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

Drought conditions have beekeepers and bears on a collision course as natural food sources dry up this year.

Hungry for hives: Bears wreaking havoc with beekeepers

The drought has affected ursine food sources making bee yards tempting targets

One look across Paul Gregory’s bee yard near Arborg might spark the urge to check the sky. Despite the cliché, it does look like a weak tornado might have blown through. Across the yard, previously neat stacks of beehive boxes lie strewn. Frames are damaged, licked clean and scattered across the ground as if in


Honey optimism drops with drought

Honey optimism drops with drought

Low honey and winter survival worries are spreading among beekeepers as Manitoba’s drought conditions drag on

Cattle producers won’t be the only ones in the livestock sector supplementing feed if the taps don’t turn on. Manitoba’s beekeeping sector says, despite an optimistic start, it is now also facing down lower honey yield and a tough winter should drought conditions not abate. Why it matters: Manitoba’s honey industry is facing down tough conditions due

Steppler Farms gets hives going for the 2021 season.

Honey market riding high, despite pandemic pitfalls

Pandemic pressures have helped drive local honey prices up over the last year

Manitoba’s beekeepers might be in for a really good year — assuming pandemic-driven logistical issues, labour shortages and the province’s still-dry conditions don’t keep them from cashing in. Why it matters: Financial signals are good for the honey industry, although producers still have plenty of hurdles to clear. In March, all signals initially pointed to good hive survival after a mild winter and

Editorial: Labels and legalities

Editorial: Labels and legalities

It’s often said that a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. But does the same apply to honey cut with high-fructose corn syrup? If would seem so, according to the front-page story of our Farmit Manitoba section, where Alexis Stockford digs into the sticky issue of honey adulteration. The problem for regulators


Adulterated honey imports to North America disadvantage local honey producers.

Smoking out Canadian honey fraud

The CFIA found less adulterated honey in 2019-20, although beekeepers say those numbers only encompass a part of their market reality

[UPDATED: Dec. 21, 2020] The newest numbers are in on Canadian honey fraud, although beekeepers say they don’t fully capture the reality of the sector. The most recent bout of official testing did see less honey fraud compared to similar surveillance the year before, according to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). In a report

Owner Tim with Grandson Hayden.

Local honey farm wins big in London

Faces of Ag: The Wendell family pitches their honey on quality, purity and Prairie goodness

A Manitoba-Saskatchewan honey farm has brought home high honours from the 2020 London Honey Awards. Wendell Estate Honey, which practises both conventional and organic production, entered the only Canadian honeys to receive platinum awards in the competition, appearing alongside honey from Greece, Italy, Spain and the U.K. To reach platinum status, the honey must score an

(Noel Hendrickson/DigitalVision/Getty Images)

Don’t be fooled by the COVID-19 cons

Opinion | Tough times always mean more food fraud and COVID-19 will be no exception

When costs rise, most food companies adjust. Safe, fair, and sustainable business practices are always a priority in this sector. Regrettably though, it is not always the case. Several food science experts believe that an increase in food fraud is inevitable due to COVID-19. The Food Authenticity Network Advisory Board, which includes over 1,500 food


Manitoba Beekeepers expect reduced production

Manitoba Beekeepers expect reduced production

Fewer workers, interruptions to supply chains to blame

Honey production capacity is likely to drop by 10 to 20 per cent this year due to various COVID-19-related issues. “A lot of beekeepers are planning to run less bees this year based on diminished capacity for labour,” said Mark Friesen, chair of the Manitoba Beekeepers Association. Border closures and airline shutdowns related to COVID-19

“I’m hurting not having my help,” says the chair of the Manitoba Beekeepers Association.

Vegetable, honey producers still waiting on workers

Less than half of international workers expected for the season have arrived, province says

Despite efforts to bring in international workers, vegetable growers and beekeepers are still severely understaffed, according to provincial numbers. “I’m hurting not having my help,” said Mark Friesen, chair of the Manitoba Beekeepers Association. Friesen’s Canadian employee is living abroad and hasn’t been able to get back into the country, he said. As of May 11, according to numbers