National Honey Bee Health Survey
Background
Honey bees are a substantial part of Canadian agriculture, contributing approximately $4.6 billion annually from pollination services and bee products. The declining health of honey bees has been a concern over recent years, with some beekeepers losing up to 25-35% of their colonies over winter.
Objectives
Establishing a bee health database is an important initiative in Canada; multi-year surveillance projects are in progress in many other countries including Australia, New Zealand and the US. The aim of this project is to document the prevalence, intensity and distribution of pests and pathogens in Canadian apiaries.
Strategy
To index bee health, samples are collected from across Canada with a goal of collecting from 0.5% of registered hives. Each apiary-level sample will be a composite from 10 randomly selected colonies (~100 bees/colony) for a total of ~1000 bees. Bees will be shipped to NBDC live or preserved in alcohol.
Samples will be analyzed for American Foulbrood and resistance strains, European Foulbrood, Nosema count and species identification, Varroa mite infestation levels, tracheal mites as well as exotic pests. In addition, samples will be tested for seven honey bee viruses including: Acute Bee Paralysis Virus, Black Queen Cell Virus, Chronic Bee Paralysis Virus, Deformed Wing Virus, Israeli Acute Bee Paralysis Virus, Kashmir Bee Virus, and Sacbrood Virus. By the third year (Summer 2016), samples will additionally be tested for hybridization with African races of honey bees and in the fourth year (Summer 2017), two additional viruses: Lake Sinai Virus and Slow Paralysis Virus, as well as chemical residue analysis will be added to the panel.
Visual evaluations in the field are also performed to detect various pests, pathogens and queen conditions. Samples are collected between July and August, before fall treatment of colonies for Varroa or Nosema.
Outcomes
Reports are produced annually by the Canadian Federal Government, and are available below in both English and French.
In 2017, 255 samples were collected from BC, AB, MB, ON, NB, NS, PEI and NL. |
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| 2017 National Honey Bee Health Survey Report | 2017 Enquête Nationale Canadienne sur l'état de Santé des Abeilles Domestiques |
In 2016, 314 samples were collected from BC, AB, MB, ON, QC, NB, NS, PEI, NL and YT. |
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| 2016 National Honey Bee Health Survey Report | 2016 Enquête Nationale Canadienne sur l'état de Santé des Abeilles Domestiques |
In 2015, 212 samples were collected from BC, AB, MB and ON. |
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| 2015 National Honey Bee Health Survey Report | 2015 Enquête Nationale Canadienne sur l'état de Santé des Abeilles Domestiques |
In 2014, 163 samples were collected from AB and MB. |
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| 2014 National Honey Bee Health Survey Report | 2014 Enquête Nationale Canadienne sur l'état de Santé des Abeilles Domestiques |
Project Funding
75% Government: Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada
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25% Beekeeping Industry: Alberta Beekeepers Commission, Manitoba Beekeepers Association, Crop Life and Northwestern Polytechnic
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Contact UsFor more information, please contact: |
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