Alberta Bee News Magazine - December 2023

Alberta

BEE NEWS Serving the interests of the beekeepers of Alberta since 1933

DECEMBER 2023

Alberta Bee News

December 2023

In This Issue 03 - 05 2023 Conference & Trade Show Recap 06 - 10 Alberta Tech Transfer Program: Division of labour in a Colony: Who does what? Part two.

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Protocol for the Collection of Honey Reference Samples

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Alberta Tech Transfer Program: The Cluster

14 - 15 Recipe of the Month 17 - 31 Classifieds

Board of Directors President: CURTIS MIEDEMA BOX 39 SITE 11 RR1 Barrhead, AB T7N1N2 780.206.4483 miedemahoney@gmail.com

NW Region: RENE LAROCQUE RR1 Busby AB T0G 0H0 T 780.818.4268 larocquerene@hotmail.com

Vice President: LORNE PRINS RR3 Station Main Lacombe AB / T4L 2N3 780.893.2337 lorne.prins@gmail.com

Director at Large: BEVAN FORD RR1 Irma AB / T0B 2H0 780.806.1310 bevanford1976@gmail.com

Peace Region/CHC Delegate: RYAN HICKS BOX 625 McLennan AB T0H 2L0 / 780.837.0648 hicksry82@gmail.com

Director at Large: DAN PALA BOX 368 Wembley AB T0H 3S0 / 780.832.5809 d.pala@telus.net

NE Central Region: PAUL GREIDANUS 56107 Range Road 245 Sturgeon County, AB T8R 0M1 grapiaries@gmail.com

Director at Large: AMBER OZERO 2 51516 Range Road 15, Parkland Co, AB, T7Y 2E8 albertahoney@gmail.com

Treasurer DUSTIN RYAN 5543 Township Rd 302, Water Valley, AB T0M 2E0 dustin@fallentimbermeadery.ca CHC Director: JEREMY OLTHOF RR1 Tees AB T0C 2N0 T 403.872.4607 Teesbeesinc@gmail.com

Alberta Beekeepers Commission Fiscal Year September 1 to August 31.

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For further information please contact Alberta Beekeepers Commission 11434 - 168 Street, #102, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, T5M 3T9.

Tel. 780-489-6949, Fax 780-487-8640.

Canadian Publications Mail Product Sales Agreement #476579. ISSN 1191-4599. PM40010040 The opinions expressed in the articles printed in Alberta Bee News are those of the authors and not necessarily the Alberta Beekeepers Commission. Further we do not endorse any of the products, goods or services mentioned in this publication unless specifically stated. Articles are generally published as received.

Alberta Beekeepers Commission: 11434 - 168 Street, #102 Edmonton AB / T5M 3T9 T 780.489.6949 / F 780.487.8640 www.albertabeekeepers.ca CONNIE PHILLIPS, Executive Director C 780.289.5604 connie.phillips@albertabeekeepers.ca

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Alberta Bee News

December 2023

2023 Conference & Trade Show Recap

Platinum Sponsor:

It was a sell-out folks! Over 250 people from across Canada and the US joined us at this year’s ABC Conference and Trade Show event, as we celebrated our 90th year anniversary. A huge thank you goes out all beekeepers, speakers, sponsors, vendors, and special guests for making this such a successful event.

Special thanks to the 25 talented national and international speakers that joined us and shared their valuable insight and expertise, presenting updates on current research projects, disease and pest management strategies, queen production and health, health benefits of honey, industry regulatory issues and more.

Beekeeper of the Year Award Sponsor:

We would also like to thank all the vendors that participated in the sold-out trade show, showcasing the latest in industry information, tools, equipment, supplies and resources for the beekeeping industry.

We also wish to acknowledge and thank all our generous sponsors for providing their support and sponsorship to help make this event possible. We value your contribution towards supporting the health and sustainability of the Alberta beekeeping industry.

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Mark your calendar – the 2024 ABC Conference & Trade Show event is booked for November 18, 19, & 20, 2024 at the Fantasyland Hotel, Edmonton.

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December 2023

Division of Labour in a Colony: Who does what?

By Kayla deJong, TTP Summer Technician Part two of a two-part series.

PART TWO: Adulthood and Old Age …. Last month we looked at the division of labour in a colony between the three castes: queen, drones and workers. We dove into the workers especially and introduced the temporal caste system, wherein summer workers graduate to doing different tasks as they age. The roles of the first two temporal castes, cell cleaning (Days 0-4) and nursing (days 4-12), have already been examined, so let’s continue on to the next two: the middle-aged and forager bees.

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).

Figure 1 - 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

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.

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Alberta Bee News

December 2023

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).

Figure 2. Festooning

https://www.buzzaboutbees.net/festooningbees.html

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

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 7

entrance, ready to attack suspicioussmelling 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 www.albertabeekeepers.ca

Alberta Bee News

December 2023

Figure 3 – bees fanning at entrance. Shelley Hoover 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 8

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

Alberta Bee News

December 2023

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).

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?

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! 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!

Figure 4

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).

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Alberta Bee News

December 2023 REFERENCES: Arathi, H. S., Burns, I. and Spivak, M. (2003).

Ethology of Hygienic Behaviour in the Honey Bee Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae): Behavioural repertoire of Hygienic bees.

Ethology, 106, 365-379. https://doi-org.login. ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/10.1046/j.14390310.2000.00556.x Basile, R., Pirk, C. W., & Tautz, J. (2008).

Trophallactic activities in the honeybee brood nest--heaters get supplied with high performance fuel. Zoology (Jena, Germany), 111(6), 433–441. https://doi. org/10.1016/j.zool.2007.11.002 Breed, M.D., Robinson, G.E. & Page, R.E. (1990). Division of labor during honey bee colony defense. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 27, 395–401. https://doi. org/10.1007/BF00164065 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 Bujok, B., Kleinhenz, M., Fuchs, S. & Tautz, J. (2002). Hot spots in the bee hive. Naturwissenschaften 89, 299–301 (2002). https://doi-org.login.ezproxy.library. ualberta.ca/10.1007/s00114-002-0338-7

Herold, R. C., & Borei, H. (1963). Cytochrome changes during honey bee flight muscle development. Developmental Biology, 8, 67–79. https://doi.org/10.1016/00121606(63)90026-5 Jaycox, E. R., Skowronek, W., & Guynn, G. (1974). Behavioral Changes in Worker Honey Bees (Apis mellifera) Induced by Injections of a Juvenile Hormone Mimic. Annals of the Entomological Society of America, 67(4), 529534. https://doi.org/10.1093/aesa/67.4.529 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 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

foraging behaviour and alarm pheromone production. Journal of Insect Physiology, 31, 277-282. https://doi.org/10.1016/00221910(85)90003-4 Robinson, G. E., Page, R. E. Jr., Strambi, C. & Strambi, A. (1992). Colony Integration in Honey Bees: Mechanisms of Behavioral Reversion. Ethology, 90, 336-348. https://doi. org/10.1111/j.1439-0310.1992.tb00844.x Rueppell, O., Bachelier, C., Fondrk, M. K., & Page, R. E., Jr (2007). Regulation of life history determines lifespan of worker honey bees (Apis mellifera L.). Experimental gerontology, 42(10), 1020–1032. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. exger.2007.06.002 Seeley, T. D. (1995). The Wisdom of the Hive: The Social Physiology of Honey Bee Colonies.

President and Fellow, Harvard College.

Seeley, T.D. (1992). The tremble dance of the honey bee: message and meanings. Behavioral and Ecological Sociobiology 31, 375–383. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00170604 Simone-Finstrom, M., Borba, R. S., Wilson, M., & Spivak, M. (2017). Propolis Counteracts Some Threats to Honey Bee Health. Insects, 8, 46. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects8020046 Smith, M. L., Napp, N., & Petersen, K. H. (2021). Imperfect comb construction reveals the architectural abilities of honeybees. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 118(31), e2103605118. https://doi. org/10.1073/pnas.2103605118

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

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/S00033472(87)80172-0

Corby-Harris, V., & Snyder, L. A. (2018).

Measuring Hypopharyngeal Gland Acinus Size in Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) Workers. Journal of visualized experiments : JoVE, (139), 58261. https://doi.org/10.3791/58261

Perry, C. J., Søvik, E., Myerscough, M. R., & Barron, A. B. (2015). Rapid behavioral maturation accelerates failure of stressed honey bee colonies. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 112(11), 3427–3432. https://doi. org/10.1073/pnas.1422089112

Trumbo, S., Huang, Z. Y. & Robinson, G. (1997). Division of labor between undertaker specialists and other middle-aged workers in honey bee colonies. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 41, 151–163. https://doi. org/10.1007/s002650050374

Prado, A., Requier, F., Crauser, D., Le Conte, Y., Bretagnolle, V., & Alaux, C. (2020). Honeybee lifespan: the critical role of pre-foraging stage.

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Degen, J., Kirbach, A., Reiter, L., Lehmann, K., Norton, P., Storms, M., Koblofsky, M., Winter, S., Georgieva, P. B., Nguyen, H., Chamkhi, H., Greggers, U., & Menzel, R. (2015). Exploratory behaviour of honeybees during orientation flights. Animal Behaviour, 102, 45-57, https:// doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2014.12.030 Goblirsch, M., Huang, Z. Y., & Spivak, M. (2013). Physiological and Behavioral Changes in Honey Bees (Apis mellifera) Induced by Nosema ceranae Infection. PLOS ONE, 8(3), e58165. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal. pone.0058165 Harrison, J. M. (1986). Caste-Specific Changes in Honeybee Flight Capacity. Physiological Zoology, 59(2), 175–187. http://www.jstor. org/stable/30156031

Robinson G. E. (1992). Regulation of division of labor in insect societies. Annual Review of Entomology, 37, 637–665. https://doi. org/10.1146/annurev.en.37.010192.003225 Robinson, G. E. (1985). Effects of a juvenile hormone analogue on honey bee 10

Southwick, E. E., & Heldmaier, G. (1987).

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Protocol for the Collection of Honey Reference Samples Government Chemist leads work on Protocol for the Collection of Honey Reference Samples for the Construction of Honey Authenticity Databases From: Government Chemist, Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, UK Government. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/protocol-for-the-collection-of-honey-reference-samples Protocol for the Collection of Honey Reference Samples for the Construction of Authenticity Databases

Numerous analytical methods are used for the assessment of honey authenticity, comprising both single analyte methods and multi-analyte screening procedures.

The interpretation of the analytical data relating to the assessment of an unknown honey sample for authenticity relies on comparison with existing reference sample data held typically within commercial reference databases.

Interpretations made by laboratories can differ, often due to the use of different reference databases, which can cause confusion regarding the authenticity of the test sample.

Hence, it is essential that the homogeneity, integrity, and provenance of honey reference samples used to compile authenticity databases can be assured and that the databases have a defined scope, sufficient transparency, and are fit-for-purpose.

