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<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message -----
<DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A
title=Rheal.Lafreniere@GOV.MB.CA
href="mailto:Rheal.Lafreniere@GOV.MB.CA">Lafreniere, Rheal (MAFRI)</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>To:</B> <A title=CAPA-L@listserv.uoguelph.ca
href="mailto:CAPA-L@listserv.uoguelph.ca">CAPA-L@listserv.uoguelph.ca</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>Sent:</B> Wednesday, June 11, 2008 3:13 PM</DIV>
<DIV><B>Subject:</B> FW: Message sent using MB Contact Directory</DIV></DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV class=Section1>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">FYI – CHC is lobbying
the Federal govt. for more support for beekeepers (see article below).
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN lang=FR-CA
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Salut!<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN lang=FR-CA
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Rhéal Lafrenière
M.Sc. P. Ag.</SPAN></FONT><FONT color=navy><SPAN lang=FR-CA
style="COLOR: navy"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Business Development
Specialist - Provincial Apiarist</SPAN></FONT><FONT color=navy><SPAN lang=EN-CA
style="COLOR: navy"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><FONT face=Arial
color=navy size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Manitoba</SPAN></FONT></st1:place></st1:State><FONT
face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> Agriculture, Food and
Rural Initiatives</SPAN></FONT><FONT color=navy><SPAN
style="COLOR: navy"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Ag. Services Complex
Bldg. <st1:Street w:st="on"><st1:address w:st="on">204-545 University
Cres.</st1:address></st1:Street></SPAN></FONT><FONT color=navy><SPAN
style="COLOR: navy"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on"><FONT face=Arial
color=navy size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Winnipeg</SPAN></FONT></st1:City><FONT
face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">, <st1:State
w:st="on">Manitoba</st1:State>, <st1:country-region
w:st="on">Canada</st1:country-region></SPAN></FONT></st1:place><FONT face=Arial
color=navy size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">, R3T
5S6</SPAN></FONT><FONT color=navy><SPAN
style="COLOR: navy"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Phone: (204) 945-4825
Fax: (204)945-4327 Cell (204) 791-0124</SPAN></FONT><FONT color=navy><SPAN
style="COLOR: navy"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN lang=FR-CA
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">e-mail:
</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><A
href="mailto:rlafrenier@gov.mb.ca"><SPAN
lang=FR-CA>Rheal.Lafreniere@gov.mb.ca</SPAN></A></SPAN></FONT><FONT
color=navy><SPAN lang=FR-CA
style="COLOR: navy"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P></DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN lang=FR-CA
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" align=center><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">
<HR tabIndex=-1 align=center width="100%" SIZE=2>
</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><B><FONT face=Tahoma size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">From:</SPAN></FONT></B><FONT
face=Tahoma size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">
Klymochko, Bill: WPG [mailto:Klymochko.Bill@ic.gc.ca] <BR><B><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Sent:</SPAN></B> Wednesday, June 11, 2008 2:05
PM<BR><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">To:</SPAN></B> <st1:PersonName
w:st="on">Lafreniere, Rheal</st1:PersonName> (MAFRI)<BR><B><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Cc:</SPAN></B> <st1:PersonName w:st="on">Ostermann,
David</st1:PersonName> (MAFRI)<BR><B><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Subject:</SPAN></B> RE: Message sent using MB Contact
Directory</SPAN></FONT><o:p></o:p></P></DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Arial size=3><SPAN lang=EN-CA
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> merci Rhéal, after all
this, you probably have seen the attached article but here it is again to
be sure</SPAN></FONT><SPAN lang=EN-CA> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P><B><FONT face=Arial size=3><SPAN lang=EN-CA
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Industry asks
<st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Ottawa</st1:place></st1:City> for
$60-million in aid and research as bee populations plummet</SPAN></FONT></B>
<BR><FONT face=Arial><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">PAUL WALDIE
From Wednesday's
Globe and Mail June 11, 2008 at 3:58
AM EDT</SPAN></FONT><SPAN lang=EN-CA> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></P>
<P><FONT face=Arial size=3><SPAN lang=EN-CA
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Ed Nowek has been keeping bees for
more than 30 years and he has always marvelled at their resilience and
adaptability.</SPAN></FONT><SPAN lang=EN-CA> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></P>
<P><FONT face=Arial size=3><SPAN lang=EN-CA
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">"They persevere quite well, up to a
point," Mr. Nowek said from <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Vernon</st1:place></st1:City>, B.C., where he owns Planet Bee Honey
Farm. "But I think we've just got to the point now where we are pushing them too
hard."</SPAN></FONT><o:p></o:p></P>
<P><FONT face=Arial size=3><SPAN lang=EN-CA
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Like beekeepers across <st1:place
w:st="on">North America</st1:place>, Mr. Nowek has watched his bees die off in
droves. Last year he lost two-thirds of his bee colonies, while some other
beekeepers in the area lost more than 80 per cent.</SPAN></FONT><o:p></o:p></P>
<P><FONT face=Arial size=3><SPAN lang=EN-CA
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">The number of commercial bee
colonies in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Canada</st1:place></st1:country-region> has shrunk by 155,000, or 26
per cent, this year, according to industry figures (a colony can hold as many as
50,000 bees). Last year the total fell 29 per cent. That's far above the 15 per
cent annual loss beekeepers can typically withstand and still stay in
business.</SPAN></FONT><o:p></o:p></P>
<P><FONT face=Arial size=3><SPAN lang=EN-CA
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">The plummeting bee population has
not only caused havoc for beekeepers and honey makers, it has also hurt fruit
farmers and canola growers who rely on bees to pollinate crops. By some
estimates, bees add $1-billion to the Canadian agricultural
sector.</SPAN></FONT><o:p></o:p></P>
<P><FONT face=Arial size=3><SPAN lang=EN-CA
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">The situation is so bad the Canadian
Honey Council (CHC), which represents beekeepers and honey makers, has asked
Ottawa for $50-million in disaster relief and another $10-million in research to
help the industry recover. It's the first time the industry has asked for
help.</SPAN></FONT><o:p></o:p></P>
<P><FONT face=Arial size=3><SPAN lang=EN-CA
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">"We want to see some money for
reinvestment and to help those who have lost their livestock to get back into
business," said Heather Clay, chief executive officer of the Calgary-based CHC.
