010). Division of labor in honeybees: form, function, and proximate mechanisms. Behavioral ecology and sociobiology, 64(3), 305–316. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-009-0874-7

Gruszka, J. (Ed.). (1998). Beekeeping in Western Canada. Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development, Information Services.

Laomettachit, T., Liangruksa, M., Termsaithong, T., Tangthanawatsakul, A., & Duangphakdee, O. (2021). A model of infection in honeybee colonies with social immunity. PloS one, 16(2), e0247294. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0247294

Liang, Z. S., Nguyen, T., Mattila, H. R., Rodriguez-Zas, S. L., Seeley, T. D., & Robinson, G. E. (2012). Molecular Determinants of Scouting Behavior in Honey Bees. Science, 335,1225-1228. DOI:10.1126/science.1213962

Mattila, H., Harris, J. & Otis, G. (2001). Timing of production of winter bees in honey bee (Apis mellifera) colonies. Insectes Sociaux, 48, 88–93. https://doi.org/10.1007/PL00001764

Moore, A. J., Breed, M. D., & Moor, M. J. (1987). The guard honey bee: Ontogeny and behavioural variability of workers performing a specialized task. Animal Behaviour, 35(4), 1159–1167. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0003-3472(87)80172-0

Lindauer, M. (1953). Division of labour in the honeybee colony. Bee World, 34, 63-73. https://doi.org/10.1080/0005772X.1953.11094788

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Emily Olson, Tech Transfer Program Technician

Do you ever wonder, what makes honey so good? How do bees convert nectar from flowers into this liquid gold? The answer to these questions is simple – bacteria!

Honey bees have bacteria in their guts, just like us! However, the diversity of these bacteria is much lower in bees than in humans. Honey bees have 8 different species that make up the “core gut bacteria”, whereas humans have around 1,000 ¹. These core bacteria are present in all honey bees, regardless of where they are in the world ². Bees and their bacteria have evolved together, and this specialized relationship is mutualistic; bacteria receive nutrients from the bee and the bee, in return, receives protection from harmful microorganisms ^3,4. Bacteria also aid in digestion, food preservation, pheromone production, caste and nest mate recognition, task cues, and much more⁵!

The honey bee digestive system is comprised of 3 main compartments: the crop, midgut, and hindgut. Each with specialized functions and different bacterial communities. Bacteria in the cr   op are solely derived from food sources, bacteria in the hindgut are solely derived from other bees (e.g., bee-bee interactions), and in the midgut, the bacteria are from both food and social transmission⁶.

The journey of bee and bacteria begins in the first interactions a developing bee has with its nest mates. Young larvae ingest their first bacteria ‘cocktail’ via brood food, a mixture of special gland secretions and pollen, given to larvae by nurse bees ⁵. However, a study by Martinsen et al. (2012), found that larvae have few bacteria present in their gut. They found that larvae’s microbiota varies from season to season and year to year, suggesting that the diversity of this bacterial community is determined by the brood food⁷.

Prior to emerging, the developing bee sheds its gut lining, and the bee emerges with little to no gut bacteria. The first part of a bees’ life is dedicated to in-hive activities such as cleaning, caring for brood, and tending to the queen. Through interactions with other bees, especially foragers, microbes are transmitted to the young bee. By day 9, the bee’s microbiota is fully developed, and this community of bacteria remains with them for life⁷. As the bee ages and transitions from in-hive activities to foraging, it collects bacteria, good and bad, and brings them back to the hive.

Bees fly, in general, within a 5 km radius of the colony, collecting pollen, nectar, and propolis from the surrounding environment. While foraging, the nectar collected is stored in the bee’s honey stomach (crop), where enzymes are added from the hypopharyngeal gland and the conversion of nectar into honey starts³. These enzymes inhibit the establishment and growth of bacteria, resulting in the few bacteria present in the crop⁷. Among this small community of bacteria are lactobacillus bacteria (LAB), which continues to convert nectar to honey. Although LAB are only found in fresh honey and do not survive in stored honey, they contribute to its lasting antimicrobial properties by producing lactic acid⁸. It is suggested that LAB may inhibit the production of yeast that causes alcoholic fermentation³, allowing honey to be stored indefinitely. The pollen bees collect, once back in the hive, is mixed with regurgitated nectar from the honey stomach. In this process, LAB are also added to the pollen, transforming it into bee bread. These bacteria give the bee bread antimicrobial properties, allowing it to be stored for a long period of time, and helping defend bees and brood against pathogens⁴.

The midgut is the main site of digestion and nutrient absorption in the honey bee digestive system⁹. It contains few bacteria, mostly concentrated in the posterior section, near the hindgut. The hindgut, composed of the ileum and rectum, is important for the absorption of water, salt, minerals, and other substances¹⁰. It contains the highest density of gut bacteria, which remains relatively stable throughout the bee’s life¹¹. Bees rely on the bacterial communities within the midgut and hindgut to digest and metabolize food, as they are unable to breakdown the carbohydrates present in pollen and nectar on their own¹². The polysaccharides in pollen and nectar are broken down by enzymes produced by the gut bacteria into short chain fatty acids, which are then available as energy to the bee¹². Bees collect food resources from a variety of plants producing different types of sugars, proteins, and defensive compounds, some of which are toxic to bees⁶. The gut bacteria detoxify and metabolize these substances by producing specific enzymes to break them down⁶. For example, pectin in plant cell walls is toxic to honey bees, but the enzymes produced by bacteria in the midgut degrade the pectin found in pollen grains and allow the bee to access the nutrients within⁶.

The gut bacteria also play an important role in a bees’ immune response, by initiating the synthesis of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), a crucial component of bee’s immune system¹³. As bees consume resources from outside the hive, they are exposed to foreign materials and pathogens. During an infection, AMPs are produced and work to damage cells and inhibit protein formation in the foreign microbes¹⁴. This immune response also helps to prime the bee’s immune system against future infections by enabling the immune system to recognize pathogens more quickly and be ready to fight off a reinfection¹². Additionally, several strains of bacteria in the hindgut form a biofilm layer on the ileum’s epithelium, providing a physical barrier, which further acts to protect the bee against parasites, pathogens, and other foreign material⁶.

The impact of antibiotic use on the honey bee gut microbiota

Antibiotics are commonly used in honey bee hives to treat bacterial diseases, such as American Foulbrood and European Foulbrood. These antibiotics are broad spectrum, meaning they are effective against a variety of bacteria, and can impact the beneficial bacterial community within honey bees¹⁵. Given the importance of the gut bacteria for bee health, it’s important to understand the implications of the use of antibiotics, tylosin and tetracycline for example, as a management tool to fight honey bee bacterial diseases.

The bacterial community within honey bees is highly specialized, each species filling a niche. Therefore, the alteration of this community can impact the necessary functions these bacteria carry out, which may result in the disruption of nutrient breakdown and uptake, detoxification, and the level of bee susceptibility to pathogens. Powell et al. (2021) assessed the effects of Tylosin on the diversity of the honey bee microbiome¹⁶. Their results demonstrate that exposure to antibiotics decreases the abundance and diversity of bacteria species and causes bees to become more susceptible to bacterial infection. Similarly, a study by Deng et al. (2022) found that long term use of the antibiotic Tetracycline reduced the abundance of certain bacteria, which increased bee’s susceptibility to Israeli acute paralysis virus, suggesting that the bees microbiome plays a crucial role in resisting viral infection¹⁷.

Prophylactic use of antibiotics has been a common practice in honey bee colonies here in Alberta. By limiting our use of antibiotics and incorporating alternative management practices, such as increased monitoring, isolating sick colonies, and implementing biosecurity protocols, we can avoid the negative effects the long-term use of antibiotics has on our colonies.

The impact of pesticides on the honey bee gut microbiota

Bees are often exposed to environment pesticides used on the landscape, as they are out foraging, and in-hive pesticides, placed on colonies by beekeepers.

Although some pesticides, such as glyphosate, are considered innocuous to honey bees, there is evidence they harm beneficial bacteria found within the bee gut and many studies have linked their use to the decline in honey bee health¹⁸. A study by Motta et al. (2018) analyzed the size and composition of gut bacteria of bees exposed to glyphosate¹⁸. Researchers found a significant shifts in the size of the microbiome on day 3 of glyphosate exposure, and that bees exposed to the pesticide were more likely to become infected with bacterial pathogens. They also noted that glyphosate may have sublethal effects on bees, such as impacting their ability to return to the hive after foraging¹⁸.

Pesticide residues have been found not only on bees, but also in wax, pollen, and honey, resulting in a constant exposure to these chemicals. Because wax often remains in a colony year after year, pesticide residues can build up within the comb over time and have negative effects on overwinter survival, queen quality, and the overall fitness of the colony¹⁹. Kakumanu et al. (2016) examined how in-hive pesticides (coumaphos, fluvalinate, and chlorothalonil) alters the microbiome of honey bees. Exposure to these pesticides, commonly used to treat colonies, resulted in a significant change in the bacterial communities within the studied bees²⁰. Decreased sugar and peptide metabolism was also observed, suggesting an altered bee microbiome impacts these important functions carried out by the bacteria.