The Government Chemist has led work, co-funded by the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Government Chemist, to develop a sampling protocol for the collection of reference samples used to establish/develop honey authenticity databases. This protocol, the first of its kind in the world, defines a practical and pragmatic process for obtaining reference samples at different points in the honey supply chain, and specifies what associated records, documents and other considerations are necessary for a sample to be deemed acceptable for inclusion in a honey authenticity database.

To build trust in databases, it is essential that ‘authentic’ reference samples are defined and collected according to an agreed protocol and ideally, by third parties who are independent of the database owner. Until now no such protocol has been published for honey. It is anticipated that this protocol will help in standardising how authenticity databases are built and curated and will lead to more trust in them.

Selvarani Elahi MBE chaired a working group comprising experts drawn from key stakeholder groups, who advised on development of the protocol.

Honey is a natural complex mixture of different sugars produced entirely by bees. There are strict laws in place which set high standards for the composition and labelling of honey products on sale in the UK.

The protocol is also available on the Defra webite: https://randd.defra.gov.uk/rojectDetails?ProjectId=21120 The Government Chemist, Defra, the Food Standards Agency and Food Standards Scotland have a significant programme of work devoted to honey authenticity. Its aim is to engage and work with the honey community including researchers, enforcers, industry, and international bodies to improve current authenticity testing methods.

Products which declare a premium status, have a high price by weight, have complex supply chains or are subject to a spike in demand, can be particularly vulnerable to fraudsters.

Honey is a globally traded high value commodity, which can have very long complex supply chains. It is amongst those foodstuffs most commonly reported as being adulterated1, predominantly by the addition of cheap sugar syrups.

11

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Alberta Bee News

December 2023

The Cluster

By Lynae Ovinge, ABC Tech Transfer Program Lead

R

ight now (unless balmy conditions have descended since the time of writing this article), across our beautiful province there are 200,000+ hives containing bees that are in a winter cluster as seen in the photo on the right. Honey bees cluster to retain heat for the adult workers, and to keep the queen and any brood that might be present warm.

Much of the information I’ll present in this article is based on the work of Dr. Rob Currie (University of Manitoba), who wrote a great chapter on wintering available in new additions of the Hive and the Honey Bee, as well as Andony Melathopoulos’ presentation on “The Biology and Management of Colonies in Winter” (available from https://extension.oregonstate.edu/ video/biology-management-honey-bee-colonieswinter).

For further reading on this subject, please check out these great resources.

As you can see in figure 1 below, the cluster is made up of several layers (termed isotherms) of bees, which are warmer as you progress to the interior of the cluster. Bees are able to trap heat in the cluster by pointing their abdomens to the outside, and generating heat in their thorax (more on this later). By clustering tightly together, their hairs interlace with the bees next to them, allowing them to trap warm air. Just like Emperor penguins shuffling through their giant huddle, bees from the outside of the cluster (termed the mantle) will rotate places with bees from the inside of the cluster periodically to take their turn in the warm inner layer (for more on penguins: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OL7O5O7U4Gs).

Amazingly, the outer layer of bees is held at only 7°C, which is only one degree higher than the 6°C at which bees begin to enter chill-coma.

Individual bees have the ability to increase their temperature dramatically up to 44°C by shivering their flight muscles (without actually moving their wings), which heats up their thorax. This ability is used for more than just winter warming – it’s how they keep brood warm, how they “ball” and kill the queen by overheating her when superseding, and how they fend off predators such as wasps and hornets (google “bees killing hornet” for some amazing videos). During winter, the bees at the center of the cluster become heater bees (figure 2), often while in empty cells, and are able to regulate the temperature of the cluster by heating up their thorax. Colonies with brood maintain the cluster at a higher temperature than those without any brood to ensure adequate temperatures for brood-rearing.

Figure 1. From Currie et al. 2015 who redrew it after Owens (1971).

The temperatures (°C) of each layer (isotherm) of bees in the cluster are reported. Note that the colony on the right contains brood, and is therefore warmer in the center of the cluster.

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Alberta Bee News

December 2023

Bees consume honey throughout the winter and use much of this energy to generate heat. The bees acting as heater bees actually require a great deal of it! Other than just completely running out of honey, clusters can also die because they’ve become isolated from the honey. During warm weather, the cluster can expand to cover those honey stores, but during long periods of cold weather, the cluster can contract and lose contact with the stores. You may have seen this when all the bees have died on one side of the hive, but honey is available on the other side. Another way bees can run out of honey is if they get above it. A cluster will naturally move upwards throughout the winter as it consumes honey stores, but will rarely move downwards, so if feed is trapped or added below, it’s rarely of use during cold periods.

Water is a byproduct of bees eating honey, and one commonly used figure is that for every 10 lbs of honey a colony consumes, they produce about a gallon of water. The amount of honey consumed over winter varies widely by area and colony, so I’ll use some of our own colonies wintered near Lethbridge as an illustration. Our research singles tend to lose about 18 lbs and are wintered in a building with 2000 other colonies, which means the colonies in that building produce a total of 3600 gallons of water over the winter! As for outdoors, our producer-managed doubles average a loss of 33 lbs, and are wintered in yards of 40, which translates to 132 gallons of water produced per yard! All this water means that colonies can easily die from condensation build up, which is why upper entrances in outdoor wintered colonies, and well-ventilated indoor wintering buildings are so important to successful overwintering.

Figure 2. Image of heater bees from Stabentheiner et al. 2010.

The thorax of the two heater bees reach 34-36°C, while the nearby bees and abdomens appear to be a cool 24-26°C. The size of the cluster depends not only on the number of bees in the colony, but the outside temperature as well. Bees begin clustering around an ambient temperature of 18°C, and the cluster will continue to contract (the diameter decreasing by 5-fold) until it reaches -10°C, at which point it reaches its maximum point of contraction. After this point, the bees must increase the heat generated at the core to keep the cluster warm.

How Do Clusters Die? Overwintering colonies can die for a variety of reasons, but three of them have a lot to do with the cluster: surface area, access to honey, and moisture.

A single bee will die after an hour exposed to -4°C, but a cluster of only 16,000 bees can survive for 12 hours kept at -80°C! This illustrates that clustering is an amazing adaptation of honeybees that has contributed to them successfully establishing on every continent except Antarctica.

The smaller surface area to volume ratio of larger clusters makes them more likely to survive over winter than smaller clusters. Larger clusters have a smaller percentage of their overall bees in the outermost layer (the mantle) than smaller clusters, due to their proportionally decreased surface area.

Therefore a smaller percentage of the bees are at 7°C, and thus vulnerable to chill-coma and death. However, as a cluster gets smaller over the winter (as bees also naturally die off), a higher percentage of the bees are required to form the mantle, so the cluster becomes less efficient at retaining heat, and requires comparatively more food to maintain the proper temperature.

If the cluster cannot generate enough heat to keep the mantle bees at 7°C or higher, they will die and the entire cluster may eventually die as well.

Currie, R.W., Spivak, M, and Reuter, G.S. 2015. Wintering Management of Honey Bee Colonies. The Hive and the Honey Bee. Dadant. pp 629-670.

Melathopoulos, A. The Biology and Management of Colonies in Winter. Capabees.org Owens, C., D. 1971. The thermology of wintering honey bee colonies. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture U.S. Government Printing Office. pp 1-32.

Stabentheiner, A., Kovac, H. and Brodschneider, R., 2010.

Honeybee colony thermoregulation–regulatory mechanisms and contribution of individuals in dependence on age, location and thermal stress. PLoS One, 5:p.e8967.

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Alberta Bee News

December 2023

Recipe of the Month

E

asy Gingerbread Bundt Cake

Recipe courtesy of Pure Sprinkles http://www.puresprinkles.com/easy-gingerbread-bundtcake-featuring-chandler-honey-gluten-free-dairy-free/

Ingredients Dry Ingredients • 1 cup oat flour • 1 cup almond flour • 1 tsp baking powder

• ½ tsp baking soda • ¼ cup arrowroot flour • ¼ tsp sea salt

Wet Ingredients • 2 eggs • cup coconut oil, melted (room temperature) (or dairy-free butter) • ½ cup almond milk (or plantbased milk of choice) • cup molasses • ¼ cup Chandler Honey's Gingerbread Honey*

(plus ½ tbsp warm water to loosen the honey) • cup coconut sugar (or brown sugar, if you don't need the recipe to be refined sugar-free) • ½ cup hot water

Gingerbread Glaze • ½ tbsp Chandler Honey's Gingerbread Honey • 1 cup refined sugar-free icing sugar (or powdered sugar • 1-2 tbsp almond milk** (or plant-based milk of choice)

Decorations • sprinkles (optional but highly recommended)

14

Icing Sugar Snow • ¼ cup refined sugar-free icing sugar (or powdered sugar)

Alberta Bee News

December 2023

Instructions Preparation 1. Spray bundt pan with cooking spray and set aside.

Gingerbread Bundt Cake 1. Preheat the oven to 350 °F 2. Combine all the dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, add eggs and coconut sugar and whisk together. Then add Chandler Honey's Gingerbread Honey along with molasses and mix again. Add the remaining wet ingredients and whisk together until you get a nice smooth consistency.

4. Now it's time to add in the dry ingredients! Add a little at a time and slowly whisk together until you get a nice smooth consistency. You will notice the batter will turn into a lovely light caramel brown colour.

5. Carefully add in hot water, this is a secret ingredient in classic Gingerbread cake! Whisk everything together one last time. You will notice the batter is more loose and runny than regular cake batter, but not to fret, this is how it should be and will come out beautifully!

Decorating Easy Gingerbread Bundt Cake A dusting of icing sugar snow 1. Add some icing sugar into a sifter and dust some icing sugar over the cake for a beautiful festive presentation that looks like freshly fallen snow and a touch of added sweetness.

6. Slowly pour the batter into your bundt pan and give a gentle shake to ensure the batter distributes evenly. Place in the oven to bake for 40-45 minutes or until it turns a medium brown colour.

Gingerbread Glaze

7. Once it's baked, remove it from the oven and give it a quick toothpick test. If it needs more time, place it back in the oven. Otherwise, let it cool down and remove it from the pan. Place it on a wire rack, plate, or platter to cool down completely.

1. Sift the icing sugar. Please complete this step, or the glaze will have clumps. Mix 1-2 tbsp of almond milk (a little at a time) into the icing sugar slowly until well combined and you get the consistency you desire. Now add Chandler Honey's Gingerbread Honey and mix together until you get a nice smooth consistency. It should be thick but still be able to drip off your spoon. If you want it looser, add a little more almond milk (or planted-based milk of choice) until you get the desired consistency.

8. All that's left to do now is enjoy this glorious Easy Ginger bread Bundt Cake! This cake is lovely as it is, but if you want to dress it up more for the holidays, here are a couple of options.

