Pollination

Alberta honey bees collect nectar from many sources, among them Alberta’s more than 6 million acres’ worth of canola crops.

Honey bees also provides pollination, without which today’s highly productive hybrid canola would not be possible. Hybrid canola seed production for all of Western Canada is located in southern Alberta. Thus, Alberta honey bees – along with other pollinators — ultimately make Canada’s $20 billion canola industry possible.

A number of Alberta Beekeepers Commission producers provide crop pollination services. ABC also has an agreement with five seed companies for pollination:

• Bayer Crop Science
• Nutrien Ag Solutions
• Hytech Seed Production
• BASF
• Corteva

Beyond what Alberta beekeepers are paid for pollination services, ABC receives $1 for each hive sent out by our producers to pollinate crops. This money is used to fund honey bee research. A Pollination Committee is being explored to determine how best to invest these funds in research.

Here’s more on the connection between honey bees and canola:

• Bees and Canola: A Sweet Relationship
• Statistical Overview of the Canadian Honey and Bee Industry and the Economic Contribution of Honey Bee Pollination, 2016