Communication with farmers and pesticide applicators is essential to limiting exposure and preventing pesticide poisoning in our colonies. Ensure pesticides (in-hive and on the landscape) are applied properly by following the label, used only when thresholds are met, and Integrated Pest Management strategies have been considered. For more information on how to prevent pollinator poisoning, check out “Protecting Pollinators – Best Management Practices for Foliar Application” on our website! https://www.albertabeekeepers.ca/preventing-pollinator-poisoning/

The honey bee microbiome plays an important role in individual bee and overall colony health. The beneficial bacteria within the bee gut are important for nutrition, immune response, communication with nest mates, and much more. Honey bees rely on their internal bacterial community for survival and any alteration can have lasting impacts on colony health. There is significant evidence that antibiotics, as well as pesticides used in-hive and on the landscape, alter these communities resulting in lethal and sublethal effects on honey bees. By reducing our dependence on antibiotics, reducing exposure to pesticides, and incorporating organic treatments and cultural management practices into our operations, we can ensure the health of these important bacteria and therefore the health of our bees!

References

1. Engel, P., Martinson, V.G., & Moran, N. A. (2012). Functional diversity within the simple gut microbiota of the honey bee. PNAS, 109(27), 11002-11007. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1202970109
2. Raymann K. & Moran N.A. (2018). The role of the gut microbiome in health and disease of adult honey bee workers. Curr Opin Insect Sci. 26, 97-104. doi: 10.1016/j.cois.2018.02.012.
3. Olofsson, T. C., & Vásquez, A. (2008). Detection and identification of a novel lactic acid bacterial flora within the honey stomach of the honeybee Apis mellifera. Current microbiology, 57(4), 356-363. doi: 10.1007/s00284-008-9202-0
4. Vásquez, A., & Olofsson, T. C. (2009). The lactic acid bacteria involved in the production of bee pollen and bee bread. Journal of apicultural research, 48(3), 189-195. doi: 10.3896/IBRA.1.48.3.07
5. Paris, L., Peghaire, E., Moné, A., Diogon, M., Debroas, D., Delbac, F., & El Alaoui, H. (2020). Honeybee gut microbiota dysbiosis in pesticide/parasite co-exposures is mainly induced by Nosema ceranae. Journal of invertebrate pathology, 172, 107348. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jip.2020.107348
6. Moran, N. A. (2015). Genomics of the honey bee microbiome. Current opinion in insect science, 10, 22-28. doi: 10.1016/j.cois.2015.04.003
7. Martinson, V. G., Moy, J., & Moran, N. A. (2012). Establishment of characteristic gut bacteria during development of the honeybee worker. Applied and environmental microbiology, 78(8), 2830-2840. doi: 10.1128/AEM.07810-11
8. Bogdanov, S. (1997). Antibacterial substances in honey. Swiss Bee Res. Center, 17, 74-76.
9. Harwood, G., & Amdam, G. (2021). Vitellogenin in the honey bee midgut. Apidologie, 52(4), 837-847. doi: 10.1007/s13592-021-00869-3ff. ffhal-03688791f
10. Caron, D. M., & Connor, L. J. (2013). Honey bee biology and beekeeping(No. 638.1 C293h). Wicwas Press,.
11. Maes, P. W., Floyd, A. S., Mott, B. M., & Anderson, K. E. (2021). Overwintering honey bee colonies: Effect of worker age and climate on the hindgut microbiota. Insects, 12(3), 224. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects12030224
12. Zheng, H., Perreau, J., Powell, J. E., Han, B., Zhang, Z., Kwong, W. K., … & Moran, N. A. (2019). Division of labor in honey bee gut microbiota for plant polysaccharide digestion. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 116(51), 25909-25916. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1916224116
13. Kwong, W. K., Mancenido, A. L., & Moran, N. A. (2017). Immune system stimulation by the native gut microbiota of honey bees. Royal Society open science, 4(2), 170003. doi: 10.1098/rsos.170003
14. Danihlík, J., Aronstein, K., & Petřivalský, M. (2015). Antimicrobial peptides: a key component of honey bee innate immunity: Physiology, biochemistry, and chemical ecology. Journal of Apicultural Research, 54(2), 123-136. https://doi.org/10.1080/00218839.2015.1109919
15. Aljedani, D. M. (2022). Antibiotic treatment (Tetracycline) effect on bio-efficiency of the larvae honey bee (Apis mellifera jemenatica). Saudi Journal of Biological Sciences, 29(3), 1477-1486. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sjbs.2021.11.024
16. Powell, J. E., Carver, Z., Leonard, S. P., & Moran, N. A. (2021). Field-realistic tylosin exposure impacts honey bee microbiota and pathogen susceptibility, which is ameliorated by native gut probiotics. Microbiology spectrum, 9(1), e00103-21. https://doi.org/10.1128/Spectrum.00103-21
17. Deng, Y., Yang, S., Zhao, H., Luo, J., Yang, W., & Hou, C. (2022). Antibiotics-induced changes in intestinal bacteria result in the sensitivity of honey bee to virus. Environmental Pollution, 314, 120278. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2022.120278
18. Motta, E. V., Raymann, K., & Moran, N. A. (2018). Glyphosate perturbs the gut microbiota of honey bees. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 115(41), 10305-10310. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1803880115
19. Mullin, C. A., Frazier, M., Frazier, J. L., Ashcraft, S., Simonds, R., VanEngelsdorp, D., & Pettis, J. S. (2010). High levels of miticides and agrochemicals in North American apiaries: implications for honey bee health. PloS one, 5(3), e9754. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0009754
20. Kakumanu, M. L., Reeves, A. M., Anderson, T. D., Rodrigues, R. R., & Williams, M. A. (2016). Honey bee gut microbiome is altered by in-hive pesticide exposures. Frontiers in microbiology, 7, 1255. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2016.01255

Common honey bee diseases and pests pose a significant challenge to beekeepers due to their ability to swiftly spread within a beekeeping operation. Transmission can occur through various means such as drifting bees, shared feeding barrels, contaminated equipment, and insufficient biosecurity measures. One effective strategy to mitigate this risk is the implementation of hospital yards. These yards involve removing sick or infected colonies from healthy apiaries and isolating them in designated areas. By establishing hospital yards at least 2-3 kilometers away from other apiaries, beekeepers can effectively contain the spread of disease. This approach not only helps streamline disease monitoring and treatment efforts but also underscores the importance of proactive management practices in beekeeping. This article explores the critical role of hospital yards in beekeeping management and offers insights into establishing and maintaining them effectively.  

Understanding the Importance of Hospital Yards 

Many honey bee diseases spread easily from colony to colony via drifting bees. Drifting is inevitable when colonies are close together as bees from an infected colony can easily enter a healthy one and spread a disease and/or pest. Beekeeping equipment can also be a vector of transmission. Often beekeepers will only sanitize equipment between yards so diseases can easily spread throughout an apiary on infected equipment such as hive tools and gloves.  

Once a disease is detected in a colony, it is important to act quickly to minimize the risk of it spreading throughout the apiary. Removing infected colonies from the yard and placing them in an isolated area (hospital yard) is an effective strategy in disease management. Implementing this measure will decrease the likelihood of disease spread, resulting in healthier and more productive colonies in the original yard. Establishing a hospital yard can also increase the efficiency of an operation’s disease management. By consolidating all diseased colonies in one location, beekeepers can save time that would otherwise be spent visiting multiple sites. Less disease expertise is needed among crew members as a dedicated crew leader with the necessary knowledge can monitor and treat the hospital yards as needed. This will make it easier to keep track of treatments applied and their effectiveness due to the higher frequency of monitoring. By using hospital yards beekeepers can be proactive in the prevention of disease outbreaks, reducing the likelihood of economic repercussions such as reduced honey production, decreased pollination services and increased hive replacement costs.    

Establishing and Managing Hospital Apiaries 

When choosing a site for a hospital yard, there are several important considerations. Firstly, the yard must be a good distance from surrounding apiaries. We recommend at least 2-3 km from

 any honey bee yard. The site must also have abundant and diverse pollen and nectar sources within foraging distance. Look for areas with a variety of flowering plants that bloom throughout the season to provide continuous nutrition. Ensure there is an adequate water source nearby as bees require water for essential activities within the hive, including cooling in the hot summer months. Choose a location with good sun exposure and natural or artificial windbreaks, such as trees, shrubs, or buildings, to provide protection from strong winds. The site should also have good drainage as moisture build up can exacerbate diseases such as chalkbrood and European Foulbrood. Lastly, the location should be easily accessible as frequent monitoring of these colonies is recommended.  