How to Glaze 1. Spoon glaze over the cake, creating a thick blanket of yummy glaze. You can control how much you want to add. I would do it twice to get a nice thick coating of glaze, leaving time in between to set. Then place it on a wire rack or plate to set.

After Glazing 1. If you want to make your Easy Gingerbread Bundt Cake shine, you can decorate them with some fun sprinkles! Add them while the glaze is still wet, or they won’t stick.

2. Let it set at room temperature for 1-2 hours to harden. If you want the glaze to harden faster, place the cake in the fridge for a couple of hours.

3. Lastly, cut a piece of your beautifully decorated Easy Gingerbread Bundt Cake and enjoy!

NOTES: YIELDS 9" BUNDT CAKE

15

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Alberta Bee News

December 2023

16

Classifieds EMPLOYMENT

EMPLOYMENT

EMPLOYMENT

PLEASANT VALLEY HONEY LTD.(SW 15-46-27-W4 near Falun, AB) requires: Ten APIARY TECHNICIANS (NOC 8431) with a minimum of 2 years (seasons) experience working on a Canadian style commercial apiary with employment March thru December 2024 $15.65 - $18/hr to start depending on experience (40+ hrs/wk); Duties include: caring for honeybee colonies in the appropriate manner; coordinating the production of replacement bees and equipment; recognising, reporting, monitoring hive health issues and applying appropriate treatment/ controls; harvest and fill honey barrels and containers; supervise small teams of workers; driving and daily maintenance of vehicles; operate and maintain other apiary equipment; conduct bee yard maintenance; keep some field production records. A motor vehicle operator's licence with no serious infractions, recognised by the Province of Alberta and major insurance companies is an asset. . All wages are negotiable based on experience and productivity.

Applicants must be able to work in the presence of honey bees. All positions may require some evening, night & weekend work. All applicants must be in good physical condition and able to work in a team environment. Ability to speak English is an asset. Contact Ryan Olthof in person at the farm to apply.

BUSY BEE FARM LTD. near Hay Lakes, Alberta, requires 8 APIARY LABOURERS (NOC 8431) with a minimum of 1 year experience in commercial beekeeping, wages ranging from $16.50 - $18.00/hour; Also required is 16 APIARY TECHNICIANS (NOC 8431) with a minimum of three years of experience in Canadian commercial beekeeping, wages ranging from $18.00 $26.00/hour. All positions are fulltime (45+ hours/week) for the February 1st – October 31st, 2024 season and involve the work and care of honeybees for honey production and pollination services. All applicants should be physically fit and able to perform work in a team environment.

Having a valid driver’s license and the ability to speak English will be considered an asset. Wages are negotiable depending on experience. OnFarm accommodations are available. Applications can be emailed to Mike deJong at busybee@telus. net Busy Bee Farm Ltd, 48549 Range Road 224, Hay Lakes, Alberta T0B 1W0

Technician with all duties working with bees.

Some weekend and evening work if needed.

Physically demanding work (40 hours + a week).

Both positions start February 1-November 15, 2024. Staff accomm available. Contact Dan Pala, 721042 Hwy 724. Wembley, AB d.pala@telus. net, phone 780-832-5809, fax 780-766-3009

PALA’S VITAMIN HONEY FARM in Wembley, AB for the 2024 season is seeking 4 positions for APIARY TECHNICIAN (NOC 8431), $16.00.$22.00/hr with 2 years experience minimum, in a commercial Apiary. Wages depend on experience.

Major duties: knowledge of hive management, disease diagnoses and prevention, weekend work and evenings. Also require 4 positions for an APIARY WORKER (NOC 8431), $15.65 - $18.50/hr experience required. Major duties include assisting Apiary

Serving the Industry since 1959 Family Owned and Operated

MIGHTY PEACE HONEY Requires one APIARY SUPERVISOr, NOC 8252, for full time (40+ hrs/ wk, $20-$24/hr depending on experience) year-round employment starting in March 2024.

Must have a minimum of 5 seasons working fulltime on a Canadian style commercial operation.

Duties include caring for honeybee colonies in the appropriate manner, coordinating the production of replacement bees & equipment; recognizing, reporting, monitoring hive health issues and applying appropriate treatment/ controls; supervise extracting lines; supervise small to medium teams of workers; drive (including std transmission & medium duty trucks) & daily maintain vehicles; operate & maintain other apiary equipment (including forklifts & pumps and extracting equipment); conduct bee yard maintenance; keep field and/or production records; Accommodation available. We are located at 833071 RR231 Grimshaw, AB Canada.

Please contact Mighty Peace Honey PO Box 1759 Grimshaw, AB Canada T0H 1W0. Rob 780 332 4862 or Fax 780 332 4822 or email mightypeacehoney@gmail.com

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Alberta Bee News

December 2023

See whats been missed Number of hives

Number of supers

Calendar

An app your staff will actually use

Last completed Job

Site status Depots

Apiary notes

Reports Create new sites Learn more

TM

Visit us at: MyApiary.com

Call us at: 530 771 6993

SMARTER BEEKEEPING

Classifieds EMPLOYMENT

EMPLOYMENT

EMPLOYMENT

MIGHTY PEACE HONEY Requires Six APIARY TECHNICIANS, NOC 8431, for full time (40+ hrs/ wk) employment ($15.65 - $20/hr depending on experience) February thru October 2024.

Must have a minimum of 2 seasons working fulltime on a Canadian style commercial operation.

Duties include caring for honeybee colonies in the appropriate manner, coordinating the production of replacement bees & equipment; recognizing, reporting, monitoring hive health issues and applying appropriate treatment/ controls; harvest & package honey & beeswax; supervise small teams of workers; drive (including std transmission & medium duty trucks) & daily maintain vehicles; operate & maintain other apiary equipment (including forklifts & pumps); conduct bee yard maintenance; keep some field and/or production records; Accommodation available.

We are located at 833071 RR231 Grimshaw, AB Canada. Please contact Mighty Peace Honey PO Box 1759 Grimshaw, AB Canada T0H 1W0. Rob 780 332 4862 or Fax 780 332 4822 or email andrewdicksonbeekeeper@gmail.com

SWEETHEART POLLINATORS/JANEIL ENT INC Sweetheart Pollinators/Janeil Ent Inc located 7 km SW of Eatonia, Sask, has the following positions available for the 2024 season. 5 APIARY TECHNICIANS, NOC 85100 with a minimum of 2 years experience in a Canadian Commercial Apiary. Full time seasonal employment (40 + hrs per week) from March 2024 to September 2024. Wage start at $18.00 to $20.00 per hour (depending on experience) with a possible bonus.

Housing available. Duties will include: caring for honeybee colonies, moving bees into and out of pollination fields, monitoring and controlling bee health, keeping all required records, honey harvesting and extraction, construction of new equipment, repairing vehicles and other equipment, driving of vehicles, operate and maintain other apiary equipment. Some evening and weekend work required. Applicants must be in good physical condition (able to lift at least 70 pounds) A valid drivers license is required.

Please contact Sweetheart Pollinators

/Janeil Ent Inc. PO Box 155, Eatonia, Sask.

S0L 0Y0 (306)463-8864 or email to: sweetheart.pollinators@sasktel.net

18

GOLDEN EARS APIARIES INC in Mission, BC, is seeking 11 APIARY SUPERVISORS at $15.21/ hr, starting Feb 1,2024 until Oct. 31/2024, working 40+ hrs/week. Apiary Supervisors must have a minimum of 3 seasons working full time (40+hr/wk) in a Canadian style commercial beekeeping operation, and must have a good understanding of honeybee management and have the ability to independently assess hive health and make decisions regarding individual hive management. All positions do require some evening, night and weekend work. All applicants should be able to work in a team environment. English is an asset as well as a valid driving license. Work will be in southern BC ( Fraser Valley). Contact Carolyn Shipley at jmcshipley@shaw.ca.

December 2023

Classifieds

Alberta Bee News

EMPLOYMENT

EMPLOYMENT

EMPLOYMENT

POELMAN APIARIES LTD.located near Fort Macleod, AB (102007A Range Rd 254) has the following positions available for the 2024 season: 7 FARM SUPERVISORS (SKILLED WORKER, NOC 8252) with a minimum of 5 years(seasons) experience working at a Canadian apiary. Employment needed from March through October 2024; wage starting at $17.50 + (depending on exp. with possible bonus) (40 + hrs/week). Duties will include: caring for honeybee colonies in the appropriate manner; coordinating the production of replacement bees and equipment; recognizing, reporting, monitoring hive health issues and applying appropriate treatment/controls; harvest and fill honey barrels and containers; supervise small teams of workers; driving of vehicles; operate and maintain other apiary equipment; conduct bee yard maintenance.

16 APIARY TECHNICIAN (LOW SKILL WORKER, NOC 8431) with a minimum of 1-2 years experience. Employment needed from April through November 2024; wage starting at $15.65- $17.50 (depending on exp. with a possible bonus) (40 + hrs/week).

Duties will include: caring for honeybee colonies in the appropriate manner; assisting Technicians with bees and equipment; assisting with harvesting honey; assisting with the bee yard and equipment maintenance.

6 GENERAL FARM WORKER, APIARY LABOURERS (LOW SKILL WORKER, NOC 8431) experience is an asset but will be trained. Employment needed for April through November 2024; wage starting at $16.52 per/ hour (with possible bonus) (40 + hrs/week).

Duties will include: Supering and harvesting honey, cleaning honey extraction and storage equipment, barrel moving prep, filling and storage, manufacture and assemble and maintain hive equipment, and bee yard maintenance.

All wages are negotiable based on experience and productivity. Housing is available. Applicants must be able to work in the presence of honeybees. All positions may require some evening, night & weekend work. All applicants must be in good physical condition and able to work in a team environment.

Email resumes to pollenpal@gmail.com attention Poelman Apiaries or fax to 403-687-2410 or mail to Box 1887 Fort Macleod, AB T0L 0Z0.

a good understanding of colony management, bee equipment maintenance & honey extracting/ beeswax processing. Apiary workers can expect on average 45+ hrs/week. Accom. available. Some evening & night work will be required. Main work location is Tegart Apiaries Honey Farms is located 2.5 miles from Fairview, Alberta (30024 TWP RD 820). Position may require travel to Harrison Mills, B. C. for spring and fall hive work (small travel allowance and accommodations provided) For more details or to apply, contact Dan Tegart directly at 780 835 2115 or tegarthoney@ telus.net; PO Box 904, Fairview, AB T0H 1L0

TEES BEES INC. require Three APIARY TECHNICIANS (NOC 8431) with a minimum of 2-3 years (seasons) experience working on a Canadian style commercial apiary in the min. capacity of Apiary Worker or General Farm Worker with employment March thru October 2024 ($16.52-$20/hr depending on exp. with possible bonus) (40+ hrs/wk); Duties include: caring for honeybee colonies in the appropriate manner; coordinating the production of replacement bees and equipment; recognizing, reporting, monitoring hive health issues and applying appropriate treatment/controls; harvest and fill honey barrels and containers; supervise small teams of workers; driving and daily maintenance of vehicles; operate and maintain other apiary equipment; conduct bee yard maintenance; keep some field production records. A motor vehicle operator's licence with no serious infractions, recognized by the Province of Alberta and major insurance companies is required.

