Report on the 2025 Canadian Nation Beekeeping Convention

Thursday, 13 February 2025

The Atlantic Tech Transfer Team for Apiculture team had the opportunity to attend the Canadian Association of Professional Apiculturists (CAPA) annual general meeting 2025 last week (Ottawa, ON). In addition, the team attended the National Beekeeping Convention hosted by CAPA and the Canadian Honey Council (CHC). These meetings are an important events in the Canadian beekeeping calendar and our region was well represented by beekeepers, government and other stakeholders.  Read this week’s blog for a summary of the events.

Review: Canadian Association of Professional Apiculturists Annual General Meeting and the Canadian National Beekeeping Convention 2025

The Canadian Association of Profession Apiculturists (CAPA) is the group of professionals who conduct research, educate and otherwise support the beekeeping industry across the country.  This group of apiculturists converge every year at the CAPA annual general meeting.  The 2025 meeting, held in our nation’s capital, started with a president’s report from Professor  Ernesto Guzman.   One immediate point of concern raised was the average colony loss for the winter 2023-2024 (34.6%) was higher than the average of historic annual losses (27.7%). This opening remark was followed by a general overview of all CAPA activities, including highlights from the various committees and a welcome to start the proceedings.


CAPA member, Stephen Page (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada), gave an overview of national statistical trends in honey, beekeeping, and pollination. Canada continues to receive package bees from Australia, Chile, Italy and New Zealand. As for queen imports, Canada receives queens form Italy, New Zealand, Chilie, Australia, Denmark, and Hawaii. The amount of Canadian honey being consumed by Canadians continues to increase. Most exported honey goes to the United States and Japan. Finally, the number of beekeepers across the country (hobbyist and commercial) continues to increase.

Rod Scarlett (CHC, Executive Director) presented a report on behalf of the Canadian Honey Council. Scarlett described some of the roles and responsibilities of CHC, such as mitigating honey fraud in Canada and providing education and training to beekeepers across Canada.  The board of the CHC also joined the CAPA meeting for an opportunity to discuss issues of mutual concern.

Other important reports included the Canadian Bee Tech Transfer Programs (CAN-BTTP) committee discussing works to support and create collaboration between each of the Tech Transfer programs in Canada. The Tech Transfer programs have been busy conducting regional research and providing extension support to Canadian beekeepers. The first day was concluded with each of the provincial apiculturists/apiarists provided an update for each of their respective provinces. 

After the conclusion of the annual business meetings by the CHC and CAPA, the two groups were joined by other beekeepers for the National Beekeeping Convention.  This series of presentation over two days ranged in topics from honey bee nutrition to the threat of Tropilaelaps mites for Canadian beekeeping.  The keynote speaker, Dr Priya Chakrabarti Basu (Washington State University) gave a fascinating talk on bee nutrition and habitat.  Dr Chakrabarti Basu discussed some of the challenges of bee nutrition in the face of climate change.  Closer to home, Professor Pierre Giovenazzo of Laval University, presented research on commercial pollinator density and wild blueberry yields.  His findings suggest that increasing stocking rates and combining managed pollinators will have a beneficial effect on wild blueberry yields.  This works is to be published very soon and a full review will be in a future blog post.

An update on the Canadian Bee Gut Project was provided by Brendon Daisley (University of Guelph).  Many beekeepers from across the country, including the ATTTA team, have provided samples to the project and it was good to hear some results.  This work suggests some very intriguing links between honey bee gut health, including bacteria, and overall honey bee health.  As this work progresses, it will be interesting to see final conclusions and indications of how this knowledge will benefit honey bees and the industry.  

Dr Nuria Morfin providing an update on the Canadian Bee Tech Transfer Teams at the 2025 Canadian National Beekeeping Convention.

As the meeting progress it was an impressive range of presentations which highlighted the important work that is being undertaken across Canada to support the honey bee industry.  The panel on the threat of Tropilaelaps mites created some interesting discussions on that emerging threat.  Many topics and presentations included aspects of climate change as this becomes a particular challenge to the beekeeping industry.  There was, of course, a great deal of time spent talking about Varroa mite management.  The first day was closed with a presentation from Nuria Morfin and Matthew Polinsky as an update on the activities of the seven Canadian tech transfer teams for apiculture.

Thank you to everyone who participated and organized this great event, and to all those who support the beekeeping industry of Canada.  These events are important for all beekeepers in Canada to ensure current knowledge and information is disseminated across the country.  All the presentations represent work that is crucial for our industry in facing current and future challenges.