Once the location of your hospital yard has been selected, establish a protocol for identifying, moving, and monitoring diseased colonies. Upon finding a diseased colony, decide if it needs to be removed from the yard based on the pathogen and infection level. A colony with a low infection (only a few cells) contained on a single frame may not need to be moved. Rather, the infected frame could be removed and destroyed instead. On the other hand, if the colony is highly infected and you see no chance of recovery, it might be better to destroy the colony immediately. If the infection is high but the colony is strong enough to recover, the hive should be moved as soon as possible. It is best to move the hive at night or early in the morning to avoid bees being left behind and drifting to other colonies. Establish a recognizable way to later identify that colony (number colonies, flip the lid, place a rock on top, use coloured duct tape). If you are unable to come back to retrieve the hive, it is better to remove it immediately than leave it. Carry a notebook with you to write down the number of diseased colonies and the location.  

 Strategies for monitoring and maintaining the health of colonies in the hospital yard include: 

• Implementing strict biosecurity measures.
  • Regular sanitization of equipment such as sterilizing hive tools, wearing disposable gloves, or washing gloves and keeping the yard free of unused equipment, colony debris (scraped off wax and propolis) are all important measures to take. 
• Record keeping is a very important part of disease management.
  • Detailed records include information on how many colonies are diseased, their location, when each colony was diagnosed and moved into the hospital yard, intensity of infection, the type and timing of treatments administered and their effectiveness. 
• Using the appropriate treatment
  • Follow the label to ensure the treatment is targeted to the disease and appropriate for the time of year. For example, some treatments are not able to be used during the honey flow. For more information on specific miticide treatment types, see our Varroa Mite Treatments factsheet.
• Regular surveillance
  • Check your colonies often (ideally every 2 weeks) to monitor the progress of the hive, effectiveness of the treatments applied, and allow for detection of any new symptoms that may arise. 
  • Early intervention can prevent diseases from escalating and monitoring often will allow you to see if alternative measures are needed.

In summary, regular surveillance and early intervention are essential components of responsible beekeeping practices. By prioritizing these activities, beekeepers can protect colony health, minimize economic losses, and contribute to the sustainability of honey bee populations.

References

Honey Bee Health Coalition. (2019, January 1). Best management Practices for Hive Health. Retrieved from https://honeybeehealthcoalition.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/HBHC_Hive_BMPs_v1.0_reduced.pdf

Borum, A. E. (2022). Biosecurity and good beekeeping practices in beekeeping. Uludağ Arıcılık Dergisi, 22(2), 246-276. https://doi.org/10.31467/uluaricilik.1175874

Rivera-Gomis, J., Bubnic, J., Ribarits, A., Moosbeckhofer, R., Alber, O., Kozmus, P., … & Formato, G. (2019). Good farming practices in apiculture. Scientific and Technical Review, 38(3), 1-27. https://dx.doi.org/10.20506/rst.38.3.3032

University of Delaware. (n.d.). Apiary location. Mid-Atlantic Apiculture Research and Extension Consortium. Retrieved June 18, 2024, from https://canr.udel.edu/maarec/apiary-location/

As we celebrate Pollinator Week 2024, we reflect on this year’s theme, “Vision 2040: Thriving ecosystems, economies, and agriculture.” It serves as a reminder of the integral role pollinators play in our world. Both the Honey Bee Health Coalition and Farmers for Monarchs, facilitated by the Keystone Policy Center, are committed to fostering environments where pollinators can flourish.

Honey Bee Health Coalition: A Decade of Dedication

This year is especially significant for the Honey Bee Health Coalition as it commemorates its tenth anniversary, marking a decade of dedication to honey bee health and sustainable agricultural practices. Since its inception in 2014, the Honey Bee Health Coalition has been a leading force in addressing the challenges faced by honey bees. Its mission is to improve the health and productivity of honey bees through a collaborative approach involving diverse stakeholders. In line with this year’s Pollinator Week theme, HBHC is presenting a comprehensive Pollinator Toolkit, designed to support beekeepers and farmers in creating a thriving environment for honey bees.

Honey Bee Pollinator Toolkit Resources

• Varroa Management: Effective hive management strategies to combat the varroa destructor, a significant threat to honey bee colonies. Explore HBHC’s Varroa Management page for detailed guidance.
• Corn Best Management Practices (BMP): Learn about the best practices for managing corn crops in a way that protects and supports pollinator health. Visit the Corn BMP page.
• Soybean Best Management Practices: Discover strategies to manage soybean cultivation while promoting pollinator well-being. Check out the Soy BMP page.
• Canola Best Management Practices: Find out how to protect pollinators within productive canola fields. Access the Canola BMP page.
• Apple Best Management Practices: Understand the best practices for apple orchard management that benefit pollinators. Visit the Apple BMP page.
• Protecting Honey Bees in Production Agriculture: This training resource provides essential knowledge for safeguarding honey bees in agricultural settings. Learn more on the Protecting Honey Bees in Agriculture page.
• Varroacide Resistance and Testing Team (VRTT): Stay informed about varroacide resistance and testing methods to ensure effective Varroa control. Learn more about the VRTT.
• Honey Bee Nutrition Guide: Access insights into honey bee nutrition supplements, based on beekeeper feedback, to enhance colony health. Download the Honey Bee Nutrition Guide.

As the Honey Bee Health Coalition looks forward to the next decade, its vision is to continue fostering a collaborative environment where honey bees can thrive alongside sustainable agricultural practices.

Farmers for Monarchs: Promoting Monarch and Pollinator Habitat

Farmers for Monarchs is dedicated to supporting the establishment and maintenance of pollinator habitats on agricultural lands. It’s Pollinator Habitat Toolkit is an invaluable resource for landowners and farmers, offering practical advice and information to enhance pollinator-friendly practices.

The toolkit, available on the Farmers for Monarchs website, answers critical questions about installing and maintaining pollinator habitats. It provides information on:

• Planting for Pollinators: High-level overview recommendations for planting for pollinators, courtesy of the Pollinator Habitat Establishment and Management Guide.
• Pesticide Stewardship: Minimizing impact on non-target species should be a goal for every operation. Farmers have to evaluate their situation and set a pest management strategy that best serves their operations.
• Mowing Best Practices: Among the most simple and effective measures farmers and landowners can take to conserve monarch butterfly populations is to follow a few simple best practices for mowing.
• Conservation Reserve Program (CRP): In exchange for a yearly rental payment, farmers enrolled in the program agree to remove environmentally sensitive land from agricultural production and plant species that will improve environmental health and quality.

Vision 2040: Our Commitment to Thriving Ecosystems

As we envision the future, we are committed to the continued health of pollinators, which are essential to thriving ecosystems, robust economies, and sustainable agriculture. The Honey Bee Health Coalition and Farmers for Monarchs are proud to be at the forefront of this vital mission. Together, we can ensure that by 2040, our ecosystems will be flourishing, our agricultural practices will be sustainable, and our economies will benefit from the essential work of pollinators.

Join us in celebrating Pollinator Week 2024 and be part of the movement towards a future where pollinators, and the environments they support, can thrive.

The ABC, in collaboration with Crystal Clear Communications, recently held a webinar on ‘What You Need to Know: Webinar for Agricultural Employers.‘

The webinar covered work permit supports from IRCC, the Agri-Food Immigration Pilot (AFIP), and What’s NEW, Express Entry for Ag +
Recognized Employer Program details.

• Download the PowerPoint presentation HERE.
• View the recording of the webinar here:

[su_youtube url=”https://youtu.be/YONKrsHmDiY”]

Summer 2022 CFIA invited the submission of new/current scientific information in regard to the health of and management of honey bee diseases and pests in the United States and Canada.

The Commission in collaboration with US beekeeping organizations and the Canadian Beekeepers Federation prepared and submitted 16 peer reviewed scientific papers in regard to the 4 risks identified in 2014 as well as control program and surveillance information in the US.

Mid August 2023 CFIA announced they would be undertaking a new risk assessment to evaluate the risks associated with the importation of honey bee packages from the United States.

With this announcement CFIA also invited the submission of any new/existing scientific information related to the health of honey bees or control programs in place to control disease agents and pests in Canada or in the United States.

Alberta Beekeepers Commission in collaboration with the American Beekeeping Federation, California State Beekeepers Association, American Honey Producers Association and the Canadian Beekeepers Federation prepared and submitted the following 22 documents to CFIA:

By Lynae Ovinge, M.Sc. Tech Transfer Program Lead. Updated July 2023.

Did you know there have been lawsuits about poor quality bee feed?

I recently watched Dr. Rob Currie’s presentation to the Manitoba Beekeepers Association on “The Importance of Quality Feed for Bees” which is available at www.manitobabee.org. I learned that in 1995 some “off-spec” corn syrup had been imported into Manitoba. Many beekeepers who bought this syrup lost hives, and Dr. Currie’s later investigations in the lab and in hives showed that bees fed off-spec syrup were much more likely to die than bees fed with standard corn syrup. He mentioned that the lawsuit filed by the beekeepers who bought the off-spec syrup was not settled until 14 years after the hives were lost!