"We haven't had losses like this before."</SPAN></FONT><o:p></o:p></P>
<P><FONT face=Arial size=3><SPAN lang=EN-CA
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">"We are committed to working with
beekeepers to address the challenges they are facing," said Todd MacKay, a
spokesman for federal Agriculture Minister Gerry
Ritz.</SPAN></FONT><o:p></o:p></P>
<P><FONT face=Arial size=3><SPAN lang=EN-CA
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">While beekeepers struggle to hang on
to their hives, researchers are scrambling to figure out why the insects are
dying in such large numbers. </SPAN></FONT><o:p></o:p></P>
<P><FONT face=Arial size=3><SPAN lang=EN-CA
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Many point to varroa mites, which
arrived in <st1:country-region w:st="on">Canada</st1:country-region> 20 years
ago from <st1:place w:st="on">Asia</st1:place>. They suck blood from adult bees,
larvae and pupa, making them weak and susceptible to
viruses.</SPAN></FONT><o:p></o:p></P>
<P><FONT face=Arial size=3><SPAN lang=EN-CA
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">For years, mite populations were
controllable with various pesticides, but the mites have become resistant to
most of these products. Now scientists like Rob Currie, an entomologist at the
<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceType w:st="on">University</st1:PlaceType> of
<st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Manitoba</st1:PlaceName></st1:place>, are trying to
breed bees that can cope with the mites. He has had some success breeding bees
that have better grooming behaviour and can comb off the
mites.</SPAN></FONT><o:p></o:p></P>
<P><FONT face=Arial size=3><SPAN lang=EN-CA
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">"It's not bulletproof by any means
at this point," Mr. Currie said. "You're trying to control a parasite on an
insect. It's like trying to kill an insect on an insect. It's not easy to
do."</SPAN></FONT><o:p></o:p></P>
<P><FONT face=Arial size=3><SPAN lang=EN-CA
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Mites aren't the only one problem.
There are up to 15 different viruses that can kill bees, and scientists in the
<st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region> have formed a task force to
study what they call Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), which describes the sudden
death of adult bees in a colony for a number of reasons. Bees began dying at
alarming rates in the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region> in 2006 and the losses continue
to climb. The number of colonies is down about 36 per cent this year.
</SPAN></FONT><o:p></o:p></P>
<P><FONT face=Arial size=3><SPAN lang=EN-CA
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">It is not clear whether CCD has
emerged in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Canada</st1:place></st1:country-region>, but researchers say some
similar symptoms have shown up. "Most scientists in the <st1:country-region
w:st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region> and <st1:country-region
w:st="on">Canada</st1:country-region> would agree that what is being described
as CCD in the <st1:country-region w:st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region> and the
high winter losses seen in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Canada</st1:place></st1:country-region> are likely being caused by
several common interacting stress factors acting on honey bee colonies," said a
statement from the Canadian Association of Professional
Apiculturists.</SPAN></FONT><o:p></o:p></P>
<P><FONT face=Arial size=3><SPAN lang=EN-CA
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Bees have also been suffering from
climate change and industrialization, which can affect their
nutrition.</SPAN></FONT><SPAN lang=EN-CA> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></P>
<P><FONT face=Arial size=3><SPAN lang=EN-CA
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Bees typically get carbohydrates
from nectar and protein from pollen. Weather changes can reduce pollen levels
and although beekeepers can provide some food substitutes, they are not nearly
as good. Many beekeepers on <st1:place w:st="on">Vancouver Island</st1:place>
produced little honey last year because bad weather cut pollen
levels.</SPAN></FONT><o:p></o:p></P>
<P><FONT face=Arial size=3><SPAN lang=EN-CA
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Mr. Nowek was part of the CHC group
that met with federal officials last week to discuss aid. He said he is
frustrated at the lack of attention the problem is getting.
</SPAN></FONT><o:p></o:p></P>
<P><FONT face=Arial size=3><SPAN lang=EN-CA
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">"If you thought for a minute that a
third of the cattle in this country were dead one spring, you watch the
excitement and the attention it would get from people," he said. "Beekeepers
have had such a tough go of it over the last so many years. It's
disheartening."</SPAN></FONT><o:p></o:p></P></DIV></BODY></HTML>