(Fredericton) Almost half of the country’s bee colonies were wiped out over the winter, the largest beekeeping loss in 20 years, according to preliminary data.
Posted at 10:41 a.m.
The president of the Canadian Association of Professional Beekeepers (CAPA), Ernesto Guzman, believes that the proliferation of varroa, a parasitic mite that feeds on bees, is the main cause of this increase in mortality.
Guzman says warm temperatures in the spring of 2021 have helped bee colonies grow. Unfortunately, these conditions have also favored the proliferation of varroa.
Canadian growers lost 45.6% of their bee colonies over the past winter, according to an ACPA study. The largest losses occurred in Manitoba (57.2%) and Alberta (50.5%).
In Quebec, the mortality rate is 49.1%.
New Brunswick (19.8) and Nova Scotia (15.2) were the provinces most spared from this scourge.
The federal Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food says it is developing a strategy with the beekeeping sector to counter the increase in mortality among bee colonies.