CanAdvance Sponsorship Project

NEWS RELEASES - 2007

Research into honey bee losses finds answers, solutions

(Guelph, ON – November 20, 2007) The loss of 35 per cent of Ontario’s honey bee colonies last winter was likely caused by a combination of diseases and environmental factors, according to research conducted by the Ontario Beekeepers Association. The good news is that the problem is expected to be resolved.

At a value of $225 per hive, this loss equated to almost $6 million. Some large beekeepers and beekeepers in regions such as Niagara and Haldimand-Norfolk suffered losses over 90 per cent. Winter losses are normal, though not at this level. Of the almost 76,000 bee hives in Ontario, almost 27,000 died with many of the remaining colonies being severely weakened.

To determine what happened to the bee colonies, the Ontario Beekeeper’s Association’s Bee Tech Transfer Team collected approximately 446 samples of bees from 25 beekeepers across the province over the spring and summer.

Management surveys were undertaken to understand the different techniques that beekeepers were using, “We also sampled both dead and live bees for varroa mites, tracheal mites and nosema, a protozoan which affects the bees’ digestive systems,” says Alison Skinner, a technology transfer specialist with the Ontario Beekeepers

What the team found was rather surprising. Nosema was evident in every sample with many of the spore counts numbering over 1 million. In over half of the samples, a more aggressive, dominant strain was detected.

“When a colony is infected with Nosema apis, there is evidence of ‘bee dysentry’ on the outside of the hives,” explains Skinner. “This isn’t the case with Nosema ceranae. The bees don’t show the characteristic dysentry symptoms and therefore it goes unnoticed by the beekeeper.”

Skinner noted that the nosema wasn’t the sole factor in the bee deaths. “The bees were already under stress from a high incidence of varroa mites as well as the environment. Due to a wet fall, the bees were not able to gather enough pollen to use as a protein source for raising young bees in the spring.”

Now that the problem has been diagnosed, the Tech Transfer Team is busy sharing the results and outlining the only known treatment, the use of “Fumagilin B” fed in sugar syrup to kill the nosema spores.

The prognosis is good for the bees. Many of the province’s 2,400 beekeepers either split their colonies, or purchased new bees throughout the summer, so the populations are back up and will hopefully be healthy through the next winter. The remaining sick bees are being treated, monitored and should recover.

Honey bees not only provide honey but also pollination for many fruits and vegetables. It is generally accepted that honey bee pollination is responsible for one-third of our food, and adds $171 million to the economy.

“Pollination through honey is critical for many of Ontario’s agricultural crops,” says Bette Jean Crews, Chair of the Agricultural Adaptation Council. “Providing the funding for this project was an easy choice as the losses had impacted so many of Ontario’s farmers. We needed to find out what happened, and how to prevent it in future years.”

This research was supported by $26,293 in funding from the CanAdvance Program, administered by the Agricultural Adaptation Council and funded by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.

The Agricultural Adaptation Council is a non-profit, grass roots coalition of 71 agricultural, agribusiness and rural organizations dedicated to providing financial resources to help Ontario’s agriculture and agri-food industry remain profitable, grow and maintain its economic strength.

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For more information:
Nadine Armstrong
Communications Manager
Agricultural Adaptation Council
Ph: 519-822-7554
E-mail: narmstrong@adaptcouncil.org
Website: www.adaptcouncil.org