[Pollinator] Fw: Message sent using MB Contact Directory

[Peter Kevan]

RE: Message sent using MB Contact Directory
----- Original Message ----- 
From: Lafreniere, Rheal (MAFRI) 
To: CAPA-L at listserv.uoguelph.ca 
Sent: Wednesday, June 11, 2008 3:13 PM
Subject: FW: Message sent using MB Contact Directory


FYI - CHC is lobbying the Federal govt. for more support for beekeepers (see article below). 

 

Salut!

Rhéal Lafrenière  M.Sc. P. Ag.

Business Development Specialist - Provincial Apiarist

Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives

Ag. Services Complex Bldg. 204-545 University Cres.

Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, R3T 5S6

Phone: (204) 945-4825 Fax: (204)945-4327 Cell (204) 791-0124

e-mail: Rheal.Lafreniere at gov.mb.ca

 


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From: Klymochko, Bill: WPG [mailto:Klymochko.Bill at ic.gc.ca] 
Sent: Wednesday, June 11, 2008 2:05 PM
To: Lafreniere, Rheal (MAFRI)
Cc: Ostermann, David (MAFRI)
Subject: RE: Message sent using MB Contact Directory

 

 merci Rhéal, after all this,  you probably have seen the attached article but here it is again to be sure 

 

Industry asks Ottawa for $60-million in aid and research as bee populations plummet 
PAUL WALDIE             From Wednesday's Globe and Mail         June 11, 2008 at 3:58 AM EDT 

Ed Nowek has been keeping bees for more than 30 years and he has always marvelled at their resilience and adaptability. 

"They persevere quite well, up to a point," Mr. Nowek said from Vernon, 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."

Like beekeepers across North America, 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.

The number of commercial bee colonies in Canada 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.

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.

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.

"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."

"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.

While beekeepers struggle to hang on to their hives, researchers are scrambling to figure out why the insects are dying in such large numbers. 

Many point to varroa mites, which arrived in Canada 20 years ago from Asia. They suck blood from adult bees, larvae and pupa, making them weak and susceptible to viruses.

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 University of Manitoba, 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.

"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."

Mites aren't the only one problem. There are up to 15 different viruses that can kill bees, and scientists in the U.S. 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 U.S. in 2006 and the losses continue to climb. The number of colonies is down about 36 per cent this year. 

It is not clear whether CCD has emerged in Canada, but researchers say some similar symptoms have shown up. "Most scientists in the U.S. and Canada would agree that what is being described as CCD in the U.S. and the high winter losses seen in Canada 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.

Bees have also been suffering from climate change and industrialization, which can affect their nutrition. 

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 Vancouver Island produced little honey last year because bad weather cut pollen levels.

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. 

"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."
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