Nine APIARY WORKERS (NOC 8431) with a minimum of 1 year (season) experience and with employment March thru October 2024 ($16.52$19/hr depending on exp. with possible bonus) (40+ hrs/wk); Duties include caring for honeybee colonies in the appropriate manner; assisting Technicians with bees and equipment; assisting with harvesting honey; assisting with the bee yard and equipment maintenance.

All wages are negotiable based on experience and productivity. Applicants must be able to work in the presence of honey bees. All positions may require some evening, night & weekend work.

All applicants must be in good physical condition and able to work in a team environment. Ability to speak English is an asset.

Contact Jeremy Olthof at 23318-Hwy 50, Tees, AB; mail to RR1, Tees, AB T0C 2N0; or email at teesbeesinc@gmail.com.

TEGART APIARIES is seeking 3 APIAIRY WORKERS with min 2+ years experience at a Canadian Commercial apiary operation. (at $15.65 - $16.40 hr with possible bonus) for July 10, 2024 to November 15, 2024. All applicants must be in good physical condition and able to work in a team. Successful applicants must be accustomed to working with honey bees & have

MCW APIARIES has two positions available for APIARY TECHNICIAN (NOC8431) starting February 1st to October 31st 2024. Must have at least three years of commercial beekeeping experience with wage staring at $19.50/hr, accommodation available if required, must have a valid driver's license. Hours are 45 hours per week with some weekends and evenings. Duties include doing and overseeing such tasks as feeding, medicating, spring brood management, queen rearing, making nucs, honey harvesting and moving hives. Contact Mike by fax at 780 624 9408 or mcwap@abnorth.com. We are located at 84172 Range Rd 204 East of Peace River near the hamlet of St Isidore.

MCW APIARIES h has three positions available for Apiary Workers (NOC 85100), starting February 1st to October 31st, 2024. Must have at least one year of experience and a valid driver's license. Accommodation available if required.

Wages starting at $17.00/hr with some evening and weekend work. Hours are 45 hours per week with some evening and weekends, the job involves doing such tasks as feeding, edicating, honey harvesting and moving hives. Contact Mike by fax at 780 624 9408 or mcwap@abnorth. com. We are located at 84172 Range Rd 204.

East of Peace River near the hamlet of St Isidore.

MCW APIARIES has one full time BEEKEEPING TECHNICIAN (NOC 84120) position available starting February 1st 2024. Must have at least 5 years of commercial beekeeping experience with wage starting at $20 per hour.

Accommodation is available if required and must have a valid drivers license. Hours range from 40 to 45 hours per week depending on the time of year with some evenings and weekends.

Duties include feeding, medicating, hive management, equipment maintenance, making Nucs, Honey harvesting and moving hives.

Contact Mike Williams at mcwap@abnorth.com or 780 618 3507. We are located at 84172 Range Rd 204 East of Peace River near the hamlet of St Isidore.

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SWAN APIARIES are seeking workers for the 2024 season, February 20- October 31 2024, 12 APIARY WORKERS (NOC 8431) and 2 APIARY TECHNICIANS(NOC 8253) in the Westlock area. Applicants for apiary worker must have a minimum 1 year (season) working fulltime on a Canadian style commercial apiary operation as an Apiary Worker. The position is full time (40+ hrs/ week) from mid February to mid October. Major duties involve all aspects of bee colony operations under the supervision of an Apiary Technician.

The rate of pay is $15.65 - $16/hr (depending on experience) for apiary worker. Applicants for APIARY TECHNICIANS (NOC 8253) must have a minimum of 3 years experience on a Canadian style commercial apiary ($17 - $19/hr depending on experience). The position is full time (40+ hrs/ week) from mid February to mid October. Major duties involve all aspects of bee colony operations

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Alberta Bee News

December 2023

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December 2023

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EMPLOYMENT

with the assistance of the Apiary Workers. The ability to operate and maintain equipment utilized in the beekeeping industry and keep accurate records for monitoring hive health is essential to the position.

The positions are full time and may require evening and weekend work(45hrs+/wk) . Applicants must be in good physical condition as it is physically demanding work. Staff accommodations available.

A valid driver’s licence will be considered an asset.

Apply with resume to Hendrik Greidanus at Swan Apiaries, 520 4ST SW High River, T1V 1B6 or fax resume to 403-652-7683

1 year experience on a Canadian style commercial apiary ($15.65/hr). The position is full time (40+ hrs/week) from late March to late October. Major duties involve all aspects of bee colony operations under the supervision of an Apiary Technician. A motor vehicle Operator’s license that is recognized by the province of Alberta and major insurance companies and the ability to speak English are considered assets. We require 10 Apiary Labourers (NOC 8431 - $15.65/hr) with a minimum of 1 year experience on a Canadian style commercial apiary.

The position is full time (40+ hrs/week) from beginning of June to late Oct. Major duties involve all aspects of harvesting honey and processing beeswax. The ability to speak English is considered an asset. Apply with resume to Grace Strom at The Greidanus Honey Mill, Box 5504, High River, AB T1V 1M6 or fax resume to 403-652-7683

wages are negotiable based on experience and productivity. All positions may require some night and weekend work. All applicants must be able to work in the presence of bees, be in good physical condition and able to work in a team environment. On farm housing is available.

Resumes: rongreidanus@gmail.com or via mail to: Greidanus Honey Bee Farm c/o 1005271 Alberta LTD, Box 1581, Stettler, Alberta, T0C 2L0

GREIDANUS HONEY MILL We require 5 APIARY WORKERS (NOC 8431) with a minimum of 1 year experience on a Canadian style commercial apiary to work in Northern Saskatchewan ($15.65/hr) in 2024. The position is full time (40+ hrs/week) from early March to late October. Major duties involve all aspects of bee colony operations under the supervision of an Apiary Technician. A motor vehicle Operator’s license that is recognized by the province of Alberta and major insurance companies and the ability to speak English are considered assets.

Staff accommodations are available in Northern Saskatchewan. Production bonus may apply. We are seeking workers for the 2024 beekeeping season near High River, AB. All positions will be available on a seasonal basis. Production bonus may apply. All applicants must be physically fit and willing to work in a team environment. Staff accommodations are available.

We require 4 APIARY TECHNICIANS (NOC 8253) with a minimum of 3 years experience on a Canadian style commercial apiary ($17-$19/hr depending on experience). The position is full time (40+ hrs/ week) from mid February to mid October. Major duties involve all aspects of bee colony operations with the assistance of the Apiary Workers. The ability to operate and maintain equipment utilized in the beekeeping industry and keep accurate records for monitoring hive health is essential to the position. A motor vehicle Operator’s license that is recognized by the province of Alberta and major insurance companies is required for these positions. The ability to speak & write in English are assets. We require 4 Apiary Workers (NOC 8431) with a minimum of 1 year experience on a Canadian style commercial apiary ($15.65 - $16.50/hr depending on experience). The position is full time (40+ hrs/week) from mid February to mid October.

Major duties involve all aspects of bee colony operations under the supervision of an Apiary Technician. A motor vehicle Operator’s license that is recognized by the province of Alberta and major insurance companies and the ability to speak English are considered assets. We require 4 Apiary Workers (NOC 8431) with a minimum of

GREIDANUS HONEY-BEE FARM in Stettler, Alberta is accepting applications for the 2024 season on a seasonal full-time basis. The following positions need to be filled: 4 APIARY TECHNICIANS (NOC 8431) Full time employment (40+ hrs/week) $17-$18.50/hr depending on experience. Must have minimum 2 years of experience working full time on a commercial honeybee farm. Duties include: woodwork (building bee related equipment), caring for bees in an appropriate manner, coordinating the production of replacement bees and equipment;recognizing, reporting, monitoring hive health issues and applying appropriate treatments/controls. Moving hives as required;harvest, extract and package honey, lead small teams of workers, drive and maintain vehicles, operate and maintain other beerelated equipment such as forklifts, conduct bee yard maintenance, general cleaning of working/ production areas. Must have avalid driver's license. These positions are from March 15, 2024 thru October 31, 2024 APIARY WORKERS (NOC 8431) Full time (40+ hrs/week) $15.75 -18/hr depending on experience. Minimum 1 year experience.

Duties include: woodwork (building bee related equipment), caring for bees in an appropriate manner, assisting technicians with bees and equipment, assisting with moving bees, assisting with honey harvest, extraction and packaging, assisting with bee yard and equipment maintenance, cleaning of working/ production areas. These positions are from April 15, 2024 thru October 31,2024.

2 CASUAL FARM LABOURERS starting @ $16.00 / hr. Duties include: working with cattle, honey bees, farm organization/production, operating farm equipment, and general maintenance of the farm and equipment. These positions are from June 1,2024 thru October 31, 2024. All

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MOUNTAINVIEW HONEY near Cayley, Alberta is seeking interested applicants for 4 positions as APIARY TECHNICIAN NOC 8431 (40+ hrs/ wk) seasonal employment. The applicant must have a minimum of 2 years (seasons) experience working in a Canadian style commercial apiary environment with a minimum of 3 years as an Apiary Technician. Wages will be set by the NOC guidelines approx. $15.65 - $16 per hour, depending on experience. Possible bonus may also apply. Duties include caring for honeybee colonies, moving beehives into an out of canola pollination fields, monitoring and controlling bee health issues, honey harvesting and extraction, construction of new beehive equipment, all duties associated with a Canadian style commercial apiary. Preference will be given to applicants that have a valid drivers licence recognised by the province of Alberta.

Ability to drive a lift truck is an asset. Ability to speak English is an asset, must be physically fit, & be prepared to work in a fast-paced team environment. Staff accommodations available.

Please fax, mail, or email your resume to Mountainview Honey, Attn: Terry Greidanus, at Box 126 Cayley, AB, T0L 0P0. or jobs@mountainviewhoney.com LYNES APIARIES LTD. (61118 Range Road 251) has 7 positions available for APIARY TECHNICIANS (NOC 8431). Applicants must have two years of Apiary technician experience.

