Honey Bee Health

Honey bees, as all living organisms, are exposed to different kinds of pathogens that affect their survival. Since 2006 honeybee mortality has been increasing worldwide. In an alarming trend, Canadian beekeepers reported overwinter losses that averaged 45% in the last year (2021); doubling previous years. Initial research points toward a surge of biotic (pathogens) and abiotic (weather change, pollution, pesticides) factors that affect stressed and immunosuppressed bees. In addition to diagnostic services, the NBDC supports and conducts research that aims to improve bee health and build sustainability in Canada’s apiculture industry.

The study of foulbrood in Canadian apiaries

• Status: Ongoing
• Description: Little is currently known about foulbrood strains in Canadian apiaries. Although our 2016 National Honey Bee Health Survey results revealed EFB symptoms in only 0.58% of hives (18 out of 3,097 surveyed colonies), the presence of the bacterium was detected by molecular methods in 40% of surveyed apiaries. This indicates that the potential for outbreak is very real and should be addressed and studied. This study will generate new knowledge on the infectivity, pathogenicity and virulence of two devastating honey bee brood diseases, American Foulbrood (AFB) and European Foulbrood (EFB). NBDC will use the results of this study to develop more effective diagnostic techniques for the identification of foulbrood and improve the ability to predict disease outbreaks.
• Partners: Alberta Beekeepers Commission , Manitoba Beekeepers Association , BC HoneyProducers, Honey Bee Centre
• Funding: Alberta Agriculture and Forestry, British Columbia Honey Producers’ Association, Alberta Beekeepers’ Commission, Manitoba Beekeepers’ Association

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Queen health and evaluation of imported and domestic stock

• Status: Complete
• Description: The health of the queen bee is essential to maintain productive and healthy bee colonies. To assess the influence of pathogens on decreased longevity, queens were purchased from leading foreign producers (Chile, Australia, Hawaii, and California) and several Canadian provinces and analyzed for pathogens, sperm count and viability.
• Partners: NBDC project
• Funding: Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)

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Identification of honey bee viruses in the Peace Country

• Status: Complete
• Description: In 2013, Alberta held the largest proportion of honey bee colonies in Canada at 280,000, which was 42% of the national total that year. The Peace Country is typically a leading region of honey yield (pounds per colony) in Alberta. The objective of this study was to collect samples from Peace Country colonies in collaboration with local beekeepers to determine which viruses are present in this region. This study will examine links between the type and amount of viruses infecting each colony to the overall health of the colony. Over time, this information may help identify specific colony characteristics associated with natural resistance to viruses. Dr. Shauna Henley (NWP Science Department faculty member) is leading this research and working in the NBDC lab to examine the prevalence of 7 different honey bee viruses in the Peace Country.
• Partners: NBDC Project
• Funding: NSERC

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Health of bee pollinators in Canadian agriculture

• Status: Ongoing
• Description: The NBDC is performing viral analyses for this project led by Dr. Stephen Pernal (AAFC-Beaverlodge) to determine pathogens affecting both wild and commercial bee populations.
• Partners: Agriculture and Agrifood Canada (AAFC)
• Funding: AAFC, NBDC

The Beeomics project

• Status: Complete
• Description: This project combined the expertise of researchers across Canada to improve the health of Canadian honey bees through new genomic and proteomic tools that enable beekeepers to rapidly and cost-effectively breed healthy, disease-resistant, productive bee colonies that are better able to survive our harsh Canadian winters. The NBDC assisted Dr. Leonard Foster (University of British Columbia) and Dr. Amro Zayed (York University) with the Genome Canada project ‘Sustaining and securing Canada’s honey bees using ‘omic tools’’. Diagnostics for Nosema, Chritidia, and viral panels were all completed at the NBDC facility.
• Partners: AAFC, NBDC, York University, University of British Columbia, University of Lethbridge, Guelph University, Canadian Honey bee Scientists
• Funding: Genome Canada

The National Honey bee health survey

• Status: Complete
• Description: The aim of this project, the first of its kind in Canada, was to document the prevalence, intensity and distribution of pests and pathogens in Canadian apiaries. The need for national honey bee disease survey had clearly identified by Canadian beekeepers and similar multi-year surveillance projects are in progress within the European Union, Australia, New Zealand and the USA. On behalf of the Beekeepers Commission of Alberta in collaboration with the Manitoba Beekeepers Association, the NBDC analyzed bees from apiaries nationwide to establish a baseline of honey bee health for Canada.
• Partners: NBDC, All Canadian Beekeepers Associations except Saskatchewan
• Funding: AAFC - Growing Forward II, Alberta Beekeepers Commission, Manitoba Beekeepers, Crop Life Canada, Syngenta Canada

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Honey bee viruses in Leafcutter bees

