Atlantic Canadian beekeepers meeting pollination needs

by Andrew Byers

Nationally, there’s a shortage of honeybees and a high demand for pollination services this season! The challenges of overwintering losses and disease have led to a perceived crisis in the Canadian pollination industry. Some individual Canadian beekeepers reported overwintering losses of 80-90 percent, which means as much as 90 percent of their honeybee colonies were dead this spring. Those individual farmers will take years to recover.

Honeybees – as the foundation of the pollination industry – may be in short supply nationally, but the situation is brighter in Atlantic Canada.

Although the Atlantic region’s beekeepers are indicating higher-than-average overwintering losses, the overall impression is that those losses are manageable. Exact numbers will be available shortly. Each province gathers statistics that are compiled into a national report published in July by the Canadian Association of Professional Apiculturists.

Last year, the national average of overwintering losses reported for all colonies and beekeepers surveyed was 23.2 percent. In Atlantic Canada, our beekeepers achieved results below the national average. Nova Scotia, for example, had average overwintering losses of only 12.2 percent for 2021. That was the lowest in the country! So, the expectation this year is that our beekeepers will again outperform their colleagues in westerly provinces.

There are reasons why overwintering losses are lower in Atlantic Canada. For instance, we have relatively mild winters due to the buffering effects of our maritime climate. As well, engaged beekeepers accessing training and professional development better manage harmful honeybee pests and diseases. Atlantic Canada has active beekeeping associations working to promote best practices.

Also, in the three Maritime provinces, significant numbers of bees are moved into the shelter of large buildings for the winter. Indoor overwintering mitigates the impact of inclement weather and reduces losses. So indoor overwintering in our region is another small reason for success.

Clearly not a single factor, but a combination of things helps keep losses down.

For beekeepers, relatively large annual losses are not uncommon, and 15 percent colony death is seen as reasonable. Bad years are difficult but not unexpected. One challenge is that although honeybees can thrive in our region, they are not native to Canada. The Western or European honeybee, kept by beekeepers in North America, originated outside of this region and they were brought here as domesticated insects. So, honeybees will adapt to long, cold winters, but when such weather is compounded by other challenges, high losses result.

Starvation, due to inadequate fall feeding, can result in honeybee colony death. Predatory shrews, which are voracious insectivores, will happily eat an entire honeybee colony during the winter. Other anthropogenic causes, general disease, and pest pressure will also weaken colonies – possibly leading to their death.

Even considering of all these causes, the primary reason for overwintering loss is still the Varroa mite.

Aptly called the Varroa destructor, the Varroa mite is an ectoparasitic mite that feeds on the honeybee’s fat stores. This parasite itself will weaken its host but it’s also a vector for most of the 24 viral diseases of honeybees. An example of one of these viruses, much reported in the news recently, is the Deformed wing virus (DWV). Young bees infected with DWV emerge with malformed wings, are unable to fly, and die after only a few days. Varroa mites and the diseases they transmit combine to devastate honeybee colonies.

Experienced beekeepers understand that they will lose a certain number of honeybees each year. The hope is that this number can be reduced and managed so available pollination and honey producing units are predictable and consistent each season. This year, there is high demand from the wild blueberry industry – by far the largest user of pollination services in the Atlantic region – as the price of berries has increased. So, with surge in demand and concerns about overwintering losses, anxiety around pollination services has risen.

Be assured that although not without difficulties, pollination needs are being met this season in Atlantic Canada. That’s because the industry has refocused on creating security in pollination supply. The weather is an uncontrollable factor in overwintering losses but controllable factors, such as proper Varroa mite control, are being prioritized. Efficient use of the current number of hives and increasing pollination capacity are priorities this year.

Beekeepers are working to support the success and expansion of our food production industries by buffering against fluctuations in the number of pollination units available annually due to varying overwintering losses. The Atlantic pollination industry is better off than other regions and for this we praise our beekeepers. Atlantic Canada’s beekeeping sector will recover quickly from this past winter, with some lessons learned, to ensure the health of our honeybees for the future!

(Dr. Andrew Byers is a senior apiculturist and program lead for the Atlantic Tech Transfer Team for Apiculture.)