The rate of pay is $16.52-$19.00/hr., depending on experience. Applicants must be able to work in the presence of bees and will assist with colony management and honey extraction and processing. Duties include caring for honeybee colonies and coordinating the production of replacement bees and equipment. Also: recognizing, reporting, monitoring and controlling hive health issues. These positions are available from March to October 2024 (45+ hours per week). All positions may require some evening and weekend work. A valid driver's license may be required. Applicants must be physically fit and willing to work in a team environment. Staff accommodations will be provided. Apply with a resume to Daryl or Sharon Lynes, Lynes Apiaries Ltd., P.O. Box 272, Clyde, Alberta T0G 0P0. Email: sdlynes@hotmail.com

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Alberta Bee News

December 2023

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MOUNTAINVIEW HONEY near Cayley, Alberta is seeking interested applicants for 3 positions as APIARY SUPERVISOR NOC 8252 (40+ hrs/ wk) seasonal employment. The applicant must have a minimum of 5 years (seasons) experience working in a Canadian style commercial apiary environment with a minimum of 3 years as an Apiary Technician. Wages will be set by the NOC guidelines approx. $15.65 - $19.00 per hour, depending on experience. Possible bonus may also apply. Duties will include Supervising and working with Apiary technicians, caring for honeybee colonies, moving beehives into an out of canola pollination fields, monitoring and controlling bee health issues, honey harvesting and extraction, construction of new beehive equipment, all duties associated with a Canadian style commercial Apiary. Must be able to drive a lift truck. The applicant must have a valid drivers licence recognised by the province of Alberta.

Ability to speak English is an asset, must be physically fit, & be prepared to work in a fastpaced team environment. Staff accommodations available. Please fax, mail, or email you resume to Mountainview Honey, Attn: Terry Greidanus, at Box 126 Cayley, AB, T0L 0P0. or jobs@ mountainviewhoney.com

full time, 44+ hrs per week. Some weekend and night work may be required. Duties include but are not limited to: Assisting with care, splitting and managing honey bee colonies, woodwork for new and repairing of bee equipment, honey harvesting and extraction, and winter preparation and wrapping. Please contact: gulllakehoney@ gmail.com or 780.916.2263.

accommodations will be provided. Apply with a resume to Daryl or Sharon Lynes, Lynes Apiaries Ltd., P.O. Box 272, Clyde, Alberta T0G 0P0.

Email: sdlynes@hotmail.com

GULL LAKE HONEY COMPANY in Lacombe County (41113 Rg Rd 282 - 18 Kms west of Lacombe, AB) is looking for (1) SUPERVISOR ($18-$22/hr + possible bonuses - NOC 8253) for employment March – October 2024.

Accommodations are provided. The position is full time, 44+ hrs per week. Some weekend and night work may be required. The Supervisor must have 3+ years working in a Canadian commercial apiary working as a supervisor. Duties include but are not limited to: Supervise and train other workers in caring for, splitting and managing honey bee colonies, monitoring and controlling colony health, moving bee colonies to new bee yards, woodwork for new and repairing of bee equipment, honey harvesting and extraction, and winter preparation and wrapping. Canadian Drivers licence is required. We are also hiring (3) APIARY TECHNICIANS ($17-$20/hr + possible bonuses - NOC 8431) for employment March – October 2024. Accommodations are provided.

The positions are full time, 44+ hrs per week.

Some weekend and night work may be required.

The workers must have 1+ years working in a Canadian commercial apiary. Duties include but are not limited to: Assisting with care, splitting and managing honey bee colonies, monitoring and controlling colony health, woodwork for new and repairing of bee equipment, honey harvesting and extraction, and winter preparation and wrapping. We are also hiring (3) GENERAL FARM WORKERS ($15.75-$17/hr + possible bonuses) for employment March – October 2024.

Accommodations are provided. The positions are

CHRISTENSEN BEE RANCH LTD. located in Mallaig Alberta is seeking two APIARY WORKERS (NOC 8431) with a minimum of 1 year of commercial beekeeping experience.

The positions are full time seasonal work from April to October. Wages for this position are between $16.52 and $19 per hour depending on experience. Duties include assisting with spring, summer and fall beehive management, moving hives, harvesting and extracting honey, driving and maintaining trucks, forklifts, pumps, leaf blowers and chain saws. All applicants must be in good physical condition, be able to work in a team environment and have a valid driver’s licence. Contact Paul Christensen by email at christensenbeeranch@gmail.com PARADIS VALLEY HONEY LTD Apiary in Watino, AB (NE-34-77-24-W5); requires the following for the 2024 season. 6-APIARY TECHNICIANs (NOC8431) $15.65/hr. Apiary technician applicants must have a minimum 3 years experience with commercial beekeeping and are expected to work effectively unsupervised. Experience driving trucks and a clean driving record are assets. These 6 positions are seasonal/full-time positions from Feb 1, 2024 to Nov 1, 2024 with 40-50 hours per week. Hours of work are dependent on weather conditions. No formal education is needed for. Successful candidates will take part in the break-down and re-building of live bee colonies, honey harvest, honey extraction, collection of bee pollen and seasonal feeding of hives. On-site farm housing is available.

Interested applicants can apply my emailing resumes to info@paradisvalleyhoney.com LYNES APIARIES LTD. (61118 Range Road 251) has 10 positions available for Apiary Workers (NOC 8431). Applicants must have a minimum 1 year apiary work experience. The rate of pay is $16.52 - $ 17.00/hr. depending on experience.

Applicants must be able to work in the presence of bees. Duties include: assisting Technicians with bees and equipment, harvesting honey and extracting. Also: bee yard and equipment maintenance. These positions are available from July to September 2024 (45+ hours per week).

All positions may require some evening and weekend work. A valid driver's license may be required. Applicants must be physically fit and willing to work in a team environment. Staff 23

YUAN ENTERPRISES is seeking for one APIARY TECHNICIAN (from April 15 to November 30, 2024) and one Apiary worker (from June 15 to September 15, 2024) in Peace River, AB. Applicants must be in good physical condition and do all beekeeping management. Wages from $15.65/hr, depending on experience.

Email canadian.prairie.honey@gmail.com or Box 7554, Peace River, AB, T8S 1T2 DEJONG’S HONEY FARM BROOKS, AB requires four general farm workers (NOC 8431) from March 20, 2024 to November 1, 2024. $17/hr. 30 to 60 hours a week. Must be willing to do some weekend work. Three years beekeeping experience a necessity. Specific skills include apiary work, queen management, harvesting honey, assemble, maintain, and clean supers and frames, and work around bees. Work is fast paced, repetitive, and physically demanding. Must be a team player, able to operate a lift truck, and automatic honey extractor. Valid drivers license is an asset.

Located in isolated rural area. WCB coverage is provided. Worker accommodation is available.

Location is #9 Hajash 190012 RR 142.

Fax resume to 1-403-362-6506, call 1-403-5014226 or email dejongshoney@gmail.com GREIDANUS FARMS INC.at Granum, AB requires 17 general farm workers (NOC 8431) from March 9, 2024 to November 9, 2024. $16.52/ hr. 30 to 72 hours a week. Possible bonus. Must be willing to do some weekend work. Three years beekeeping experience a necessity. Specific skills include apiary work, queen management, harvesting honey, preparing honey for market, assemble, maintain, and clean supers and frames, and work around bees. Work is fast paced, repetitive, and physically demanding. Must be a team player, able to operate a lift truck and automatic honey extractor. Valid drivers license is an asset. Located in isolated rural area. WCB coverage provided.

Worker accommodation is available. Fax resume to 403-687-2375 or e-mail ggreidanus@hotmail.com.

GREIDANUS APIARIES in Sturgeon County, Alberta for the 2024 season from March to November. Requiring four (4) Apiary Labourers, six (6) Apiary Workers and six (6) APIARY TECHNICIANs. Seeking four (4) Apiary Labourers at $16.00/hr for seasonal/ full time position. (54.00 hrs/wk) As Apiary Labourer you are required in all manual labour of the Apiary as directed. Main duties

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December 2023

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involve all aspects of harvesting honey and processing beeswax. Apiary Labourer must have a minimum of one year of experience.

Seeking six (6) Apiary Workers at $17.00/hr for seasonal/full time position. (54.00 hrs/ wk) As Apiary Worker you are required to assist management and apiary technician with beehive maintenance, this involves cleaning, checking, treating and feeding colonies, honey harvesting and extracting. Apiary Worker must have a minimum of one year of experience. Seeking six (6) APIARY TECHNICIANs at $18.00/hr for seasonal/full time position. (54.00 hrs/wk) As Apiary Technician you are required to work with, supervise and instruct other employees.

Other requirements include maintaining field records, monitoring and reporting to management. Apiary Technicians must have a minimum of two years of experience. Accomm for all positions are provided. Bonuses apply. Email grapiaries@gmail. com. Greidanus Apiaries Ltd. 56107 Range Road 245, Sturgeon County, AB, T8R 0M1.

KIWI BRIAN’S HONEY near Coaldale AB, (94056 H845), is seeking employees for the 2024 season. APIARY TECHNICIANS: 8431 (4 positions; starting at $16.50 -$21.00/hr.) and Apiary Workers NOC: 8431 (15 positions; starting at $16 - 18.50/hr.) and Farm Laborers (3 Positions; starting at $15.75-16.00/hr.) needed full time (45+ hrs./wk.) as early as February 1, 2024, up until November 16, 2024, weather depending.

Some evening, night and weekend work will

APIARY WORKERS must have a minimum of 1 season full time experience in a commercial apiary, and have knowledge to assist technicians with hive management, building and repairing bee equipment, placement/pick-up of pollination equipment, and honey harvest / extraction/processing. Must be able to maintain hive equipment, bee yard and storage facilities.

APIARY LABORERS do not require any experience but must be committed to working with bees, be in good physical condition and can work in hot, sweaty, fast paced environment.

All wages are negotiable based on knowledge /experience/ skill set. Personal Protection Equipment benefit is provided to all staff. Bonuses may be available. Please email resumes to kiwijobs@witdouckfarms. com Drop off resumes at 94056 Highway 845 Coaldale AB

WESTLOCK HONEY PRODUCERS INC. Located at 59332 RR15 Westlock County is seeking applicants for the following positions available in the 2024 season: 4 APIARY TECHNICIANS (NOC 8431). $15.65 - $21/hr depending on experience. Full time 45+ hrs per week Feb thru Oct 2024. Applicants must have a minimum 2-3 seasons experience working in a Canadian commercial apiary. Duties include spring, summer and fall management of bee colonies, bee health monitoring, hive feeding, honey harvesting, operating /maintaining apiary equipment and coordinating some workers. Two apiary workers (NOC 8431) with a minimum of 1 year (season) experience and with full time employmentApril thru September 2024. ($15.65 - $18 /hr depending on experience) Duties include assisting technicians with bees and equipment, honey harvesting and equipment maintenance.

A valid drivers license may be required for some of the positions. All applicants must be in good physical condition, ability to speak English is an asset. Must be able to work with bees in a fast paced team environment. Email westlockhoney@ gmail.com or mail to Westlock Honey Producers RR1 Busby, AB T0G 0H0

be required. Accommodations are available if required. All applicants must be willing to work with both leafcutter and honeybees, be in good physical condition, and work in a team environment. Having a valid Alberta driver’s license and the ability to speak English will be considered an asset. All applicants must be able to follow standard operating procedures (SOPs) and maintain health and safety of self and others.