Dr. Currie’s talk highlighted the real implications for beekeepers of knowing what makes up their sugar syrup. Beekeepers need to be sure that the syrup they’re purchasing is high quality, and not off-spec.  In Canada, there are three main sugar syrups that are fed to bees, and as they come from different plants, there are considerations to be had when making the decision on what syrup to feed to your bees.

‘In most cases the sugar syrup Alberta beekeepers received in 2020 and 2023 was cane sugar rather than beet sugar.’

Types of bee-fed sugars

Beet Sugar – In most years, the majority of Albertan beekeepers feed beet sugar which is produced by the Lantic/Rogers factory in Taber from sugar beets grown in Southern Alberta. In Dr. Currie’s presentation he mentioned that he has done many feeding trials and always finds that sucrose (the type of sugar in beet syrup) is the gold standard for bee feed, so it is wonderful to have a local source of it in Alberta!

Cane Sugar – Sugar cane is grown in tropical countries where it is partially refined after harvest, and then shipped and further refined at factories such as Lantic/Rogers in Vancouver or Montreal. Once refined, this sugar is also sucrose (very good bee feed) and very similar to beet sugar. However, because it comes from a tropical grass, cane sugar is a C4 sugar while Beet sugar is a C3 sugar (more on this in the chemistry section).

Corn Syrup – High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) is extensively fed to bees in the US and eastern Canada (including Manitoba) but is not commonly fed in Alberta. As its name implies, it has high levels of the sugar fructose but also contains glucose. Dr. Currie also mentioned that his studies have found that HFCS is not as good for bees as sucrose. Additionally, if HFCS is heated, it produces a chemical called hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) which can harm the digestive tracts of bees and potentially kill an entire hive. It tends to be much cheaper than sucrose in the areas where it is commonly used as bee feed. Corn syrup is also a C4 sugar.

Did you know? Molasses is a by-product of sugar cane processing, but beet molasses is non-food grade, so its mostly used for yeast production or animal feed.

Chemistry

Due to rampant honey adulteration, honey is extensively tested for the presence of sugars to determine if: 1) honey has been directly diluted with a sugar syrup, or 2) if bees have been fed with a sugar syrup to make “honey”. Two of the laboratory tests commonly performed when honey shipments are checked for adulteration are a sucrose test and a C4 sugar test.

The sucrose test analyzes the percentage of sucrose in honey. As natural honey typically contains glucose and fructose with very low levels of sucrose, the presence of sucrose at certain levels indicates honey that is not natural. Therefore, if bees were fed sucrose and the resultant honey extracted, they would fail this test (5% is a common “fail-rate”).

The C4 sugar test tests for the presence of C4 sugars in honey. C4 is a photosynthesis pathway unique to tropical grasses (such as corn or sugar cane), so it can be used as a test for honey adulteration because bees would never collect nectar from a tropical grass. Therefore, if bees are fed cane sugar or corn syrup and the resultant honey extracted, they would fail the C4 sugar test (7% is a common fail-rate). However, due to beets being a C3 plant, if bees are fed beet sugar and the resultant honey extracted, the honey would pass the C4 sugar test, but would fail the sucrose test.

Interesting side note: Manuka honey sometimes fails the C4 sugar test and no one currently knows why.

All this chemistry becomes relevant when beekeepers are trying to keep their bees fed during very late and cold spring seasons, or have bees located near uneducated beekeepers. Here are a few examples of when beekeepers should be concerned:

1) Due to long rainy periods with almost no dandelions to provide nectar, the bees might require syrup in early to mid June. If the weather changes suddenly and the nectar flow comes quick the bees may not consume the syrup and instead store the syrup in the honey supers.

2) An uneducated beekeeper is barrel-feeding syrup to nucs in July, and nearby bees owned by another beekeeper forage on it and deposit the sugar syrup into honey supers.

There is a possibility in these cases for the beekeeper’s honey to fail C4 sugar tests or sucrose tests. Therefore, it is advised that if beekeepers suspect that if any sugar syrup may have gotten into their supers to have any associated shipments of honey tested before they leave the farm. Some of the labs accepting honey samples are Intertek and Labs-Mart. Beekeepers should also check with their supplier to see what type of sugar syrup they have received. In most cases the sugar syrup Alberta beekeepers received in 2020 and 2023 was cane sugar rather than beet sugar.

Check for a 22 when you buy Rogers granulated or icing sugar at the store, that means it comes from the Taber Beet Factory, and is 100% Canadian sugar! Unfortunately, buying sugar to feed your bees is a bit more complicated when you’re buying tanker loads of it, so check with your supplier on whether you’ve purchased cane or beet sugar.

Owners: Barb Thyr & Dave Tharle

Location: Ardmore

Social info: Facebook

Question:      How did you get involved in this sweet industry – what’s your story?

Answer:

My parents were married just before WW II and had a number of hired men on the farm. Sugar was rationed during the war, so my mother learned to use honey as the sweetener in most everything; cooking, baking, canning, etc. (during this time you could even sponsor a hive or hives). When the war ended, she just continued to use it, because of the texture and flavours of the things she made with it.  A trip would be made annually east into the Bassano/Brooks irrigation districts for alfalfa honey or west to Nanton/High River for the clover-wildflower honey produced in the foothills; sometimes both. When I came into their lives, I loved these trips and was fascinated by the whole process. We would take an assortment of 2, 4 & 8 lb. containers (the latter 2 sizes being the traditional tins with compression lids) in apple crates and obtain several hundred pounds while I’d ask the poor beekeeper a million questions. When we brought them home, they were placed in a deep freeze so we could have fresh, liquid honey year-round.

There was a beekeeping section in the Western Producer and when I turned 16, I ordered my first equipment from Henry Pirker, Debolt AB. Mr. Pirker also offered a correspondence course which I signed up for and letters were sent back & forth during the first season. Beekeeping in Alberta was 99% packages at that time. Even though the gophers pack a bag lunch where I grew up, I got frames drawn and made some honey.  When I moved to Edmonton to attend University, I joined the Edmonton & District Beekeepers Association and made a point of getting to know as many beekeepers as possible. I would offer to work with them and was regularly called upon in spring to help shake packages (because I was young and still had a back). During this time, I continued to expand my hive numbers, working with an established hobbyist. We ran our hives mostly along Hwy 14 east from Sherwood Park and built a 14’ x 26’ (garage package) extracting plant in the hamlet of Bruce. We ran 250 hives through it at the peak using a Maxant Chain Uncapper, a 60 frame Hodgeson, an OAC sump and a 1000lb settling tank.

In the late 70’s & early 80’s I spent some time during summers as an Apiary Inspector for Alberta Agriculture, working for both Roger Topping and then Doug Colter. Eventually I decided that I wanted to do beekeeping full time and moved to Grimshaw to work for John & Bev Woodburn’s Polar Bear Honey. After a couple of seasons in the Peace my wife and I decided to relocate to Cold Lake, Alberta and have been here ever since. At this point, she joined me in the bee yard and T’N’T Apiaries was born.

Question:         What’s a typical day like for you?

Answer:

I’m a morning person.  During bee season, I’m usually awake by 5:30 – 6 and doing paperwork, etc. in the office. I try to be in the shop by 7am and one of the great things about beekeeping is there really isn’t a typical day. You can cross half a dozen trade lines (electrician, plumber, mechanic, excavator…….) in a single day.

Question:         What is the most satisfying part of being a beekeeper?

Answer:

Bringing hives to their full potential and then producing a quality product that people enjoy.

Question:         How have things like new research, sustainability, innovation, and technology influenced your beekeeping?

Answer:

They’re always influencing it. Thankfully Barb is more reluctant to jump on the latest band wagon and I think we’re able to make good compromises about what things we adopt into the business.

Question:         Finding great sources of nutritional forage for your bees is an integral part of crafting delicious, pure Alberta honey and supporting pollination and biodiversity. What are some of the strategies you use to when selecting apiary locations for your hives?

Answer:

We’re really fortunate in this region to still have a significant amount of pasture and hay lands mixed throughout grain and oilseed fields. We’re mostly concerned about whether or not the location works year-round.

Question:         What is one of the biggest challenges you feel the Alberta beekeeping industry is facing and what would you like to see changed?

Answer:

I think our biggest issue is, and will be for some time, Varroa.  A close second (this likely won’t surprise those that know me) is labour. Not everyone in government realizes (or perhaps accepts) just how reliant we are on TFWs. I look back 20+ years and see the advancements which have occurred since Grant Hicks and I would beat our heads against the wall over some of the policies and procedures we used to jump through, but it could still be so much more straight forward for us and the Government.

Question:         With such a short beekeeping season in Alberta, how do you manage all the work required to support and maintain the health of your hives and harvest your honey?

Answer:

Preseason prep and hired Labour! Barb and I used to try doing everything ourselves, thinking that having employees’ cost you money, but once we hired staff, we found out how much more honey/money we could make with basically the same resources.

Question:         What is the strangest beekeeping question you have ever been asked?

