Statistics Canada “Canadian Honeybee Industry” Annual Report 2014
On December 9, 2014, Statistics Canada released its annual “Production and value of honey” report for 2014
On December 9, 2014, Statistics Canada released its annual “Production and value of honey” report for 2014 (http://www5.statcan.gc.ca/cansim/a26lang=eng&retrLang=eng&id=10007&pattern=&tabMode=dataTable&srchLan=-1&p1=1&p2=-1). For many this is a great report as it releases the current data for the Canadian honeybee industry. This data is acquired from all the Provincial Apiarists in Canada in the fall of the reported year. As expected the numbers for 2014 verify what many of us expected, which was continued growth on all fronts:
|PRODUCTION OF HONEY, TOTAL (POUNDS X 1,000)4||106,599||69,402||64,895||70,362||81,672||79,824||90,759||76,468||81,556|
|VALUE OF HONEY, TOTAL (DOLLARS X 1,000)5||111,255||84,916||105,184||126,253||144,197||150,691||176,206||181,283||201,620|
As you can see (Figure 1), the number of beekeepers in Canada has risen 32% since 2009. The number of colonies is also up by 16% in that same period of time. 2013 saw a drop in hives numbers but it rebounded and actually increased 4% this past year.
|PRODUCTION OF HONEY, TOTAL (POUNDS X 1,000)4||46,736||28,914||25,990||29,116||34,580||34,050||38,000||33,200||34,404|
|VALUE OF HONEY, TOTAL (DOLLARS X 1,000)5||46,375||29,627||37,755||48,837||56,230||59,168||68,340||72,905||78,602|
When we look at Alberta, which accounts for 45% of the colonies and honey production in Canada, there has been similar growth. In 2006 Alberta experienced higher than average wintering losses. This was due to a number of factors such as the varroa mite, nosema, climate, management practices, etc. As a result of these higher losses and a lack of explanation as to why, the Alberta Beekeepers Commission, Alberta Agriculture and the seed canola industry developed a “Bee Health Program” in 2009. This program aided beekeepers with extension services in order to diagnose what was wrong with their hives during the active season as well as educate those same beekeepers on how to improve their integrated management practices (IPM). During the duration of this 4 year program we saw improved colony health as well as more educated and progressive beekeepers. The numbers in Figure 2 are evidence of this programs success.
|PRODUCTION OF HONEY, TOTAL (POUNDS X 1,000)4||8,287||5,968||4,586||5,730||8,814||9,023||9,439||6,363||8,192|
|VALUE OF HONEY, TOTAL (DOLLARS X 1,000)5||11,870||9,354||9,190||14,133||20,379||22,537||23,815||20,362||30,310|
Now lets take a look at what happened in Ontario during the same time period. What stands out is that Ontario hasn’t had a “catastrophic” reduction in colony numbers. Beekeepers in that province have actually seen consistent growth each year with the exception of 2013, when hive numbers dropped by %3.5. This was quickly remedied in 2014 as Ontario’s hive numbers increased by 14% from 2013 and 11% from 2012. What I found extremely interesting was the number of beekeepers in Ontario, which have risen by 33% since 2008. Although the Ontario bee industry primarily consists of hobby beekeepers (only 247 out of the 3262 in Ontario are considered commercial), this increase in both the number of beekeepers and colonies just goes to show how resilient beekeepers are in that province.
If I was an outsider looking at these numbers, I’d be led to believe that the Canadian honeybee industry is flourishing and would be confused by the media reports of its demise. Numbers alone don’t tell the whole story, but they are a good indicator how an industry is faring.
It’s true that we continue to struggle with pests, diseases, and weather. It’s also true that some beekeepers in eastern Canada have had issues with neonicotinoid exposure during the seeding of corn and soybeans. Wintering losses continue to be a huge factor as well. Since 2007 Canada’s overwintering losses have been 29%, 35%, 34%, 21%, 29%, 15%, 28% and finally 25%, as per the Canadian Association of Professional Apiculturists annual “Colony Loss Reports” (http://capabees.org/) . Despite all of the obstacles thrown at us, of which they are many, we continue to grow and thrive.
As a commercial beekeeper, it’s beyond frustrating when all that’s being reported is how neonicotinoids are a beekeepers primary concern and how the industry as a whole is facing the “beepocaolypse”. If even a quarter of the time and money spent on the neonic debate was committed towards finding better controls for the varroa mite and nosema apis/ceranae, we’d have even more success stories from within the beekeeping industry. And that’s scratching the surface, as replacement stock, nutrition, and disease controls are also in dire need of attention.
Instead of focusing in on those beekeepers that can’t seem to figure out their problems without blaming neonics, it’s time to highlight those beekeepers that are successful and what they have been doing to achieve that success. These beekeepers are found in each and every Canadian province. You just have to open your eyes and minds.