APIARY TECHNICIANS must have a minimum of 3 seasons of full-time experience in a commercial apiary, have the ability to supervise/ train staff, have knowledge in commercial hive management for pollination, honey production, queen rearing and disease diagnosis. Must be able to oversee and maintain hive equipment, bee yard and storage facilities.

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HICKS HONEY FARMS LTD. Near McLennan, AB 77405 RR 193A is seeking for the 2024 season, 8 APIARY TECHNICIANS, NOC 8431. Applicants should have between 3-5 years experience working in a Canadian style commercial beekeeping operation.

Duties include, helping to feed, treat, split, and monitor springbuild up. Also responsible for helping to prepare hives for harvest, including, adding supers, monitoring hives, and setting up bee locations.

Once harvest begins, applicants should be able to run a crew pulling honey, picking up honey, or extracting. Applicants will be required to help, feed, treat and prepare bees for winter in the fall. Work begins February 18, 2024 and goes until November 5, 2024. Also seeking 9 APIARY WORKERS NOC 8431. These workers should have 1 year experience working in a Canadian style commercial operation. Wages will be between $16.50 - $18 depending on experience and efficiency. These applicants will be expected to help technicians with all duties related to beekeeping, including, spring preparation, feeding, treating, harvest preparation, extracting, and fall feeding and winter preparation.

All jobs may have weekend and evening work.

Accomodations available. There may be some spring and fall work in the Similkameen valley in B.C. Apply to hicksry82@gmail.com or mail to Hicks Honey Farms Ltd., box 181, McLennan, AB T0H 2L0.

December 2023

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LALLIER APIARIES Located at 56226 Range road 64 Sangudo, AB is in need of one (1) APIARY WORKER (low skill worker) for the 2024 season; wage $16/hr. The position is full time (40+ hrs/ wk depends on the weather). The season willstart on March 2024 until October 2024. TheApiary Worker will assist the Apiary Technician with beehive maintenance this involves unwrapping, cleaning, treating, make new hives(splits), honey harvesting & extracting, feeding and wrapping in the fall. Applicant may send a resume to extremehaulinginc@gmail.com.

& maintain other apiary equipment including forklifts, chainsaws & pumps). Conduct beeyard maintenance. Keep some field and or production records.

APIARY WORKERS – NOC 85100 (4 positions) ($16.52 - $18.00/hr depending on experience. Bonuses possible). For full time work (40+ hrs/wk) from February, 2024 to November, 2024. Applicants must be able to work in the presence of honeybees Apiary worker duties:

kneeling. Accomm provided. Rural area. Apply: info@paradishoney.com or mail to Paradis Honey Ltd, c/o Lise Paradis Box 99, Girouxville, AB T0H 1S0

SEVERSON HONEY FARM at 48143 Range Rd 204 Camrose, AB is seeking for the 2024 season from Feb – Nov 1: 8 apiary workers (NOC8431) with a min of 1-year experience, wages starting at $16.52/hr & 7 APIARY TECHNICIANs (NOC8431) with a min of 2-3 years experience, wage starting at $16.50/hr. These positions are fulltime 40+ hrs/week & may req. some evening,night, weekend work.

Work involves care of honey bees for honey production & pollination services. All applicants must be physically fit &be able to perform work in a team environment. On farm accomm are avail. Wages 55 USG Open Head are negotiable depending on 20 gauge body & lid lever locking closure & epoxy experience. Please send resume to phenolic lining also available in 5/8” bolt & ring Russell at rads@netkaster.ca Cell FDA Approved 780-608-0076.

PARADIS HONEY LTD. 5023-50 St & SW4-78-23-W5 Girouxville, AB requires: APIARY TECHNICIANS – NOC 84120 (2 positions) ($16.52 - $20.00/hr depending on experience. Bonuses possible) for full time, year round work (40+ hrs/wk) from October 1, 2024 to October 1, 2025. Must have a minimum of 2+ yrs experience working with bees in a Canadian style commercial apiary.

WORKER BEE HONEY COMPANY Applicants must be able to work in APIARY TECHNICIAN NOC 84120 presence of honeybees (6 seasonal positions available, Technician duties: January to November 2024) Caring for honeybee colonies, $18.00/ hour plus bonus for superior coordinating the production of work. Duties include caring for replacement bees and equipment. honeybee colonies; recognizing and Recognizing, reporting, monitoring monitoring hive issues; supervising hive health issues and applying 2-4 Apiary Workers; harvesting, appropriate treatment/controls. extracting and packaging honey, Harvest and package honey, beeswax beeswax and pollen; using power and pollen. Supervise small teams of tools; and maintaining field and/ workers. Drive & daily maintenance of or production records, including vehicles (including Std transmission using an online app. Three years’ For pricing & delivery from & medium duty trucks). Operate experience required in a Canadian& maintain other apiary equipment Lloydminster call 780.875.4421 style commercial apiary. including forklifts, chainsaws or Dave LʹHeureux 780.893.7623 Apiary Worker NOC 85100 (8 & pumps).

Conduct beeyard dave.lheureux@mauserpackaging.com seasonal positions available, maintenance. Keep some field and or February to October 2024) - $16.75/ production records. hour plus bonus for superior work.

APIARY TECHNICIANS – NOC 84120 Duties include caring for honeybee colonies; (10 positions) ($16.52 - $20.00/hr depending on Caring for honeybee colonies.

Assisting experience. Bonuses possible) for full time, work technicians with bees and equipment, assisting harvesting honey, pollen and beeswax. Minimum (40+ hrs/wk) from February, 2024 to November, with harvesting honey, beeswax and pollen. one year experience required in a Canadian-style 2024. Must have a minimum of 2+ yrs experience Assisting with beeyard & equipment maintenance. commercial apiary.

Apiary Harvester NOC 85101 (8 seasonal positions working with bees in a Canadian style commercial Conduct beeyard maintenance. apiary. Applicants must be able to work in presence Some Apiary Technicians may be required to available, February to October 2024) - $16.75/ of honeybees. spend 3-4 months out of province to BC (March- hour plus bonus for superior work. Duties include June) as bees may be moved to BC for spring harvesting and extracting honey, pollen and Technician duties: Caring for honeybee colonies, coordinating the pollination services and return to AB mid-June. beeswax. Minimum six months’ experience in a production of replacement bees and equipment. Room and board will be provided for employees Canadian-style commercial apiary.

Recognizing, reporting, monitoring hive health working in BC. Must be able to travel out of APIARY WORKER NOC 85100 (8 seasonal positions issues and applying appropriate treatment/ province. English an asset. No skills or education available, February to October 2024) - $16.75/ controls. Harvest and package honey, beeswax required. All positions may require some evening, hour plus bonus for superior work. Duties include and pollen. Supervise small teams of workers. night and weekend work. All applicants must be caring for honeybee colonies; harvesting honey, Drive & daily maintenance of vehicles (including in good physical condition and have the ability pollen and beeswax. Minimum one year experience Std transmission & medium duty trucks). Operate to handle heavy loads, bending, crouching, required in a Canadian-style commercial apiary.

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www.albertabeekeepers.ca

December 2023

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Alberta Bee News

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Apiary Harvester NOC 85101 (8 seasonal positions available, February to October 2024) - $16.75/ hour plus bonus for superior work. Duties include harvesting and extracting honey, pollen and beeswax. Minimum six months’ experience in a Canadian-style commercial apiary.

APIARY MANAGERS NOC 80020 (3 positions ongoing with aim of being permanent) - $18.50+/ hour plus bonus for superior work. Duties involve understanding all the positions above as well as having the ability to plan the work load and manage 5-10 workers in a specific area of the operation as the lead worker All positions are physically demanding and involve standing/ bending/crouching for long periods; heavy lifting; repetitive tasks; working outdoors in the heat in a rural environment; driving and maintaining farm equipment (class 5 driver’s license required, class 3 preferred); 40-70 hours per week including evenings, weekends and overtime as required, as well as ability to work in a team environment and show attention to detail.

Positions are in Rosedale, British Columbia with summer months spent in Boyle, Alberta. Accommodation provided at both locations.

Worker Bee Honey Company Ltd. 10609 McGrath Road, Rosedale, BC V0X 1X2 tel: 604-794-3315; fax: 604794-3085; jobs@workerbeehoney.ca

required. On-farm accommodations available.

Located 10 min SW of Stony Plain, Alberta. The Apiary Worker MUST be able to work in the presence of honey bees and will assist with colony management as well as honey extraction.

Applicants must be in good physical condition and have a minimum 1+ year experience working in a Canadian style commercial apiary.

We also require (2) APIARY LABOURER (Bee Farm Worker) ($16/hr) NOC 8431 with

YAREMCIO HONEY is seeking 8 full time seasonal APIARY TECHNICIANs (NOC 8431) for the 2024 March to November Season.

Apiary Technician's must have previous beekeeping experience (7 months to 1 year experience).They must be able to work in a team environment, as well as independently.

Additionally, Apiary Technicians need to be able to pay great attention to detail and handle the pressure of working under tight deadlines. Previous leadership experience is considered an asset, along with, a valid driver's license.

Duties of an Apiary Technician include but are not limited to site preparation, site maintenance, colony management, honey extraction, and preparing hives for winter. Hours of work are minimum 40 hours per week or more.

The salary for Apiary Technicians is $15.65 - $25.00 per hour.

GOOD MORNING HONEY LTD.in Parkland County, AB (51516-RR15) is looking for: (2) APIARY TECHNICIANS ($17$20/hr depending on experience) NOC8431 for employment during March thru October 2024 season.

The positions are seasonal full time (44+ hrs/wk). Some weekend, evening and night work required. On-farm accommodations available. Located 10 min SW of Stony Plain, Alberta. The Apiary Technician must have a minimum of three years experience in a Canadian commercial apiary working as an Apiary Technician or Apiary worker. Experience required in hive management for honey production, disease diagnosis, general hive health and mite threshold monitoring. Applicants must be in good physical condition. A valid driver's license is an asset.

We also require (3) APIARY WORKERS ($16 -$19/ hr depending on experience) NOC8431 with employment during March thru October 2024 season. The positions are seasonal full time (44+ hrs/wk). Some weekend, evening and night work

employment during March thru October 2024 season. This position is seasonal full time (44+ hrs/wk.) Some weekend, evening and night work required. On-farm accommodations available. Located 10 min SW of Stony Plain, Alberta. The Apiary Labourer MUST be able to work in the presence of honey bees. Applicants must be in good physical condition. Experience is an asset. Production bonus payments may be included for all positions. Email resumes to Richard at albertahoney@gmail.com or send mail to 2-51516 RR15 Parkland County, AB T7Y 2E8. Clearly indicate which position you are applying for. These are seasonal jobs that do not start until March of 2024.

