“Our intent in the long term is to export a higher volume of our members’ honey as value-added, packed honey to be sold to retailers and distributors, so that we can continue to generate competitive returns for our members.” – Guy Chartier.

Expanding markets for Manitoba honey

Upgrades slated to Manitoba honey production and packaging facilities

After a challenging several months for Manitoba’s beekeepers, it was likely encouraging to hear some good news percolate to the surface. The Manitoba Cooperative Honey Producers Limited (MCHP) is edging a step closer to the upgrade and modernization of its processing and packaging facilities – a move expected to result in expanded markets and new

Outside of varroa mite stress in 2021, the provincial apiarist also noted reports of feed problems in some hives.

Drought sets stage on bee losses, mite issues

The 2021 drought is the unwanted gift that keeps giving

Last year’s drought is a likely suspect in Manitoba’s high honeybee losses, and for multiple reasons, apiary experts say. Ian Steppler, chair of the Manitoba Beekeepers’ Association (MBA), says diagnostics are ongoing, but conditions last year — which saw little rain until mid- to late summer, followed by abnormal growth and blooming in fall —


bees

Beekeepers to take second look at U.S. bees amid heavy loss

Many hives are still in the snow, but early loss counts are alarming

Manitoba’s beekeepers will be revisiting their decision to not push for a return of bulk bee shipments from the U.S. Ian Steppler, chair of the Manitoba Beekeepers’ Association, said they will be holding a special meeting on the topic April 23. “All producers in Manitoba are divided on this issue,” he said. Why it matters:

Concerns over importing pests like varroa mite have kept Manitoba beekeepers from endorsing U.S. imports.

VIDEO: Beekeepers opt for closed border on U.S. bulk bees

Bulk bee imports from the U.S. have been closed for decades, and Manitoba’s beekeepers say they would like it to stay that way

Manitoba’s beekeeping sector won’t be endorsing any push to reopen the U.S. border to American bulk bee shipments. In late February, a majority of members at the Manitoba Beekeepers’ Association (MBA) annual meeting shot down a resolution to support the Canadian Honey Council, should the national industry group ever lobby the federal government to allow

Pollinators key to canola crops’ success

Pollinators key to canola crops’ success

Your busy little unpaid employees make it all possible

Canola producers often partner with beekeepers because the bees are an effective way to pollinate canola blossoms and increase the seed production. The bees collect the pollen as a protein-rich food and sip nectar to make honey, a handy way to store energy. Making pollen and nectar is a lot of work for the plant


Funding boosts beekeeping extension

Funding boosts beekeeping extension

The Manitoba Beekeepers’ Association extension and research program has another $20,000 for the coming year

The Manitoba Beekeepers’ Association (MBA) hopes a jolt of funding will help bolster research and extension efforts. The Manitoba Crop Alliance (MCA), which blends commodity groups for wheat and barley, flax, sunflowers, corn and winter cereals, announced in January that it would be providing $10,000 for the MBA’s Knowledge Research Transfer Program in the coming

“The consensus is that general efficacy, countable efficacy of that product — Apivar — is quite variable.” – Rhéal Lafrenière.

Varroa mite protection product for bees losing its punch

Producers may need multiple prongs of varroa mite control with some of their go-to solutions starting to lose potency

Beekeepers will have to watch their varroa mite levels more closely and be prepared to look past Apivar for other control measures, provincial apiarist Rhéal Lafrenière says. Why it matters: Parasitic varroa mites feed on both adult bees and developing brood, causing weak and malformed bees, high mortality and, associated with that, winter losses due

In the end, Manitoba beekeepers say a late-season flush of growth brought their season much closer to the average mark.

Weather turn bails out beekeepers

While honey yields are below average, it’s not the disaster many were expecting in July

The province’s beekeepers may well feel like they dodged a bullet, thanks to a surge of growth in August and September. Late-season rains helped bolster the 2021 honey harvest and have eased fears about the coming winter, according to Manitoba Beekeepers’ Association chair Ian Steppler. “The situation earlier in the summer seemed really dire and


Varroa mites feeding on honeybee pupae.

Bees hit with pesky symptoms

Atypical weather this year impacted pest management for beekeepers

While an extended season has been a boon for the honey sector, experts say it may have also played into the varroa mite issues that have plagued some operations. Ian Steppler, chair of the Manitoba Beekeepers’ Association, said producers reported higher mite counts this year, requiring treatment. Infestations of the parasite are associated with weak

beehive frame without honey

U.S. honey crop stung by climate change

Drought-weakened bee colonies shrink North American honey crop, threaten almonds and fruit Gackle, N.D. | Reuters — There was barely a buzz in the air as John Miller pried the lid off of a crate, one of several “bee boxes” stacked in eight neat piles beside a cattle-grazing pasture outside Gackle, North Dakota, about 150