Sask. bee colonies hit hard during winter, above national levels

By Jaryn Vecchio

Saskatchewan’s honey bee colonies took a big hit during the winter, but not as bad as other provinces.

According to reports, nearly half of all colonies in Canada didn’t survive the colder months.

Graham Parsons, a pollinator biosecurity specialist with Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Agriculture, told farmnewsNOW the damage in the province was around 35 per cent.

“We’re under the national average but we’re about 15 to 20 per cent higher than usual,” Parsons said.

Manitoba reported the greatest loss at roughly 57 per cent, followed by Alberta which lost just over half of its colonies. Nova Scotia saw the smallest impact with a loss of around 15 per cent.

Parsons claimed the main reason for the loss is varroa mites, which produce in the bee brood and attack and feed on the bees.

“If there’s a long season, the bees do well and are producing more bees or more immature bees (then) there’s more chance for that parasite to reproduce,” he said.

He added bee farmers were left with two options after the loss: Continue producing honey with the number of colonies they now have or split their colonies with one group being used to help increase their numbers for next year.

“In either case, you’re going to have less honey production,” said Parsons.

— With files from The Canadian Press