Overall, Glover said many keepers have reported struggling over the winter and spring. Factors included the dry weather last year, the late bloom of canola produced food for the bees that was not great to winter on, and a long cold season that seemed to not end. It was not a good situation at all.
Ian Steppler, president of the Manitoba Beekeepers Association, said his phone started ringing on April 2 with reports. He said there was the hint of nicer weather in the air, and keepers were taking a look at their hives.
“They were noticing losses,” Steppler said. “Then really heavy losses were reported.”
With the winter we had, some were looking at about 40% losses. Then we had the spring that really did not exist, with snow and rain continually, which in some cases added another 20-25%. Steppler said keepers will see 10-15% losses in a normal year, but when it gets to the point it grows to this level, it is a disaster.
“Some of the losses are 90% or more. Right now, the price of honey is at an all time high, and then they can’t produce the honey.”
Like Glover, Steppler said there is a combination of reasons for the problem the industry is in today. As he explained, it likely started last year, with the drought and the smoke hovering around the province, which was stressful for bees. There are the mites and the fungal diseases. All of the bad weather, with Colorado lows and Alberta clippers did no favours, with winter not ending until May.
“It was a perfect storm this year,” he stated. “You couldn’t win this year. In our business, we are always dealing with unknowns and we do the best to manage them. We couldn’t this year.”
It would be bad enough if we were only seeing this in Manitoba. However, Steppler said this is a Canada-wide problem. This creates an issue with bee stock. When keepers need to restock from outside sources, they have bee packages sent to them from other areas. This year, some areas in Canada that can supply have none, and they need the ones from foreign sources as well.
“We have these heavy losses, and we are not able to replace them. Some places the bees winter better and they can sell them, but they can’t do it right now. There is no available bee stock.”
Some outfits have specialty duty, Steppler explained, like blueberry pollination, and they usually use four hives per acre. Often they have to make do with one right now, so they will get a certain priority for new bees.
Glover said one advantage he had was he lost his bees fairly early, so he was able to speak up for replacements from local suppliers. Some will not be so lucky.
“I’m sure there will be shortages,” Glover said. “A lot of the guys lost them over the winter and by the time they lost them, there were none around.”
It is common to build colonies by taking stronger bees from existing hives to start new ones. This works when your numbers are strong. When they are low, or the bees are not in the best of shape, it is tougher. Steppler said some producers might take the year off honey production and spend the summer trying to rebuild.
 This could create a host of problems. If the 150,000 hives in the province are cut in half, and some are rebuilding colonies, then honey production gets cut back. If there is a shortfall, Steppler explained, processors will have to find other sources, and he is concerned the Manitoba producers will have a tough time getting back in.
However, the situation is deeper than keepers and honey production. Bees are key pollinators for crops. As the president said they contribute $100-150 million in increased value to crops like canola, sunflowers and alfalfa. If there are half of the hives out of commission, there will be less pollination and less value to the agricultural industry.
What can be done? Steppler said bees need food, and the public can help provide it. Let the dandelions bloom and plant a variety of flowers. They can also promote policies that keep the natural landscape intact which will help keep bees healthy and numerous.
Both he and Glover also pointed to border policies. For nearly four decades, keepers have not been able to access the continental United States for bees. It was an attempt to keep mites at bay. However the mites are here, and there is a need for bees across Canada that other areas like New Zealand and Chile cannot handle. Steppler said beekeepers are working to try to get access to bees where problems can be mitigated.
Glover added the mites might be gaining immunity to the chemicals they are using to protect the bees, so something new might be needed.
Overall, it is a tough situation. Glover said they had a great honey year last year. The season is usually in July-August and the hope is they can be ready for this as best they can. They only need warm weather with less wind.
“Hopefully,” he said, “we can get ready to roll.”

by PAUL RAYNER, Recorder staff