COVID-19 hasn’t stung local bee population
Beehives are prospering thanks to more weeds from reduced weed control and larger fruit blossoms
An abundance of dandelions due to reduced weed control spraying during the COVID-19 pandemic have helped bees thrive in and around Peterborough this spring.
Wildflowers, such as dandelions, that are normally targeted in weed control play a crucial role in the sustainability of beehives in the early months of the year.
Bees rely on the pollen from weed flowers to help boost their numbers in preparation of summer, according to Andrew Boire, owner of Stone Well Honey in Peterborough
“I am sure it helps there are less pesticides being used,” Boire said. “Because there are more dandelions and there is more pollen so they would thrive that way.”
Calls for weed spraying have been down this year compared to the previous spring during the pandemic.
“If you had have talked to me in March, I was a wee bit panicked, obviously we were slow,” said Peter Robinson, owner of Weed Man in
Peterborough.
“With the pandemic we were slow, then couple that with the weather, it was tough.”
When pesticides are used to get rid of weeds, it cuts down on the number of early blossoms bees use to sustain their hives. This can have a dramatic impact on hive populations.
This year it has been good for the hives, but there are other contributing factors that beekeepers like Boire want people to know about sustaining the bee colonies throughout the year.
Many elements play into the sustainability of hives throughout the year, including the physical condition of the hives, the health of the queens and how the hives were affected by the winter months, Boire said.
Boire’s hives have been prospering this year. This means that factors for the bees are being met and they should thrive throughout the rest of the year.
“They definitely haven’t gotten smaller,” Boire said. “During the spring they definitely get much larger.”
Normally hives start to grow in early February in anticipation of the spring, he said.
Fruit blossoms this spring were also abnormally huge, he said.
“Something I did notice this year which was kind of odd,” Boise said. “I don’t know what it was, but all of our fruit blossoms this year were massive. They were insanely huge, and I don’t know if it was because of the weather, but the larger they are the more pollen they are going to collect out of them.”