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NIXON HONEY FARM in Red Deer County, Alberta is accepting applications for the 2024 season on a seasonal full time basis. The following positions need to be filled: 3 APIARY TECHNICIANS (NOC 8431) Full time employment (40+ hrs/week) $17-21/hr depending on experience with possible bonus.

Must have minimum 2 years of experience working full time on a commercial honeybee farm. Duties include: woodwork (building bee related equipment), caring for bees in an appropriate manner, coordinating the production of replacement bees and equipment; recognizing, reporting, monitoring hive health issues and applying appropriate treatments/controls. Moving hives as required; harvest, extract and package honey, lead small teams of workers, drive and maintain vehicles, operate and maintain other bee related equipment such as forklifts, conduct bee yard maintenance, general cleaning of working/production areas. One of these positions is from February 2024 thru June 2024. The other two positions are from February 2024 thru October 2024.

14 APIARY WORKERS (NOC 8431) Full time (40+ hrs/week) $15.65 -19.50/hr depending on experience, possible bonuses. Minimum 1 year experience. Duties include: woodwork (building bee related equipment), caring for bees in an appropriate manner, assisting technicians with bees and equipment, assisting with moving bees, assisting with honey harvest, extraction and packaging, assisting with bee yard and equipment maintenance, cleaning of working/production

Alberta Bee News

December 2023

Canadian National Beekeeping Convention and Tradeshow 8-10 February, 2024 Calgary, Alberta Deerfoot Inn & Casino https://deerfootinn.com/ Please visit:

www.honeycouncil.ca/bee-tech Sponsorship & Vendor opportunities available.

Canadian Honey Council

CAPA / ACPA

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areas. One of these positions is from July 2024 thru October 2024. The other twelve positions are from February 2024 thru October 2024.

All wages are negotiable based on experience and productivity. All positions may require some night and weekend work. All applicants must be able to work in the presence of bees, be in good physical condition and able to work in a team environment. On farm housing is available. Email resumes to: info@nixonhoney.ca or mail to: Nixon Honey Farm, #20, 35566 RR 263, Red Deer County, Alberta, T4G 0C9

and are not limited to: Hive Management, Detecting Hive Diseases, Treating Hive Diseases, Extraction of Honey, Operating Farm equipment. Apiary Techs are required to be team leaders and must be able to manage a team.

2 APIARY WORKERS (NOC 8431) from April 1, 2024 to October 31, 2024. Full time seasonal employment on a Canadian commercial beekeeping operation. (40+hours a week) $16.00 to 18.00 depending on experience.

Must be physically fit and be able to work as a team. Duties include and are not limited to: Hive Management, Detecting Hive Diseases, Treating Hive Diseases, Extraction of Honey, Operating Farm equipment.

International Drivers License is an asset. Some evenings and weekends are required. Worker Accommodation is available. Send resume to sshoneyinc@gmail.com or by mail Box 765, High Prairie, Ab, T0G-1E0

BUTZ APIARIES 1 Apiary Harvest Worker for Jun-Oct, 2024 and 1 Apiary Harvest Worker Jul-Sep, 2024. Starting $16.52/hour according to NOC 8431 guidelines. 45 plus hrs/wk.

1+ year Canadian commercial beekeeping experience required and must be physically fit and able to work with bees. Duties include honey harvesting, extraction, equipment maintenance and associated duties. Jun-Oct Apiary Harvest Worker will also assist with winter hive preparation. Contact Butz Apiaries, butzbuzz@gmail.com. PO Box 36 Carnwood AB T0C 0W0

S.S. HONEY INC. S.S. Honey Inc. is looking for 4 positions to be filled for the upcoming 2024 bee season. 2 Apiary technicians (NOC 8431) from April 1 2024 to October 31 2024.

Full Time Seasonal employment on a Canadian commercial beekeeping operation. (40+/hrs a week) $18 to $20/hr depending on experience, minimum 3 year experience. Must be physically fit and be able to work as a team. Duties include

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WILDROSE COUNTRY APIARY LTD. in Smoky Lake AB, is seeking to hire 4 seasonal apiary Technicians (NOC 85100) from March thru October 2024. $16.52-20hr 30-60 hours a week. 1 year experience is required. Specific skills include colony management, honey production, spring & winter preparation, and

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December 2023

Classifieds

Alberta Bee News

EMPLOYMENT

EMPLOYMENT

EMPLOYMENT

general maintenance on the farm. Must be physically fit and prepared to work in an efficient team environment. Expect some weekend and evening work. Located in a rural setting. Worker accommodation is provided.

Email: wildrosecountryapiary@gmail.com

educational requirement, experience an asset.

Apiary Harvester position may require some evening & weekend work. All applicants must be in good physical conditions and able to work in a fast-paced team environment. Experience an asset. All Applicants must be able to work in the presence of bees. Apply with resume to P & J Apiaries Inc., @ p.j.apiaries.applicants@shaw. ca, (Location 61232 – RR240 Westlock Co. AB.)

hrs + a week of work). Both positions start Jan 15 - November 15, 2024. Staff accomm available. Send resumes to Artur Pala palashoney@ hotmail.com or fax 780 694 2282.

P & J APIARIES INC. - We are seeking interested applicants in the Westlock County area for the following positions, including...

- (10) APIARY TECHNICIAN(s) (NOC 84120) $16.52-$22.00/hr. depending on experience for full time (50+ hrs/wk) employment February thru October 2024. No educational requirement.

Must have a minimum of 2-3 years (seasons) working fulltime on a Canadian style commercial apiary operation as an Apiary Technician or in the min. capacity of an Apiary Worker. All Duties associated with Canadian style commercial apiary such as Spring, Summer, Fall management of bee colonies, bee health monitoring, feeding, honey production and harvest, maintaining quality control/production, and safety records, operating and maintaining apiary equipment including trucks and forklifts, and coordination of some workers.

- (10) APIARY WORKER(s) (NOC 85100) $16.52-$19.00/hr. depending on experience for full time (50+ hrs/wk) employment March thru October 2024. No educational requirement.

Must have a minimum of 1 year (season) working fulltime on a Canadian style commercial apiary operation as an Apiary Worker or in the min. capacity of an Apiary Harvester/Labourer. All duties related to Canadian style commercial apiary associated with assisting Beekeepers/ Apiary Technicians with Spring, Summer, Fall colony management, moving colonies, maintaining of apiary equipment, and all aspects in the collection extraction/processing of honey.

All positions may require some evening & weekend work. All applicants must be in good physical conditions and able to work in a fastpace team environment. All Applicants must be able to work in the presence of bees. A valid driver’s license may be required for some of the Apiary Technician positions. Apply with resume to P & J Apiaries Inc., @ p.j.apiaries.applicants@shaw.ca, (Location 61232 – RR240 Westlock Co. AB.) P & J APIARIES INCWe are seeking interested applicants in the Westlock County area for the following positions, including...

-(6) APIARY HARVESTER(S)- NOC 85101 (6) Positions- $16.52 per/hr. The positions are available on a seasonal/full-time basis (50+ hrs. per week) for May to October 2024. Apiary Harvester duties include honey harvesting, collecting & processing of honey. No

PHILPOTT HONEY PRODUCERS LTD. located 10 kms north of Brooks is accepting resumes for APIARY WORKERS for the 2024 beekeeping season. The position starts Feb 1st, 2024 and carries on until Oct 31st, 2024. Full time hours (45+hrs/week) and some weekends and evenings are required. All applicants must be in good physical condition and be able to work well with others. Duties to include helping with all aspects of beekeeping and honey production in a commercial beekeeping operation. No experience is necessary as on job training given; however, is an asset. Starting wage is $16.52/hour and is negotiable depending on exp. with a performance bonus determined at end of season. On-farm accommodations are also available. Please email resumes to colin@ philpotthoney.ca or mailed to box 555, Brooks AB, T1R 1B5 or faxed to 403-362-4350 MARC G. PARADIS NE 23-79-5W6 Rycroft, AB. – NOC 8431(4 positions) ($15.65 - $16.50/hr depending on experience) for full time (40+hrs/wk) from Feb to Nov, 2024. Applicants must be able to work in presence of honeybees (Apiary work) & will assist with colony management & harvest crop. English an asset. No skills, experience or education required. All positions may require some evening, night and weekend work. All applicants must be in good physical condition and able to work in a team environment. Operate and maintain farm machinery and equipment. Valid driver’s license an asset. Apiary Workers Accommodation is available. Rural area. Apply: rycrofthoney@gmail. com or mail to Marc G Paradis, Box 487, Rycroft, AB T0H 3A0.

AP HONEY FARM LTD in Wanham AB for the 2024 season is seeking two positions for APIARY TECHNICIAN (NOC 8253) $15.65 - $17 with two years’ experience minimum, in a commercial apiary, wages depends on experience.

Major duties: knowledge of hive management, disease diagnoses & prevention, weekend work & evenings. Also require seven positions for Apiary Worker (NOC8431), $16.52 -$17 experience required. Major duties, include assisting Apiary Technician with all the duties in the work with bees. Some weekend & evenings work if needed, physically demanding work (45/ 28

HONEY MEADOWS FARM is located in Foothills County, Alberta. We are looking to hire 14 beekeepers for the 2024 season, beginning mid January through to mid October (~45+hours/ week). The work entails colony management, harvesting and extracting honey as well as manufacturing and repair of apiary equipment. The positions fall under NOC:84120 - $16.52/ hr - will adjust according to NOC guidelines if required.

Successful applicants must have experience working with bees on a commercial honey farm for at least 2 seasons. Please email resumes to Honeymeadows1@hotmail.com NOLTE APIARIES at 55503 Rge Rd 260 Sturgeon County, AB. T8R 0T6. Seeking 4 APIARY TECHNICIANS with 3+ yrs experience in Canadian commercial beekeeping. Education notrequired. Salary $16.52 - $24/hr. Job duties: bee colony management, honey harvesting.

Seeking 6 APIARY WORKERS NOC8431 wage $16.52-$22/hr. 1yr experience & education notrequired. Job duties assist with bee colony management & honey harvesting. Seeking 4 Apiarylabourers wage $16.52-$20/hr. No experience, no education. Job duties honey harvesting.All positions manufacturing & assemble hive equipment & handle heavy loads.

Seasonal: March to November 2024. 40+hrs/ wk. Valid driver’s license an asset. Apply by e-mail bee.farmerjob@gmail.com WOLFE HONEY COMPANY INC. is seeking an Apiary Manager for the 2024 beekeeping season. Must be able to communicate fluently in Spanish and English. Must be detailed oriented with strong organizational and interpersonal skills and have a minimum of 3 years working in a Canadian style beekeeping operation.

Must have a valid driver’s license and be able to maintain equipment. Must be able to keep detailed field and production records.

