Honeybee The ontario
in Crisis
BY COURTNEY DENARD
All stewards of the land have been affected by the honeybee crisis that’s been making headline news since 2007. For
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members of horticulture and agriculture industries near and far have been working effortlessly to determine exactly what is going on in hopes of decreasing the number of honeybee losses that continue to rise on an annual basis. Les Eccles, Tech-Transfer Program Lead with the Ontario Beekeepers’ Association (OBA), says Canada is not immune to this global phenomenon that has the potential to wipe out farm production, as we know. Eccles recently took the time to sit down with the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Convention to answer some questions as to what’s happening with the crisis today and highlight ways Ontario growers can help navigate the situation.
Q What are the major issues currently facing the Ontario bee industry? a Honeybee health and keeping bees alive has been a big issue since 2007. The industry continues to have an increasing number of severe losses of honeybee colonies each year, especially over the
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wintertime. It’s true that honeybees are experiencing a lot more stress and disease but the main pest is the varroa mite, which negatively affects a bee’s immune system. In the last couple of years, the other big issue facing the industry has been the use of neonicotinoid pesticides in conventional grain farming. We don’t really know how far, and to what extent, they’re affecting honeybees, but we do know they’re causing a huge kill in the spring. This is happening because only 2-20 per cent of the pesticide is being sprayed directly onto the seeds in the fields and the rest is going into the natural environment. New research is also showing levels of neonicotinoids in water and wetlands. This is problematic because bees drink their body weight in water everyday.
Q How is the Ontario bee industry dealing with these issues? a When it comes to dealing with the varroa mite, the industry has made it a big part of our integrated pest management (IPM) program. The
Ontario industry probably has the most developed program in North American when looking at this particular issue. For the past 20 years we’ve been able to develop effective management tools including treatment products that can be used to fight off mites. It’s important to note that these treatment products must be rotated regularly in order to reduce the incidence of resistance throughout the industry. Monitoring mite levels is another important management practice we promote as part of our IPM program. For the neonicotinoid issue, a provincial working group has been established with numerous representatives from the horticulture and agriculture industries including the OBA, the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food, the Pest Management Regulatory Agency, the Grain Farmers of Ontario, and the Ontario Federation of Agriculture to name a few. Representatives from these groups are sitting down to discuss the situation and working to come up with a report to give the Ontario Minister of Agriculture.