Answer:

Although not really a question, one of my all-time favorites was being told they couldn’t eat our “creamed” honey, because the dairy in it was bad for their cholesterol.

Question:         If you were to describe your honey in four words, what words would you use?

Answer:

Most years: Light, sweet, smooth, aromatic. Not so sure in 2021. Lots of darker product this year.

Question:      What types of honey do you sell, and do you sell other bee related products?

Answer: 

When Covid derailed her graduation plans, our daughter started selling flavoured honeys made with our honey, and beeswax candles.

Question:      Where can people buy your honey and products?

Answer:

At our farm gate or from Micwellas.com

Question:      What are you happiest doing when you are not working?

Answer:

When beekeeping became my job, I started doing dog agility as a hobby.

Many years ago at Convention a gentleman from one of Alberta’s beekeeping dynasties (grew up keeping bees and was well into his eighties) shared the following advice: “If you think you understand everything about bees, you’re a damn fool.”  Words to live by here.

Owners: Lorne & Alida Prins

Location: Gull Lake, Alberta

Social info: Facebook

Question:      How did you get involved in this sweet industry – what’s your story?

Answer:

Compared to many of the people reading this we are relatively new to the beekeeping scene. This is our 4th season as a commercial operation and 2nd season running out of our own extraction facility. Beekeeping on a commercial scale was not something we had ever really thought about prior to 2018 – we were both employed full time in the construction sector; Alida in administration, and Lorne from a background of trades and international construction management. It just so happened that when we were exploring employment options that would bring us back to Lacombe County where Lorne grew up, two local beekeepers (John Luymes and Howard Oudman) were downsizing and made hives and established yards available, as well as provided valuable mentoring needed for us to get the ball rolling. We took the challenge and jumped in with both feet. We went into the first winter with around 500 hives and have been adding about 500 hives per year. We anticipate a few more years of growth.

Question:         What’s a typical day like for you?

Answer: Depending on the season, as a growing operation we spend our winter days building equipment and planning and strategizing for the upcoming year.  Along with caring for our 10 month old son, Alida is full time in the honey House, running the store, packing honey, pouring candles, giving tours, responding to our retailers, and dealing with the multiple vendors that are selling local products at our store.  Lorne coordinates field activities and spends as much time in the hives as possible. He has also started a queen grafting program, with the hopes of producing our own queens for replacement and expansion needs.

Question:         What is the most satisfying part of being a beekeeper?

Answer: Do we have to choose just one?

• checking mating nucs (and finding high success rates)
• filling barrels with honey
• Hearing someone say “I never knew that!” when you explain to them one of many amazing facts about honey bees
• Meeting local landowners that really love having bees on their property.

Question:         How have things like new research, sustainability, innovation, and technology influenced your beekeeping?

Answer: The IPM sessions have been a really valuable source of information, and have influenced our mite control and hive nutrition programs.

Question:         Finding great sources of nutritional forage for your bees is an integral part of crafting delicious, pure Alberta honey and supporting pollination and biodiversity. What are some of the strategies you use to when selecting apiary locations for your hives?

Answer: Our most successful yards are the ones in short distance to standing water and with a good mix of green space and cultivated land. Yards with good early forage, like willows, really seem to help with hive buildup, and protection from Northwest wind in the winter also helps with reducing winter loss.

Question:         What is one of the biggest challenges you feel the Alberta beekeeping industry is facing and what would you like to see changed?

Answer: As the countryside becomes increasingly populated with small acreages and subdivisions, access to land for bee yards has been more difficult to secure. Ongoing public awareness and education on the benefits of honeybees as pollinators as well as honey producers will help increase interest and support.

Question:         With such a short beekeeping season in Alberta, how do you manage all the work required to support and maintain the health of your hives and harvest your honey?

Answer: We do a lot of running.

Question:         What is the strangest beekeeping question you have ever been asked?

Answer: We have been offering honey house tours and activities for homeschool families – so we get a lot of elementary aged guests. One inquisitive boy wanted to know if its true that boy bees explode after mating.

Question:         If you were to describe your honey in four words, what words would you use?

Answer: Better than Tees Bees

Question:      What types of honey do you sell, and do you sell other bee related products?

Answer: We sell a variety of raw honey, pulled from different times of year and different locations with different forage. We also sell creamed honey, as well as a cinnamon creamed honey which is a fan favorite. We sell a lot of pure beeswax candles and beeswax by weight. We also sell bee pollen, lip balm made from beeswax and reusable beeswax food wraps.

Question:      Where can people buy your honey and products?

Answer: We have a farm store attached to our honey house that is open Monday-Saturday each week. Alida also sells some of our products at the local farmers market in Bentley AB.

Question:      What are you happiest doing when you are not working?

Answer: Is there ever such a time?

Owners: Zwiers Family

Location: Foothills, Alberta

Social info:

• Website

Question:      How did you get involved in this sweet industry – what’s your story?

Answer: Jon- I got involved at a very young age. My very first job was just taking off the lids and then putting them back on once my dad and brother had done the actual hive work. I have fond memories exploring yards. It was during these formative years that I found a passion for nature and started to appreciate the industry and science behind it.

Question:         What’s a typical day like for you?

Answer: During the high season, we typically start at 7am and go over the plan for the day. There is some extracting followed by the most important part of any good farmers’ day… coffee time! This fuels us all to head out into the fields during the afternoon. There is an inevitable mix of problem solving, machine maintenance, work coordination and strategy development. Work is always kept interesting!

Question:         What is the most satisfying part of being a beekeeper?

Answer: Because we know honeybees aren’t native to Alberta and our climate can be unforgiving, one of the most gratifying parts of being a beekeeper is seeing a live, healthy colony at the end of winter. There is a little bit of you that thinks “hey, I played a part in keeping these important little creatures alive.”

Question:         How have things like new research, sustainability, innovation, and technology influenced your beekeeping?

Answer: Over the last 35 years, with advancements in technology and innovation, commercial beekeeping can be more efficient in its production of honey and beeswax. Having the ability to easily share and access research has certainly helped us integrate the best beekeeping practices possible.

Question:         Finding great sources of nutritional forage for your bees is an integral part of crafting delicious, pure Alberta honey and supporting pollination and biodiversity. What are some of the strategies you use to when selecting apiary locations for your hives?

Answer: There are several components that combine to make a “perfect” hive location. The best yields come from a sheltered site with a nearby water source and early blooming vegetation.

Question:         What is one of the biggest challenges you feel the Alberta beekeeping industry is facing and what would you like to see changed?

Answer: The biggest challenge our industry faces is probably a farmer’s favorite topic and the aspect we have the least control over… the weather. We can see four seasons in a single day. Honestly though, I wouldn’t change it!

Question:         With such a short beekeeping season in Alberta, how do you manage all the work required to support and maintain the health of your hives and harvest your honey?

Answer: You need to have a good plan, a great team and even better work ethic. And you can’t be afraid to get dirty.

Question:         What is the strangest beekeeping question you have ever been asked?

Answer: Once at a school presentation, a student asked how quick a bee can fly? Firsthand, all I can say is that it’s certainly faster than I can run (ouch!). But according to Google, it’s approximately 30km/hr. So, the next time you’re driving through a school zone, keep this fun fact in mind.

Question:         If you were to describe your honey in four words, what words would you use?

Answer: The Finest There Is.

Question:      What types of honey do you sell, and do you sell other bee related products?

Answer: We like to keep our sales simple with just the best quality natural, raw, unpasteurized honey and beeswax. We occasionally also dabble in lip balms and therapeutic bee venom cream.

Question:      Where can people buy your honey and products?

Answer: Our products are available at the farm or by visiting our website for contact details. During the summer you can also find us at a local farmers’ markets getting to know all the neighbors.

Question:      What are you happiest doing when you are not working?

Answer: Taking on adventure, hiking the beautiful Rockies, and spending time with my favorite people. If there is a good cup of coffee, that is also a delight.

Wishing everyone has a great season, thanks for reading and all the best!

Owners: Glyn and Shevelle Stephens

Location: Spruce Grove, AB

Social info:

• www.revivalqueenbees.com
• www.instagram.com/revivalqueenbees/
• vm.tiktok.com/ZMeyDL1H6
• www.facebook.com/revivalqueenbees

How did you get involved in this sweet industry – what’s your story?

Glyn grew up breeding queen bees at his family’s apiary in New Zealand. His parents were commercial queen breeders and he and his 4 siblings started helping with beekeeping tasks at young ages. He went on to study biology and chemistry at the University of Canterbury, where he met Shevelle, a Canadian biologist studying abroad. After moving to Alberta, Glyn worked as an Inspector for Alberta Agriculture and quickly noticed a lack of local queen bees. With a strong background in queen production, Glyn and Shevelle founded Revival Queen Bees, an apiary dedicated to supplying locally produced queens to Alberta beekeepers. They also sell queen cells, virgins, and a small amount of honey and other merchandise.