Duties include caring for honeybee colonies, coordinating the moving of bee colonies, plan daily work duties with staff, etc. Year round employment and accommodation available. $20-$24/hr. We are located in Guy, AB. Serious inquiries only Please contact Gilbert Wolfe at 780-925-2282 or email gilbert@honeybunny.ca WOLFE HONEY COMPANY INC. requires 12 Beekeeper Apiary Workers for full time/seasonal work (40-50 hrs/ wk.) for beekeeping season (approximately end of Feb to beginning of Nov 2024) in Guy, AB. Wages will be set by the NOC guidelines and is currently $16.52 per hour, with a possibility of a bonus. Accommodation is provided

Alberta Bee News

December 2023

in Guy. All applicants must be physically fit and able to work in the presence of honeybees. The job duties under the direction of the Field Supervisor and Managers include: maintaining the health of live honeybees, moving bees, collection & extraction of honey & preparing bees for winter. Also includes some woodwork for new beehive equipment, and general shop cleaning & maintenance. There will be some evening, weekend and night work required.

This is an entry level position with on the job training. There are no job experience or educational requirements for this position. We work in a team environment. Wolfe Honey Company Inc. is located at 5010-49th Street in Guy, AB, T0H 1Y0. The hamlet of Guy is located in the Municipal District of Smoky River. Applications accepted by email to hr@honeybunny.ca or by fax: 780-925-2943.

MOONDANCE HONEY INC located at 55063 TWP RD 704 has the following positions for the 2024 beekeeping season. Apiary Technician (NOC 8431) 4 seasonal positions. Wages $17-$19, depending on experience. Duties include hive management, queen introduction and nuc production, pest/disease recognition and treatment, hive supering, honey removal and extraction, and winter hive preparation. Shop work includes equipment construction and repair. Positions require 2-5 years of experience. Apiary Worker (NOC 8431) - 2 seasonal positions, $15.65-17/hr, depending on experience. Duties include assisting the Apiary Technicians with the duties described above. Seasonal positions run from mid-April to early October. Apply to termeerbill@yahoo.ca or fax your resume to 780-833-5747 SUPERNUC APIARIES llocated near Granum, AB (251032 TWP RD 104) has the following positions for the 2024 season. APIARY TECHNICIAN (NOC 8431) 1 position; wage starting at $16.52 - $22.00/hr, and APIARY WORKERS (NOC 8431) 2 positions: starting at $16.52 - $20.00/hr, needed full time (45+ hrs/wk) from Mar 1, 2024 through October 31, 2024. Apiary technicians must have a minimum of 3 seasons of full-time experience in a Canadian commercial apiary and have the ability to supervise/train staff, have knowledge in commercial hive management for pollination, honey production and queen-rearing and the ability to assess hive health and care for them in the appropriate manner.

Apiary workers must have a minimum of 1 season full time experience in a Canadian commercial apiary. Duties include assisting technicians with beehive maintenance and treatments, building and repairing bee equipment, moving hives, harvesting and extracting honey, and winter preparation. Some evening, night and weekend work will be required.

Accommodations are available. A valid driver's license and the ability to speak English is an asset. Must be physically fit and accustomed to working with honeybees. No educational requirements. All wages are negotiable based on experience and productivity. Bonuses may be available. Email resumes to aovinge@gmail.com or mail to Box 133, Granum, AB T0L 1A0.

GREIDANUS HONEY-BEE FARM, a 3400 hive beekeeping operation located in Stettler Alberta is seeking a seasonal Apiarist/Farm Foreman Duties: The foreman will oversee managing the beekeepers, bee care and honey collection/extraction. The foreman will manage the day to day operation of the honey bee farm including but not limited to oversight and organization of all field staff, ensuring that bee yards are checked on a regular basis and worker reporting back. Oversight of hive management including; medication, feeding bees, queen and nuc production, making splits. Harvesting and extracting honey.

Maintenance of all kinds, transporting bee colonies to and from pollination, wood working, clean up and other duties as assigned.

Looking for a minimum of 3 – 5 years experience. Salary negotiable and based on experience/qualifications. Must have a valid driver’s license.

On site accommodation is available. Please send cover letter and resume to: rongreidanus@gmail.com

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Y O U R PA R T N E R IN SALES WE BUY HONEY & WAX ASK FOR SÉBASTIEN OR PHILLIPE 1 800 567-3789 | info@honey.ca | odem.ca

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December 2023

Classifieds

EMPLOYMENT

EMPLOYMENT

T’N’T APIARIES REQUIRE: An APIARY FOREPERSON (NOC 82030) for fulltime (40+ hrs/wk) year round employment ($20.00-$25/hr depending on experience.

Bonuses possible). Applicant must have a minimum of 5 years (seasons) fulltime in a Canadian style commercial apiary environment with a minimum of 3 years (seasons) working as an Apiary Technician.

Duties include: • Caring for honeybee colonies in the appropriate manner.

• Co-ordinating the production of replacement bees & equipment.

• Recognizing, reporting, monitoring and controlling hive health issues.

• Harvest & package honey, pollen & beeswax.

• Supervise & train workers.

• Drive (including std transmission & medium duty trucks) & daily maintenance of vehicles.

• Operate & maintain other apiary equipment (including forklifts, chainsaws & pumps).

• Conduct bee yard maintenance.

• Keep field and/or production records.

• Interact with external farm personnel.

• Assisting Technicians with bees & equipment.

• Assisting with harvesting honey, pollen & beeswax.

• Assisting with the bee yard and equipment maintenance.

All positions may require some evening, night & weekend work. All applicants must be in good physical condition and able to work in a team environment. A motor vehicle Operator’s license with no serious infractions, recognized by the Province of Alberta & major insurance companies, is required for the Foreperson position and preference will be given to those Technician & Worker applicants holding one.

Contact Dave Tharle, 44116 - Hwy 659, Ardmore, AB or Box 80, Ardmore, AB. (Fax 780826-6013) Email: tntapi@mcsnet.ca

5 APIARY TECHNICIANS (NOC 84120) for full time (40+ hrs/wk) employment ($17.00$22/hr depending on experience. Bonuses possible) February thru November 2024. 1-2 positions may become year round. Must have a minimum of 2 years (seasons) working fulltime on a Canadian style commercial apiary in the min. capacity of Apiary Assistant or General Farm Worker.

Duties include: • Caring for honeybee colonies in the appropriate manner.

• Co-ordinating the production of replacement bees & equipment.

• Recognizing, reporting, monitoring hive health issues and applying appropriate treatment/controls.

• Harvest & package honey, pollen & beeswax.

• Supervise small teams of workers.

• Drive (including std transmission & medium duty trucks) & daily maintenance of vehicles.

• Operate & maintain other apiary equipment (including forklifts, chainsaws & pumps).

• Conduct bee yard maintenance.

• Keep some field and/or production records.

6 APIARY WORKERS (NOC 85100) for full time (40+ hrs/wk) employment ($16.55-$19.00/hr. depending on experience.

Bonuses Possible) February thru November 2024. Applicants must be able to work in the presence of honey bees.

Duties include: • Caring for honeybee colonies in the appropriate manner

Alberta Bee News

SEVERSON HONEY FARM at 48143 Range Rd 204 Camrose, AB, requires 3 Apiary Supervisors/ Forman (noc8253) for the 2024 year. Must have a minimum of 5 yearexperience in commercial beekeeping, wages start at $17–$21 depending on experience. Must be able to supervise 3-4 people & operate trucks & equipment.

Be organized, maintain records, work in team environment. This position is full-time 40+ hrs/ week. On farm accomm avail. Please send resume to Russell at rads@netkaster.ca 780-608-0076 MEIJER HONEY FARM is looking for applicants for the 2024 season. All positions are F/T on a seasonal basis from Feb 2024-Oct 2024. Applicants must be able to work in the presence of honeybees. Position may require some evening and weekend work. All applicants must be in good physical condition and able to work in a team environment.17 APIARY TECHNICIANS (NOC 84120) F/T (40+ hrs./ wk.) starting at $16.00 -$22.00/hr. depending on experience. (Possible bonus). Must have a minimum of 1 year (season) experience working fulltime on a Canadian commercial Farm. Duties include Caring for honeybee colonies in the appropriate manner. Manual labor of apiary.

Coordinating the production of replacement bees & equipment. Recognizing, reporting, monitoring hive health issues and applying appropriate treatment/controls. Harvesting honey, extraction, package honey, pollen, and beeswax. Team -player who can also work well independently.

Drive (including std transmission & medium duty trucks) & daily maintenance on vehicles. Operate & maintain other apiary equipment (including forklifts & pumps). Conduct bee yard maintenance.

Maintaining field and/or production records.

Monitoring and reporting to management.

Contact: Meijer Honey Farm -181072 TWP-RD 32-4 Box 295 Delia, AB T0J OWO Email: meijerhoneyfarm@outlook.com 31

FOR SALE MEIJER HONEY FARM DOWNSIZING FOR SALE- 1000 doubles - 1000 single splits.

Queens made June, 2024 Saskatraz stock.

Available end of April beginning of May. Email meijerhoneyfarm@outlook.com or call 403 857 8077 EQUIPMENT IN ELK POINT, ALBERTA. Used, in good condition. $150,000.00 for the following: • Paradise Air Ram extraction line, 128 frames • Automotive uncapper with de-boxer • Ralph Belt frame grabber, 9 frames • Second generation wax press (Canadian made, Paradise knockoff) • Water-jacketed Cowan in-floor sump with baffles and float switch (2 drum capacity) • 900 gallon heated milk tank (half inch tubing Cowan heater) • 2 tall plastic holding tanks on stands with 18 drums each • Electric scale up to 2000 Lbs • 3 two inch Cowan honey pumps Please contact Jean-Marc Le Dorze at jeanmarcledorze@gmail.com PARADIS HONEY LTD. Has the following equipment for sale: Paradise 1000 Wax Press - $15,000 obo Pollen Traps (approx. 1,500) $60 each obo For further information email: paradishoney@outlook.com or phone 780-323-4183 FOR SALE:

4 - 5 frame nucs $325.00 each.

Full deep colonies for sale $600.00 each.

Email info@paradisvalleyhoney.com or call 780-837-0302 Contact: info@paradisvalleyhoney.com

FOR SALE: 72 frame extractor. Dc drive.

Stainless steel drum. Food grade painted basket. CFIA approved. Runs great. 2k OBO. Pics available. 100 steel queen excluders. $7 each. Info at andrewcapis@yahoo.ca HONEY SUPERS FOR SALE 3500 - 8 & 9 stretched frame honey supers for sale. Most are 9 frames. Asking $40 each.

Please email Karen Wolfe/Wolfes Natural Bee Products Inc. at karwolfe1@gmail.com.

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Alberta Bee News

December 2023

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RETURN UNDELIVERABLE ITEMS TO Alberta Beekeepers Commission 11434 – 168 Street Edmonton AB T5M3T9 32