Bee Imports 2023: Now That’s More Like it

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...

Nosema Ceranae and Lotmaria Passim, a dynamic duo

By Courtney Macinnis, Phd Student, Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada And University Of Alberta Notorious Nosema ceranae – what is it and what does it do? Nosema ceranae is a highly specialized fungal parasite capable of causing disease in adult honey bees. Honey bees become infected with N. ceranae by ingesting spores of the parasite, which...

New Beekeeper Services

By Renata Borba, Tech Transfer Program Lead, ABC The Alberta Beekeepers Commission recently launched two new service offerings as part of the Technology Transfer Program (TTP). These tailor-made services have been specifically designed to support the needs of commercial beekeepers in Alberta and provide valuable monitoring, testing, and evaluation of pests and pathogens in your...

European Foulbrood

By the Agriculture and Forestry Bee Health Assurance Team Background European foulbrood (Melissococcus plutonius) is a brood disease of honey bees, with near global distribution. In Alberta, European foulbrood (EFB) is listed as a bee disease under the Alberta Bee Regulation. Typically, symptoms of EFB ariseearly in the season, and spontaneously resolve with a strong...