What’s a typical day like for you?

We usually get started working the bees as soon as it is warm enough in the morning. Most of our time is spent in the mating nucs picking queens and placing cells. We also graft and move cells from starters to finishing hives most days. We run a small number of hives for honey production, so harvest time is particularly busy for us.

What is the most satisfying part of being a beekeeper?

Watching how industrious the bees can be. We also enjoy being able to work outdoors

How have things like new research, sustainability, innovation, and technology influenced your beekeeping?

Keeping up to date with developments is a good way to improve management techniques. We try to incorporate recent findings and innovation/technology into our operation. Probiotics, nutritional supplements, and oxalic acid applicators are all examples of recent changes to our operation as a result of emerging research or innovation.

Breeding queens in Alberta has it’s challenges due to our relatively short beekeeping season, how have you adapted your practices to suit the Alberta environment?

We use larger mating nucs so they can better withstand temperature swings in the spring. We also amalgamate our mating nucs fairly early to make sure they are able to winter successfully.

Why is it important to breed queens in Alberta?

Queens that are bred for conditions in Alberta will result in stronger, healthier hives. Producing queens in Alberta will also reduce our reliance on imported bees and will make us less susceptible to border and policy changes. As an added bonus, queens produced close by have less risk of being exposed to temperature extremes during shipping. This means that the queens are in better condition when they go into a hive.

What is one of the biggest challenges you feel the Alberta beekeeping industry is facing and what would you like to see changed?

Amitraz resistance. There is a lot of great research being done but more mite treatment options, particularly those that work while the hive is full of brood, would be beneficial.

What is the strangest beekeeping question you have ever been asked?

We were once asked to set our bees free so they weren’t trapped inside the hive 24/7

Do you sell any other bee related products?

Primarily queen cells and virgin queens, but we sell a small amount of honey and printed merchandise.

Where can people buy your queens?

A small number of queens are available for purchase on our website (www.revivalqueenbees.com), but most are available on a waitlist basis so it’s best to call Glyn at 587 938 7474

What are you happiest doing when you are not working?

Brewing cider and mead.

Written by: Drew Walker, 2023 TTP Apiculture Technician

Drew Walker has over 5 years of full-time experience as a professional heirloom gardener and greenhouse manager. She has been certified in beekeeping and integrated pest management since 2020 and is currently working as an Apiculture Technician for the Alberta Beekeeper’s Commission. Drew is also enrolled in the Landscape Architectural Technology program at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT), graduating in 2025.

Why plant native seeds?

To be an environmental steward and eco-warrior, it is of the utmost importance that we create more food sources for local pollinators by planting native seed varieties. Pollinators and flowering plants have formed a mutualistic symbiotic relationship over thousands of years, where one benefits from the other in order to survive. By planting native seeds, food sources are made available to and attract pollinators. In turn, these insects, primarily, are able to cross-pollinate flowers and positively increase our local biodiversity over time. Ultimately, this creates the most sustainable habitat in natural areas.

As defined by O’Toole and Raw (1991), “[Pollination] is the flower’s equivalent of the mating process; it is the process by which the male spores or pollen grains are transported from the flowers of one plant to those of another.” Since flowering plants are literally rooted in place, they rely on other agencies to pollinate them, which is a precept to fertilization. There are several methods of pollination for well-adapted flowers, but the vast majority of known species are pollinated by bees. “Bees are the most effective pollinators simply because they and their offspring are entirely committed to a diet of food collected from flowers. Bees therefore make repeated visits to flowers, ensuring a high rate of pollen transport from flower to flower.”  (O’Toole & Raw, 1991, p. 128).

In modern society, people often fight against nature to dissuade bugs from their homes and yards. For example, screened in porches, citronella, and bug-sprays are all normalized methods of deterring insects from our lives. However, an abundance of insect-life is a telling sign of a healthy ecosystem. Pollinators, in particular, can add a special kind of biodiversity into your yards, farms, apiaries, and gardens. When picturing my favourite memories in the garden, I am met with moments of bumble bees pollinating my blooms, butterflies tickling my forearms, and birds singing all around. These are not creatures to fear, but rather creatures to welcome, nurture, and embrace.

Smooth Fleabane

Native seeds are a great choice for planting because they are naturally adapted to Alberta’s harsh, zone 3 climate, and they also act as food sources for local animals and pollinators that have developed together for millennia. In addition, native plants typically require less human work to maintain over time due to their ability to thrive in the natural environment. As the gardener, you will also be rewarded with a lush meadow-like landscape, natural abundance, and several plants that can be used intentionally, if desired, upon harvesting (i.e., pressed-flower art; using in tea blends; creating home-made remedies; garnishing meals; gifting to your neighbours; etc.).

For Transparency’s Sake

Native seeds can be a little bit tricky to get started, but they certainly require less attention over time. Native plants are more hands-off from a gardening perspective as less watering, fertilizing, and trimming is needed over time. When sowing the seeds, I recommend overseeding because native seeds have a lower germination rate than many other flowering plants. If you get lucky and have great success during the germination stage, you can always thin out the seedlings later as needed. In the early stages of these plants, you may need to pluck weeds on a weekly basis to allow the plants more access to resources (i.e., water; sunlight; nutrients; air; and space). Be sure to label your seeds or plants in the garden so that you don’t accidentally pluck the thing you’re trying to grow!

Common Tall Sunflower photo by Manna Parseyan

Several native seeds require cold stratification to germinate and grow. This concept may sound intimidating but, generally speaking, the seeds need to be started by placing them in the fridge under moist conditions for 4-6 weeks. All seed packets will come with planting instructions, and it is best practice to follow the directions given for each variety of seeds. Over time, some of the plants may need to be split into multiple plants because they are overgrown; this presents a great opportunity to continue expanding your personal meadow. The beauty of gardening is that there is no one way of doing things, so try to find a process that works for you, and that you enjoy along the way! I prefer to direct sow outdoors and hope for the best – sometimes you’ll get a surprise sprout years later which is always delightful.

Purchasing Native Seeds and Plants

Showy Aster

One of the greatest barriers to planting native seeds is the lack of availability at retail stores. Your best bet in finding a supplier would be a local garden centre, greenhouse, or farmers market. I highly recommend phoning retailers in advance because, even if it’s advertised that native seeds or plants are available, often they will sell out quickly. In my experience, I have found that native seeds, as opposed to rooted plants, are more accessible, affordable, and gratifying to grow in the long run.

If you decide to purchase seeds instead of plants, try to find a local supplier. I’m based out of Edmonton, Alberta, and prefer to purchase my seeds from Edmonton Native Plants Society. Often, there are focused plant groups available to join on social media, specific to your area. I encourage you to join these groups and interact with fellow community members, keeping an eye out for seed swaps and sales. These groups are also a great resource for any questions you may have along your planting journey! The Alberta Native Plants Society (ANPS) has an excellent resource for information on sourcing native seeds and plants. Included is also an extensive list of Albertan native species.

When choosing your native seeds and/or plants, the options can feel excitedly overwhelming. Try to keep in mind that bees prefer a diverse variety of flowers based on their shapes, sizes, colours, and blooming times; and allow that information to guide your decision-making in the garden! Here’s a list of my personal favourite flowering native plants (common names used):

Native Flowering Plants for Pollinators 

Alberta Native Plant Council – Plant Suppliers & Species 

Pussy willows covered in pollen

Although the intention behind this article is to encourage planting native flowering seeds, there are also many non-flowering native perennials, trees, and shrubs that provide great benefit to local pollinators. In addition, non-native species of annual flowering plants, trees, and shrubs, can be an effective source of pollen and nectar for honey bee populations. If you’re more interested in planting trees and/or shrubs, a few that I recommend for attracting bees and other pollinators include: willows (pussy willows, in particular); poplars; elms; pin and choke cherries; saskatoon berries; and raspberries. Further, consider substituting a traditional lawn for a clover lawn (i.e., sweet clover, white clover, red clover, and/or alsike clover), as clover is a major nectar source for honey bees during the summer. Lastly, this is your friendly reminder that dandelions are one of the first and major sources of nectar for honey bees in the spring, so try resisting the temptation to pull these suckers. Afterall, weeds are just plants in the wrong spot…for us humans, anyways! (Unless they are considered noxious weeds, then pull those suckers out to protect the native species!)

Planting Native Seeds

Early spring is the best time of year to sow native seeds in the garden. Warming temperatures in combination with moisture from the snowmelt give plants an ideal environment to survive and thrive. Mid-April to mid-May is the typical time of year for planting in Alberta. Don’t worry about a late spring snowfall, as native seeds are hardy to Alberta’s climate. Try to avoid planting anything in the heat of the summer, as your seeds and/or plants will be more susceptible to drying out or potentially burning from excess sun exposure.

Fall is another good time for planting seeds, as that is typically the time of year when established plants are naturally dropping seeds themselves. Aim to plant at the end of September or early October, just before the temperature drops and we prepare for snow. Snow will act as a great insulator for plants over the winter and facilitate the seeds through the natural cold stratification process. Come springtime, those plants will be off to a great start as the snow melts and gives them a thirst-quenching drink!