Connecting with ATTTA Specialists

If you’d like to connect with ATTTA specialists or learn more about our program, you can:

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Email attta@perennia.ca

Status of Amitraz Resistance in Canada

Thursday, 6 February 2025

Since 2017, the Atlantic Tech Transfer Team for Apiculture has been testing the efficacy of the synthetic miticide Apivar®. The consensus across the Maritime region, and supported through ATTTA’s research, is that Apivar® remains a product with high efficacy for the management of Varroa mites. It is becoming increasingly prevalent how important it is for the Maritime region to maintain the efficacy of Apivar®, as there are continued reports of amitraz (active ingredient of Apivar®) resistance across the globe and within Canada. This week’s blog will highlight new research that demonstrates the prevalence of amitraz resistance is increasing, including proposed mechanisms of resistance.

Status of Amitraz Resistance in Canada

Across the globe, amitraz resistance is becoming increasingly prevalent. Over the past 20 years amitraz-resistant mite populations have been confirmed in the United States1,3, France1,2, Spain4, Argentina5, Mexico6, Czech Republic7, Portugal8, and Algeria9. The issue of amitraz-resistance is wide spread, and presents a large threat to the global beekeeping industry.

Within Canada, there have been anecdotal reports of decreasing Apivar® efficacy over the past decade. A recent Canadian study detected reduced Apivar® efficacy in apiaries across Alberta, with product efficacy ranging from 22% to 92%10, and the majority of included apiaries showing below 55% efficacy. The study also demonstrated that Apivar® efficacy has decreased since 2022, when similar research was conducted in Alberta apiaries11.

Other Canadian provinces do not report reduced efficacy of Apivar®. Previous Canadian studies show high product efficacy of Apivar® (>90%) in Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick12, and Ontario13. Additionally, within the Maritime region, the Atlantic Tech Transfer Team for Apiculture has evaluated the efficacy of Apivar® from 2017 to 2024, and has demonstrated that Apivar® is still a product with high efficacy, ranging from 89% to 98%. The team also conducted a study in 2024 that indicates low reduced efficacy of amitraz for a limited number of mites that were assessed from Maritime apiaries using a lab-based methodology. A report was recently publish explaining the methodology, results and conclusions of the mentioned study - https://www.perennia.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Varroa-Mites-REPORT.pdf.

Current research provides a greater understanding of how amitraz resistance can occur within a population of Varroa mites. Amitraz acts as an octopamine receptor agonist, which means it initiates a physiological response when combined with the receptor. When amitraz combines with the octopamine receptor it causes constant excitation and paralysis of the mite, and causes the mite to drop from the bee’s back14. Secondarily, mites die due to starvation because of this paralysis14. Specific genetic mutations within the octopamine receptor, such as N87S and Y215H, have been associated with reduced efficacy of amitraz in Varroa mite populations in both France and the United States1,3. More recently, in Spain, another mutation (F290L) was found to be associated with reduced efficacy of amitraz in mites4. Finally, a study in France, determined that the mutation at position 260, previously a possible mutation related to amitraz resistance, in fact does not directly cause reduced efficacy of amitraz2.

The recently published study by Alberta researchers also examined the mechanism of resistance for Varroa mites collected from Alberta apiaries10. The researchers found that none of the tested mites carried the N87S mutation, but the majority of the sampled mites carried the 2Y15H mutation10. The study concluded that the mutation Y215H is associated with amitraz resistance, and it is widely distributed across Alberta10. This is the first study to evaluate the presence and prevalence of mutations associated with amitraz resistance in Canadian beekeeping operations10.

The Canadian beekeeping industry is at high risk of losing the efficacy of amitraz if integrated pest management is not practiced. Beekeepers should be using a combination of cultural, physical and chemical controls to help manage Varroa mite populations. Beekeepers should be monitoring for mites on a monthly basis, and only providing chemical treatment if the population of mites is at or above the economic threshold. Beekeepers should remember that current established economic thresholds need to be contemplated against the changing climate and lengthening of seasons. Beekeepers should monitor following treatment to know if the product and delivery was effective. Finally, beekeepers should alternate between synthetic and non-synthetic (organic acids and essential oils) to help maintain the efficacy of products such as Apivar®. If you have any question on amitraz reduced efficacy, and/or best management practices for Varroa mites, please reach out to the ATTTA team.

High Varroa mite load shown from alcohol wash (ATTTA©2021).