• Status: Ongoing
• Description: In this project, we examined interspecies transmission of viruses between alfalfa leafcutting bees and honey bees in Western Canadian hybrid canola seed fields. Specifically, we tested if alfalfa leafcutting bees cohabitating with honey bees in seed fields had higher incidence of seven viruses commonly found among honey bees.
• Partners: Alfalfa Seed Commission of Alberta, Leafcutting bee producers in Alberta & Manitoba
• Funding: Alberta Crop Industry Fund

BEECSI: ‘Omic Tools for assessing bee health

• Status: Ongoing, led by Dr. Amro Zayed York University
• Description: This project aims to use genomic tools to develop BeeCSI – a new health assessment and diagnosis platform powered by stressor-specific markers. Working with beekeepers, industry technology-transfer teams, and diagnostic labs, in consultation with federal and provincial regulatory entities to ensure that the tools are implemented and accessible to the beekeeping industry by the end of the project.
• Partners: AAFC, NBDC, York University, University of British Columbia, University of Lethbridge, University of Manitoba, Guelph University, Canadian Honey bee Scientists
• Funding: Genome Canada, AAFC

Requeening Queen Right Honey Bee Colonies – Matrilines

• Status: Complete, led by Dr. Shelley Hoover AB Agriculture & Forestry
• Description: We investigated the success rate of Requeening Queenright Honey Bee Colonies with queen cells during honey flow. Maternity of drones was determined by using the mitochondrial DNA to identify by laying queens.
• Partners: University of Lethbridge, NBDC
• Funding: Canadian Honey Council

Honey Bee Stock Assessment Trial – Patrilines

• Status: Complete, led by Dr. Shelley Hoover AB Agriculture & Forestry
• Description: The aim of this project is to improve honey bee health and contribute to the sustainability of the apicultural industry in Alberta, the prairies, and Canada by strengthening the natural defenses and resiliency of honey bees.
• Partners: AAFC, NBDC, University of Alberta, University of Lethbridge
• Funding: AB Beekeepers Commission, RDAR
• Link: Click Here

Honey and Pollinator Products

Harnessing the power of pollen DNA metabarcoding to enhance pollinator health and honey value in cropping landscapes

• Status: Ongoing
• Description: The type of pollen in a bee’s diet is critically important to its health and studies have shown that bee mortality decreases with diets of increased pollen diversity. In addition, the quality and value of honey is strongly influenced by the floral species on which bees forage. However, determining species origins of pollen collected by bees is a challenging, time-consuming task that requires extensive taxonomic expertise. Advances in DNA technology offer a potential means to overcome many limits of traditional, morphology-based taxonomy. Analyzing pollen DNA in honey and on the bodies of bees can accurately determine the plant species a bee has visited and uncover links between bee health and landscape-level floral resources.
• Partners: Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute (ABMI), Alberta Beekeepers Commission (ABC), Alfalfa Seed Commission of Alberta (ASCA)
• Funding: Results Driven Agricultural Research (RDAR)

Wild Bee Diversity and Health

Research on the ecology, health, and management of pollinators other than the honey bee represents an innovative and imperative research direction to maintain ecosystem health and the production of many pollinator-dependent crops. Although there are over 20,000 wild bee species worldwide, many of them are in declining on a global scale. Improving wild and native bee habitat and health is essential to conserve and protect diversity in our pollinator communities.

Research Project: The influence of natural land quality and regenerative agriculture on managed and wild bee health in Northern agroecosystems

• Status: Ongoing, led by Patricia Wolf Veiga, NBDC
• Description: The proportion of natural land area in croplands has a positive relationship with disease and pathogen reduction for both wild and managed pollinators. For a bee, floral quality depends heavily on pollen content, as pollen provides the main source of proteins, amino acids, vitamins, and minerals in their diets. Further, diversity in pollen diet and regenerative agricultural practices has the potential to positively affect the longevity and health of honey bees. The main objectives of this project are to 1) evaluate natural land quality in terms of floral resource (pollen) and habitat options for wild bees in croplands and 2) examine links between regenerative farming, wild bee diversity, and bee diseases.
• Partners: Alfalfa Seed Commission of Alberta (ASCA), Peace Country Beef & Forage (PCBFA), Peace Region Forage Seed Association (PRFSA)
• Funding: NSERC Mobilize Grant – Enhancing production, resilience, and ecosystem health in Northern regenerative agricultural systems, Alfalfa Seed Commission of Alberta (ASCA),

Research Project: Pollinator-Friendly Pipelines: harnessing energy and biodiversity along pipeline corridors