Meadow Blazingstar photo by Natasha Stairs

If planting seedlings (baby plants, as opposed to seeds), dig a hole that is twice the size of the plant that you’re planting. This will ensure that the soil is broken up and allows the plant less resistance to take root. It’s a great idea to add some soil amendments into the hole before planting to ensure plenty of nutrients are available. Some amendments to consider are: compost; manure; worm castings; and bonemeal. Compost is most recommended for native seeds. If you are having trouble digging into your soil because it’s too hard, consider adding some peat moss, vermiculite, or dried leaves for aeration. The success of your garden starts in the soil, but native plants are used to soils that aren’t the most nutrient rich, so don’t lose any sleep over it! If planting from seed, it’s best to follow the directions on the seed packet, as previously mentioned. Generally speaking, seeds can be sown at a depth of 1cm with 5cm of space between seeds.

After you’ve planted, your main job is to ensure that the plant stays watered and supported as needed (i.e., common tall sunflowers may need staking over time). For native plants and seeds, the best practice is to water your plants once or twice a week if there is insufficient rainfall for the first month after planting (Edmonton Native Plant Society, 2022). After this point, the plant should be established enough for its environment, unless there is a period of drought, at which time, give those plant babies a drink. One nice thing about native plants is that it is not necessary to fertilize them since they are not used to a nutrient-rich soil. Fertilizing native plants can actually do more harm than good, causing the plants to grow tall and fast with less stability and fewer blooms.

For added moisture retention, apply a 5cm layer of mulch on top of the soil after planting. If planting from seed, wait until the seeds have sprouted prior to applying mulch. Wood chips, moss, dried leaves, and grass clippings are all an affordable option for organic mulching – take your pick! The mulch applied on top of the soil will act like a sponge, absorbing additional water which will be available to the plant as needed. Not only is mulch an excellent tool for moisture retention, but it can also create a finished appearance on the planting job. Both functional and aesthetically pleasing; my favourite!

Summary

In summary, planting native seeds is the best way to encourage a sustainable ecosystem for both plants and local pollinators. When choosing what to plant, ensure that there is diversity in the characteristics of the flowers and the time of year that they bloom. It is of the utmost importance that pollinators, especially bees, have access to nectar and pollen in the early spring and late fall seasons for successful overwintering. Although planting native seeds is the best option for local biodiversity, there are also many non-native flowering plants that positively impact pollinators in Alberta. A native garden can sometimes be slow to start, but it’s evolution over time will come naturally and with beautiful ease to the gardener.

References

Alberta Native Bee Council. (N.D.). Alberta Native Bee Council’s Recommended Native Flowering Plant List for Pollinators. https://www.albertanativebeecouncil.ca/s/Alberta-Native-Bee-Council_-Recommended-Native-Flowering-Plant-List-for-Pollinators.xlsx

Alberta Native Bee Council. (N.D.). Wildflowers for Alberta’s Wild Bees.  https://static1.squarespace.com/static/606b8faa2fe89f1dd38642e8/t/60d3950f2d81ab158df69ba0/1624478992337/Wildflowers+for+Alberta%27s+Wild+Bees.pdf

Currie, R., Dixon, D., Tuckey, K., van Westendorp, P., & Gruszka, J. (1998). Beekeeping in Western Canada. Nectar and Pollen Plants (pp. 31-35). Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development.

Dodd, C. (N.D.). Plants for Pollinators. Edmonton Native Plant Society. https://cdn.sanity.io/files/d59screl/production/58a28ddcd5a30cba7ca7f65e3519287f588e12be.pdf

Edmonton Native Plant Society. (2022.) Plant Index. https://www.edmontonnativeplantsociety.ca/wfindex

Edmonton Native Plant Society. (2012). Pollen and Nectar Plants Table. https://cdn.sanity.io/files/d59screl/production/9c93b3ef6618c8462602a22d37298be9d59b8512.pdf

Inkpen, W., & Van Eyk, R. (2009). Guide to the Common Native Trees and Shrubs of Alberta. Government of Alberta. https://open.alberta.ca/dataset/5654dd7f-9c73-496d-9163-99fc6601be6f/resource/7c8a17bd-3e50-4b45-975f-689ae8a6336e/download/2009-guide-common-native-trees-shrubs-alberta.pdf

Mader, E., Shepherd, M., Vaughan, M., & Black, S. (2011). Attracting Native Pollinators: Protecting North America’s Bees and Butterflies. Storey Publishing.

O’Toole, C., & Raw, A. (1991). Bees of the World. Bees and Flowers (pp. 128-140). Facts on File, Inc.

Shearer, J. (2021). Native Plant Source List. Alberta Native Plant Council. https://www.albertanativebeecouncil.ca/s/ANPC-Native-Plant-Source-Updated-FInished-May-9-2021-Jill-Shearer-LH_2.xlsx

Stairs, N. (N.D). Supporting Native Bees in Your Landscape with Locally Sourced Native Plants. https://www.albertanativebeecouncil.ca/blog/supporting-native-bees-in-your-landscape-with-locally-sourced-native-plants

Enter your Alberta honey and hive products in the 2023 Alberta Honey & Hive Contest and be in the running to win over $1000 in cash prizes!

The ABC has partnered with Farmfair International to bring you the 2023 Alberta Honey Show where a panel of experienced judges will determine the cream (and liquid and flavoured!) of the crop of honey and hive products being locally produced in Alberta, by Alberta beekeepers.

There are five classes of entry plus an overall ‘Best in Show’ class that includes $500 in prize money.

Classes of entry include:

1. Liquid Honey
2. Creamed Honey
3. Flavoured Honey
4. Hive Products – Personal Care: lip balm, body butter, etc.
5. Hive Products – Innovation: bees wax wraps, fire starters, furniture polish etc.

Each class will be awarded a first, second and third place and all winners will receive a ribbon and prize money, plus have their winning entries showcased on display at the 2023 Farmfair International event that is taking place at the Edmonton EXPO Centre from November 8 to 11, 2023.

For all the information on how to submit your entries, classes, criteria, and prize money, please download the 2023 Alberta Honey Show Fairbook here.

About Farmfair International

For over 45 years, Farmfair International has been one of Canada’s top agricultural shows and Alberta’s largest beef cattle show. Exhibitors from across western Canada, gather in Edmonton each November to showcase their top livestock genetics to purebred producers, local ranchers and international buyers.

Visitors are entertained, educated and engaged with beefed-up purebred and commercial cattle shows, competitions, and clinics. Guests can enjoy a wide variety of western excitement, including stock dog trials, the Heritage Ranch Rodeo and more.

Alberta’s Next Top Honey Drum Designer

Drum roll for all Alberta creative designers out there looking for a unique design challenge that will allow them to showcase their creative range and expertise on a sweet new medium….

The Alberta Beekeepers Commission is excited to launch a brand new creative design challenge where the winning designer will have their unique design wrapped around a drum of pure, local, Alberta honey!

Not only will you have your design and branding featured on a drum full of one of Alberta’s sweetest commodities, but the drum will then be auctioned off at our annual beekeeping event where all the funds raised will go towards supporting honey bee health and the sustainability of the Alberta beekeeping industry.

WIN A SWEET PRIZE PACK VALUED AT OVER $300!

As well as sweet bragging rights, the winning designer will also win this great prize pack valued at over $300:

• Two flats of custom brewed Alberta beer, made with 100% pure Alberta honey (Buzz Buzz & After Swarm)
• 2 ‘Honey Bee Pollination Tour’ t-shirts
• Custom ‘5 of Bees’ Len Thompson fishing lures
• $100 gift voucher
• And lot’s of  pure, local, Alberta honey!

 Sharing Alberta’s sweet side – the creative brief:

• We are looking for a design that tells a unique story about the amazing, pure, local honey crafted right here in Alberta by our dedicated beekeepers and healthy honey bees.
• The design can include any elements of the beekeeping/honey industry (examples include bees, beekeepers, hives, honey, forage, flowers, pollination etc.)
• Drum specs: Finished size – barrel diameter 23.75″; Barrel Height: 34″. Flat Size: 38″ x 78″ (includes bleeds for wrapping around rolling hoops). Colours – CMYK.
• Branding to be included: Your logo, the ABC logo, and the Mauser Packaging logo. Download logo files: ABC Logo | Mauser Logo

Competition dates:

• Entries open May 15, 2023
• Entries close at midnight on September 30, 2023

Submission details:

To enter, please complete the form below and upload your design/s!