Connecting with ATTTA Specialists

If you’d like to connect with ATTTA specialists or learn more about our program, you can:

visit our website at https://www.perennia.ca/portfolio-items/honey-bees/

Email attta@perennia.ca

References

  1. Hernández-Rodríguez, C.S., Moreno-Martí, S., Almecija, G., Christmon, K., Johnson, J.D., Ventelon, M., Vanengelsdorp, D., Cook, S.C. and González-Cabrera, J., 2022. Resistance to amitraz in the parasitic honey bee mite Varroa destructor is associated with mutations in the β-adrenergic-like octopamine receptor. Journal of Pest Science, pp.1-17.
  2. Marsky, U., Rognon, B., Douablin, A., Viry, A., Rodríguez Ramos, M.A. and Hammaidi, A., 2024. Amitraz Resistance in French Varroa Mite Populations—More Complex Than a Single-Nucleotide Polymorphism. Insects, 15(6), p.390.
  3. Rinkevich, F.D., Moreno‐Martí, S., Hernández‐Rodríguez, C.S. and González‐Cabrera, J., 2023. Confirmation of the Y215H mutation in the β2‐octopamine receptor in Varroa destructor is associated with contemporary cases of amitraz resistance in the United States. Pest Management Science, 79(8), pp.2840-2845.
  4. Hernández‐Rodríguez, C.S., Moreno‐Martí, S., Emilova‐Kirilova, K. and González‐Cabrera, J., 2025. A new mutation in the octopamine receptor associated with amitraz resistance in Varroa destructor. Pest Management Science, 81(1), pp.308-315.
  5. Maggi, M.D., Ruffinengo, S.R., Negri, P. and Eguaras, M.J., 2010. Resistance phenomena to amitraz from populations of the ectoparasitic mite Varroa destructor of Argentina. Parasitology research, 107, pp.1189-1192.
  6. Rodríguez-Dehaibes, S.R., Otero-Colina, G., Sedas, V.P. and Jiménez, J.A.V., 2005. Resistance to amitraz and flumethrin in Varroa destructor populations from Veracruz, Mexico. Journal of apicultural research, 44(3), pp.124-125.
  7. Kamler, M., Nesvorna, M., Stara, J., Erban, T. and Hubert, J., 2016. Comparison of tau-fluvalinate, acrinathrin, and amitraz effects on susceptible and resistant populations of Varroa destructor in a vial test. Experimental and applied acarology, 69, pp.1-9.
  8. Pires, S., Murilhas, A., Pereira, Ó. and Maia, M., 2005. Current effectiveness of amitraz against Varroa in Portugal. In Scientific Programme Apimondia Ireland 2005, 39th Apimondia International Apicultural Congress (pp. 78-78). Apimondia.
  9. Adjlane, N., 2017. Evaluation of the resistance of the mite Varroa destructor to the amitraz in colonies of honey bees (Apis mellifera) in Algeria. Uludağ Arıcılık Dergisi, 17(1), pp.1-6.
  10. Bahreini, R., González-Cabrera, J., Hernández-Rodríguez, C.S., Moreno-Martí, S., Muirhead, S., Labuschagne, R.B. and Rueppell, O., 2025. Arising amitraz and pyrethroids resistance mutations in the ectoparasitic Varroa destructor mite in Canada. Scientific Reports, 15(1), p.1587
  11. Bahreini, R., Nasr, M., Docherty, C., Muirhead, S., de Herdt, O. and Feindel, D., 2022. Miticidal activity of fenazaquin and fenpyroximate against Varroa destructor, an ectoparasite of Apis mellifera. Pest Management Science, 78(4), pp.1686-1697.
  12. Olmstead, S., Menzies, C., McCallum, R., Glasgow, K. and Cutler, C., 2019. Apivar® and Bayvarol® suppress varroa mites in honey bee colonies in Canadian Maritime Provinces. J Acadia Entomol Soc, 15, pp.46-49.
  13. Morfin, N., Rawn, D., Petukhova, T., Kozak, P., Eccles, L., Chaput, J., Pasma, T. and Guzman-Novoa, E., 2022. Surveillance of synthetic acaricide efficacy against Varroa destructor in Ontario, Canada. The Canadian Entomologist, 154(1), p.e17.
  14. Chen, A.C., He, H. and Davey, R.B., 2007. Mutations in a putative octopamine receptor gene in amitraz-resistant cattle ticks. Veterinary parasitology, 148(3-4), pp.379-383.