• Status: Ongoing, led by Patricia Wolf Veiga, NBDC
• Description: Although oil and gas sites are often perceived as areas of deforestation and disturbance, they can be a welcome addition to the landscape for pollinators. The removal of large trees and shrubs for pipeline installations increases the sunlight needed for a diversity of flowering plants, and the maintenance of low-growing vegetation for pipeline accessibility encourages the regrowth of many native wildflowers, which are valuable resources for our pollinators. The main objective of this project is to restore habitat for pollinators and increase floral diversity along natural gas pipeline corridors while maintaining safety and accessibility for pipeline managers.
• Funding: Arc Resources

Leafcutter Bees and Forage Crops

Improving Alfalfa Leafcutter Bee Health and Pest Control to Enhance Pollination and Seed Production in Forage Agroecosystems

• Status: Ongoing
• Description: Research on the ecology, health, and management of pollinators other than the honey bee represents an innovative and imperative research direction to ensure the continued production of pollinator-dependent crops. The sources, transmission routes and health effects of alfalfa leafcutter bee viruses have yet to be determined. There are several known viruses that contribute to honey bee mortality but understanding of viruses in other bee species is severely lacking. Little is known about the current distribution of viruses in leafcutting bee populations, and whether they contribute to cocoon losses and subsequently pollination and seed shortfalls. Like any bee managed in large aggregations, the ALB is susceptible to parasite and pathogen pressures, many of which have been understudied, especially in comparison to honey bee diseases. This research project has two main objectives: 1) Determine potential source and transmission routes of known and novel pathogens in commercial ALB operations in Canada and 2) investigate the efficacy of control options for Pteromalus venustus, a damaging parasitiod pest of managed alfalfa leafcutter bees. ·
• Partners: Alfalfa Seed Commission of Alberta (ASCA), Saskatchewan Alfalfa Seed Producers Development Commission (SASPDC), Manitoba Forage Seed Association (MFSA)
• Funding: NSERC-ARD

Northern Regenerative Agricultural Systems: Enhancing production, resilience, and ecosystem health in Northern regenerative agricultural systems (Research program)

• Status: Ongoing, led by Northwestern Polytechnic & the NBDC
• Description: Northern environments contain some of the richest natural resource bases in Canada, but the climate and landscapes present unique challenges for agricultural production. The extended daylight hours necessitate a short but intensive growing season, and the substantial variability in topography, soils, and precipitation means that crops are managed differently than counterparts to the south. Many farmers in Alberta’s North rely on regenerative, reduced input farming systems that promote soil health, biodiversity and sustainability while maintaining profitable production. Progressively improving whole agroecosystems through a restorative approach to farming is the core of regenerative agriculture. Regenerative farming focuses largely on enhancing soil fertility, biodiversity, water use efficiency, and increasing resilience to climate change through practices such as reduced tillage, rotational grazing, and cover cropping. The overarching goal of this research program is to develop a practitioner-driven regenerative agriculture research and extension program to enhance ecosystem health and production in Northern integrated livestock and cropping systems.
• Partners: Peace Country Beef & Forage (PCBFA), Parkland College, The Montreal Biodiversity Centre (IRBV)
• Funding: NSERC Mobilize Program

Innovation Support

Saskatraz - Improving honey bee colony survival by selecting for increased Varroa and DWV resistance and improving miticide treatment efficacy – as part of the Saskatraz project

• Status: Ongoing
• Description: The overall goal of this project is to improving honey bee winter survival and overall colony health through an innovative selective breeding program. Breeding by natural selection for tolerance to varroa and DWV resistance may increase colony health, productivity, and winter survival.
• Partners: Meadow Ridge Enterprises Ltd, University of Saskatchewan (VIDO, Food and Bio products, Toxicology, SRC, NRC) NBDC, Canadian Beekeepers, United States Department of Agriculture – Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS), Baton Rouge Bee Lab, and California queen producers
• Funding: Results-Driven Agricultural Research (RDAR)

Nectar Technologies

• Status: Complete
• Description: The NBDC assisted with testing and troubleshooting of a precision beekeeping device, which was designed to relay real-time colony information through a sensor placed in the hive.
• Partners: Nectar technologies, AAFC
• Funding: Nectar Technologies, AAFC

Mycological Extracts as a Treatment for Viruses In Honey Bees

• Status: Ongoing
• Description: The antimicrobial activity in fungi has shown potential to reduce the viral loads in honey bees. This innovative project focuses on identifying whether commercially-available extracts of mycelium (fungi) are beneficial in reducing viral loads in honey bees.
• Partners: Honey bee Zen, NBDC, College of The Rockies, Columbia Basin Trust, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, British Columbia Apiculture Division, University of British Columbia – Leonard Foster Lab, mycological experts.
• Funding: British Columbia’s Investment Agriculture Foundation

Contact

For more information about research at the National Bee Diagnostic Centre, please contact:

Patricia Wolf Veiga Scientific Lead, Office of Applied Research
	Office: BVA109 Email: PWolfVeiga@nwpolytech.ca