• You may submit more than one design. You may upload multiple design submissions under one entry (to a max of 4 designs).
• There will only be ONE winning design selected.
• Design submissions can be in PDF, JPEG or PNG files. Low-res files accepted for for judging purposes, with hi-res print file to be provide by winner upon selection. If the file is unable to be printed to print specifications, ABC reserves the right to select another winner.
• All submissions may be shared on ABC social media to promote designer and competition.
• Must be 18+ to enter

Judging

• All entries will be judged by our ABC board of directors (Alberta beekeepers) based on a set of predetermined criteria. Judges decision is final.
• Winner will be contacted via email, and winning entry will be shared across social media and announced in the Alberta Bee News Magazine.

ENTER HERE:

Name *

First

Last

Email *

Design inspiration

Tell us a little about your design inspiration and concept, what was the thought behind your design, why did you choose the elements you chose?

File Upload

Drag & Drop Files, Choose Files to Upload You can upload up to 4 files.

Please upload a copy of your design/s in either PDF, JPEG or PNG. File/s don't not need to be print ready at this stage. Files will only be used for viewing/judging purposes at this stage.

Submit

Special thanks to Mauser Packaging for generously donating the honey drums!

By Kieran Brett, Bootprint Marketing, on behalf of ABC.

So far this year, imports of bee packages into Canada are running well ahead of pre-COVID levels. Importers are reporting record numbers and are still turning business away. Alberta Bee News asked a range of stakeholders about this high demand and what this says about the viability of Canadian beekeepers.

Official figures on volume of bee package imports for 2023 aren’t available yet, but the Canadian Honey Council’s Rod Scarlett has a back-of-the-envelope number he’s pretty comfortable with.

“My guesstimate is that importers will bring in 65,000 packages in 2023,” says Scarlett, “but demand might have been even more.”

The 65,000 figure is 15% higher than 2022’s imports of 56,737 and 7.5 times more than 2021’s 8,600 packages imported. In pre-COVID times, Scarlett reports, annual package imports were generally in the upper 40,000s.

The Canadian Honey Council plays a supportive role in the annual bee import season. While not an importer as such, the group is on deck in the event of issues relating to transportation, quarantines, permits, border services and more.

What are the factors behind 2023’s high-traffic bee import season? As Scarlett notes, overwintering losses are key but mere survival isn’t enough.

“A lot depends on the strength of colonies,” he says. “Of those surviving the winter, if they’re strong you can split them. If they’re weak, you can’t. Plus, it depends on the nature of the business. For pollination, for example, colonies need to be strong.”

In 2022, according to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Australia (70.9%) and New Zealand (22.6%) accounted for the lion’s share of bee package imports into Canada. In 2023, newly or recently opened markets have made a mark. With Air Canada’s 787 aircraft now able to serve Chile (3,649 packages imported in 2022), the South American country can do more. With Italy and Ukraine also on board, Canadian importers and beekeepers have more options than in quite some time.

Even so, demand from Canadian beekeepers appears far higher than even 2023’s blockbuster numbers. Many beekeepers simply can’t get their hands on enough bees to keep their populations strong and healthy enough. What’s keeping them in the game? Ask Rod Scarlett.

“We have seen strong honey prices and I don’t see those weakening in the near future,” he says. “In fact, for commercial operators across Canada, there’s a lot of optimism. The price of honey provides the opportunity for a golden year.  We have seen major setbacks the past three years, but that opportunity is still there for 2023.”

Demand high, airline logistics remain an issue

For many years pre-COVID, Chris Bartel used to import 20,000 bee packages per year, routinely. He and his suppliers in New Zealand operated smoothly and efficiently, achieving a microscopic loss rate of 0.03%.

In 2023, after a major drop-off in the COVID years, Bartel has equaled or surpassed the 20,000 mark.

“We could have done more,” says Bartel, who operates Bartel Honey Farms near Oakbank, Manitoba. “We could do 10,000 to 20,000 more packages. There is demand over and above what’s available from airlines.”

He’s not pinning the supply-demand imbalance just on the airlines. Bartel wouldn’t mind if some of his package customers picked up the phone a bit earlier.

“Some customers want specific airlines and bees,” says Bartel. “It depends on when we get the order. If you want a certain producer and certain date, that might not be possible. If you call in the 3^rd week of April, there’s nothing we can do. That said, most have been quite flexible.”

Back in the day, Bartel and his suppliers had their transportation game down tight. It’s more complicated now. In Europe, for example, climate change rules won’t allow airlines to use dry ice in transporting bees. Some airlines can be hit and miss on their commitment, expertise and customer service.

Demand from Canadian beekeepers is huge. Supply from exporting countries is available. As Chris Bartel sees it, it’s the middle part that needs work.

“If we had airlines that could do the job rapidly and correctly, have the right knowledge and provide the right service, that’s what is needed,” he says. “It’s about routing and planning. The product is there – it’s a matter of getting reliable routes.”

Importer sees packages from Australia up sharply

From where Martin Regan sits, the post-COVID recovery in bee package imports into Canada is complete. While he’s still working on a few late-arriving deals, the Manager of B.C.-based importer Aussie Bees is looking at a record year for the trade.

Regan explains that his company’s 2021 imports were 50% higher than the dog days of COVID in 2020. From there, business grew by a further 20% in 2022. Then came 2023.

“There has definitely been an increase of packages into Canada,” says Regan. “It could be double over last year. And we could have done even more.”

What’s behind this year’s big jump? For one thing, Air Canada approved the use of 787 aircraft for bees. A new supplier from New Zealand also entered the market.

Demand from Canadian beekeepers has been white hot, a sign that points to troubling levels of winterkill and other issues.

“Beekeepers have had losses and they need bees,” says Regan. “Many people want to buy packages and can’t. At a certain point this spring, everyone had a waiting list for bees.”

Could a trade deal smooth bee imports?

For the past three years, Ontario-based Niagara Beeway has been importing Carpathian queen bees from Ukraine.

“These are mountain bees – they make early, fast broods,” says President George Scott. “They get here and they work quickly – they can get their work done in two months and you can be making splits in July. You can address overwintering losses very quickly and this is great for Canadian commercial producers.”

In 2023, Scott has imported some 2,000 Carpathian queens through LOT Polish Airlines. The demand coming to his door is for closer to 20,000 queens. Scott points to a large number of Ontario beekeepers who’ve either reduced production or shut their doors entirely in recent years.

“It’s great to get the queens in – but not easy,” says Scott. “The hassle and the cost are ridiculous. But we have to do this, so we do it.”

Each year, Canadian importers deal with producer partnerships, regulations, airline requirements, border issues and more – all in an effort to get enough bees here in healthy condition. There’s a lot of improvisation and the rules of the road aren’t always clear.

Does it have to be this way? Scott believes – given the size and importance of this trade – that a long-term vision would help.

Says Scott: “I want the federal government to do more to secure a bee trade agreement with international partners.”

 Strong imports, but concern about sustainability at home

 At the tail end of a busy bee import season, Mike Gordon has provided bees to his many hobby and commercial beekeeper customers.

“We were able to get more bees than last year and keep most people happy,” says Gordon, Manager of Dancing Bee Equipment in Dufresne, Manitoba. “You need a crystal ball in this business and we don’t have one. There are always people who want to order last minute.”

The company describes itself as Canada’s #1 beekeeping supplier. It does a brisk trade in bees, supplies, workshops and tours.

“We also have a commercial base that is much larger in volume terms,” says Gordon, “but serving hobby beekeepers is a higher margin business – that’s our bread and butter.”

He credits 2023’s high import traffic to strong demand from both hobby and commercial customers, plus new links to producers in Italy. Despite some issues with initial shipments, Gordon’s Italian suppliers could do more once the process is ironed out.

While the 2023 import season was a success, Gordon believes the Canadian beekeeping industry would ultimately be stronger by having less of it.

“Our biggest issue is, we send so much money abroad for imported bees,” he says. “We need to figure out how to keep more in Canada. We import queens but our local queens almost have better genetics. If we kept that money here, our industry could be more self-sustaining.”

The downside of high demand

In recent years, Mike Paradis has been among the more prominent importers of bee packages into Canada. Despite calling the 2023 season a success, he’s concerned about the implications of high demand from beekeepers.

“We have done about 12,000 packages this year,” says Paradis, a seventh-generation beekeeper who operates Paradis Honey near Girouxville, Alta. “That’s a good year but we only filled 50% of the orders we could have filled. The paperwork is still onerous but the flights are more regular.”

One of the biggest issues Paradis sees is timing. When Canadian beekeepers need bees in the spring, Australia and New Zealand are heading into winter. That’s not the best timing in his view but then again, these southern hemisphere suppliers know the business and can execute.

On a regulatory level, Paradis asks why adding some new markets takes much longer than adding other countries. He’d like to see a more consistent and predictable framework.

Strong import numbers, Paradis cautions, should not be a cause for celebrations. This means there are serious issues among Canadian beekeepers.

“We are doing more every year but when you have a good year importing bees that means losses in Canada are high,” he says. “Overwintering, long winters, short spring, cold wet spring, you name it. Heavy imports indicate that Canadian beekeepers are having problems.”

Note: Does not include queen bees and live bees that are not honey bees. Source: Statistics Canada. (CATSNET, March 2023)