‘It’s absolutely mind-boggling’
Annapolis Valley beekeepers fear imported hives could bring small hive beetles
Two Annapolis Valley beekeepers are deeply concerned the importation of bees from Ontario could spell the end of their honey operations.
Perry Brandt and Kevin Mckaigue – local honey producers with about 100 hives each – fear the provincial government is putting the beekeeping industry at risk of a potentially devastating pest problem if it allows a private company to bring in hundreds of hives from an area of Ontario with an established small hive beetle population.
If the inspection process preceding the arrival of the imported bees fails, and the beetle arrives along with the hives, Brandt believes the results could be drastic.
“Small hive beetle will affect the honey producer the most,” the Wolfville resident explained, noting the beetle is extremely destructive as it tunnels through a hive in pursuit of protein while coating the inner workings of the hive in a layer of slime.
“It’ll drive me out of business in one year,” Mckaigue added.
Brandt said producers could attempt to minimize the impact of the beetle by hiring more hands to help extract the honey within 48 hours, or by building a refrigeration plant to freeze the honey and kill the beetle.
Both options come with a steep price. And beekeeping, they say, isn’t exactly a lucrative gig.
“There’s not enough margin in honey to cover that extra cost,” said Mckaigue, owner of Nova Nectar Apiaries in Clarence, Annapolis County.
A plea to the government
The Nova Scotia Beekeepers’ Association is urging the government to eliminate the risk of a small hive beetle infestation by using local hives.
“In previous years, the importation of honey bee colonies has been necessary to supplement the number of hives here in the province to pollinate wild blueberry fields. Due to the historic low market price for blueberries and therefore a drop in demand for hives, Nova Scotia beekeepers can provide all of the hives required for 2017 pollination,” a statement posted on the association’s website March 28 reads.
“This importation is completely unnecessary and would put the entire beekeeping sector at risk of small hive beetle infestation.”
The statement notes the government’s Pollination Expansion Program provided beekeepers with a portion of the funding required to add more colonies to meet the demand for blueberry pollination, but now some of those hives “will go unrented to make way for hives from Ontario.”
Kings North MLA John Lohr, who serves as the Progressive Conservative agriculture critic, issued a press release April 5 calling on the governing Liberals to reconsider the bee importation policy.
“That’s one risk we should not take if we don’t have to,” said Lohr in the prepared statement.
“There has been $900,000 invested over the last five years to increase the number of bees in Nova Scotia. There has been a decline in pollination demand due to a decline in blueberry production. There is no need to bring in bees. Plus, this will save government the cost of the extensive inspections done to make sure the hives brought in are small hive beetle free.”
A perplexing predicament
To add further confusion from the perspective of beekeepers, Brandt says the government is aware the demand for pollination services can be met with hives that are already in Nova Scotia.