Ontario beekeepers report ‘heartbreaking’ colony losses due to varroa mites

Passion beekeeper Ramin Abdollahi remembers opening up a hive this spring, solely to discover a pile of lifeless honeybees on the backside. 

“It is extremely, very heartbreaking,” mentioned Abdollahi, who lives in Kitchener and retains his hives at a farm close to Shakespeare, Ont.

Heartbreaking — however common this season.

Beekeepers throughout the province are reporting main losses of as much as 90 per cent of their colonies, in keeping with the Ontario Beekeepers’ Affiliation. 

The issue is so important that affiliation president Bernie Wiehle is worried they may have an effect on not simply honey producers, however fruit growers. Some beekeepers present pollination providers to orchards in Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick, he mentioned. 

“We’re actually frightened that we cannot have sufficient bees,” mentioned Wiehle, who can also be a business beekeeper close to Rodney, Ont. 

Though many elements can have an effect on the well being of honeybees, it is believed a tiny parasite known as the varroa mite is answerable for the majority of this yr’s bee deaths. 

Early spring a recipe for hassle

The mites feed on bees’ blood and protein reserves, and might unfold viruses amongst bees and weaken their immune responses, in keeping with Paul Kelly, analysis and apiary supervisor on the College of Guelph Honey Bee Analysis Centre. 

Final yr, spring got here early, Kelly mentioned, which was good for bees — but in addition beneficial for the varroa mites, which had been in a position to begin reproducing early.

“The sooner the spring is, the extra reproductive cycles these mites can undergo,” Kelly mentioned. 

“It is like exponential development.”

Dennis Schmidt, who usually retains between 20 and 30 colonies at a Waterloo apiary, mentioned all however one have been worn out this yr.

Schmidt wasn’t completely shocked — there weren’t many indicators of life coming from the hives over the winter — however the losses had been nonetheless devastating, he mentioned. 

“I’ve heard tales of beekeepers weeping after they lastly open their hives and so they discover that their livestock have perished over the winter,” mentioned Schmidt, who can also be president of the Wellington County Beekeepers’ Affiliation. 

Kelly hopes additional analysis on varroa mites and honey bees will yield options to maintain the issue below management. The centre is additionally testing the usage of important oils and natural acids to kill the mites with out harming the bees, he mentioned. 

Packaged bees briefly provide

As for beekeepers like Schmidt and Abdollahi, they now hope to begin regenerating their very own colonies. For some, this can be simpler mentioned than carried out, Wiehle mentioned, as there’s an enormous demand for packaged bees this yr and never almost sufficient provide. 

“They’re simply not out there, and so they’re outrageously costly — the worth has in all probability doubled.” 

Wiehle hopes to fulfill with Lisa Thompson, the minister of agriculture, meals and rural affairs of Ontario, to debate monetary aid for business beekeepers hit arduous by the varroa mite. 

In response to a request from CBC, a spokesperson for Thompson mentioned the minister’s workplace is working to schedule a gathering quickly.