Sask. honey industry anticipates sweet year

By Nigel Maxwell

There’s a positive buzz coming from the province’s honey industry.

Bee colonies are in good shape this spring despite a bitterly cold winter. Simon Lalonde, president of the Saskatchewan Beekeepers Development Commission, said the big loss experienced last year appears to be a one off.

“Probably five to 20 per cent losses so far,” he said, adding some people will still go up a little bit from that over the next few weeks.

Last year, some producers in the province reported losses in the 40 per cent range. Fortunately, producers were able to apply for compensation. In February, 2018, the province announced changes to the crop insurance program related to bee keepers. Producers became eligible for coverage for over-winter losses, and deductibles are now based on a long-term industry averages. Lalonde said he heard lots of optimism about the upcoming season.

“The bees are looking pretty good. It’s just going to be a matter of making it through and and hopefully now the farmers can get some rain for the rest of their crops,” he said.

Sara Comerford runs an operation west of Saskatoon (Sun River Honey) and experienced losses in the eight per cent range. She said the bees that were able to stay connected to their honey have rebounded well.

“Fresh pollen is just starting to become accessible so with that the queen will just go crazy and the populations will just explode in the next three to four weeks,” she said.

Saskatchewan beekeepers were not alone with their woes last year. A survey of almost 900 Ontario beekeepers found 70 per cent of them suffered unsustainable losses to their colonies

nigel.maxwell@jpbg.ca