Not to be missed, upcoming events!

As the beekeeping season winds down the meeting season begins! There is a long list of great opportunities for beekeepers in the next several months.  Ongoing professional development is a commitment of all good beekeepers and listed below are some of the educational sessions happening this fall, winter and early parts of 2027.

Not to be missed, upcoming events!

NSBA Fall Technical session:  Winter preparation is the focus of this session.  There will be presentations from local commercial beekeepers and an opportunity to chat about challenges related to winterization.  Honey Harvest Farm, 5 Emerald Forest Rd., Shubenacadie, NS.  October 24, starting at 1:00pm.

PEI Beekeepers Drop-in Clinic: An opportunity for PEI beekeepers to discuss challenges from the past season and preparations for next.  Get updates from you provincial Apiculturist and Atlantic Tech Transfer Team for Apiculture.  PEI Federation of Agriculture Building, 159 Sherwood Rd #100, Charlottetown.  From 1:00pm on November 5.  No registration required, just drop in.

Cape Breton Farm visits: The Atlantic Tech Transfer Team for Apiculture, along with local NSDA Ag Reps, will be meeting with beekeepers.  If you would like a farm visit from ATTTA and the NSDA, we want to talk to beekeepers.  Reach out to us (attta@perennia.ca).  November 18, 19, 20.

ATTTA online winter workshops: Annually, ATTTA conducts a series of winter workshops which are available online for members of the provincial beekeeping and blueberry associations.  The first winter workshop will cover basic aspects of queen production.  With NS commercial beekeeper, Jonny deMatos, we will talk about the opportunities for queen production in our region and what is required to begin making your own queens.  Online November 24, 7:00 – 9:00pm.

Tropilaelaps Mites – Biology Identification and Management:  This online webinar has been organized by the Canadian Association of Professional Apiculturists along with other industry groups.  This is an online session with Tropilaelaps mite experts from around the globe.  Link for attendance to be shared along with updates through social media shortly. November 25, 11:00am.

Student beekeepers attending a workshop (ATTTA©2026)

Wild Blueberry Producers Association of NS AGM:  Two days of technical sessions and industry updates.  Best Western Glengarry Hotel, 150 Willow St., Truro. November 26 –  27.

2027 Canadian National Pollination Symposium and Tradeshow:  This year’s annual national beekeeper meeting theme is pollination.  The location (Lévis, Québec) easily accessible for beekeepers from the Maritime region.  Registration and hotel booking is now open with limited places!  The conference agenda is organized around four distinct themes: Innovation in pollination practices and technologies, Innovation in nutrition, queens and colony strength, Innovation in commercial strategies: costs and revenues, Innovation to address emerging threats and shape future solutions.  This is a bilingual event.  Il s’agit d’un événement bilingue. Lévis Convention Centre, January 29–30.

There are important events that have details following

NS Beekeepers Association Annual Meeting and Conference: Details and a full agenda will be shared by the association but hold the date for this great annual event in Nova Scotia.  Best Western Glengarry Hotel, Truro. January 22 – 23.

Prince Edward Island Beekeepers Association AGM:  Always a great and informative day, the AGM date is yet to be announced but usually takes place in late winter.  Once information is available, it will be shared so keep your eyes open.

NB Beekeepers Association AGM: Another great event in the annual calendar, this meeting is held in the Moncton area in March.  The date and list of workshops, presentations, and speakers will be available soon.  Dieppe, March19 - 20, 2027.

Precision Pollination - Using innovative technology to optimize honey bee performance:  A technical session for blueberry producers and beekeepers is being planned for February.  This is organized by specialists at Perennia and ATTTA.  The details will be available very soon but this day of workshops and presentations will highlight some of the advances in agricultural technology which support pollination in the Maritime region.  February. Day, time and location TBC.

Maritime Wild Blueberry Conference: This is organized by the three Maritime wild blueberry associations and the full agenda is to be determined.  This meeting will be April 1 – 2 at the Best Western Glengarry Hotel, Truro Nova Scotia. 

ATTTA Online Winter Workshops 2027:  The second winter workshop will be covering Nosema and honey bee health.  Virtual Session, January 26, 7:00 – 9:00pm.  The final online winter workshop will be discussing providing pollination services. Virtual Session, February 23, 7:00 – 9:00pm.  Full details of these sessions will be made available closer to the date.

Further information on the events listed above are available from the organizers.  Keep and eye on websites and social media of the groups responsible for the sessions.  As always, if you have any questions reach out to ATTTA.

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

Caution! New Miticide Products.

New miticide product approvals this season brought some relief for beekeepers with additional options to help with integrated pest management strategies for the control of Varroa mites.  This availability of new tools against Varroa have been of benefit but, at the same time, some cautionary tales have emerged.

Caution! New Miticide Products.

Not in recent memory, have there been this number of Varroa management products registered for use in Canada in a single season. It has been some time since new chemical acaricides have been registered. For context, Apivar® was registered nearly 20 years ago (2008).  So, it has been a while since beekeepers have tried new chemical treatments.  There is a learning curve to ensure familiarization with new products but also some points to consider, generally, when using new treatments.

Online comments and discussions amongst beekeepers, sharing their experience and questions about new products, can be a positive and supportive process for the beekeeping community.  At the same time, not all information in these types of discussion is of equal validity. Recently in the United States, there has been online suggestion that colony losses or abscondment is linked to the application of Apivar 2.0.  There has been some discussion in Canada, as we become familiar with this new product, but less so than south of the border.   The manufacturer has very responsibly addressed concerns expressed by beekeepers in the United States and Canada.  The statement released from Veto-pharma can be read in full online (5 October) https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1551039830161323&set=pcb.1551039903494649

There are a couple of things to know.  Beekeepers should report to the manufacturer, as stated on the label, any suspected toxic effects on honey bees of any product.  This reporting to the manufacturer must be in turn, by law, shared with Health Canada.  There are good resources about the reporting requirements available online.  Just have a search in the usual ways for, “Report a Pesticide Incident” or follow the link listed below.  The Health Canada definition of a pesticide incident is, “… a negative effect (adverse reaction) to humans, animals (pets or livestock) or the environment (plants or wildlife) that can result from being exposed to a pesticide.”  Additionally, support with a pesticide incident can be provided by your provincial apiculturist or reach out to ATTTA.

During the process of familiarization with new miticide products this season, there are some commonsense practices that are worth remembering. Any new product should be used with caution.  In the case of Apivar 2.0, it could be easily assumed that it will work just as the original Apivar as it has the same active ingredient (amitraz).  This is not the case.  For example, Apivar 2.0  has a quicker release with a larger initial mite drop.  This indicates a higher level of exposure to the active ingredient early in the treatment period.

Read and understand the label instructions.  Miticide products are designed to work most effectively when applied according to the manufacturer’s direction.  Not only will the products be less effective, but poor application can also lead to resistance of the target pest to the active ingredient.

Apivar 2.0 (Image: Veto-pharma 2026)

Any new management practice should be trialled on a limited number of colonies initially.  This ensures that any unforeseen adverse effects of the change can be identified.  This practice applies to new pest management products.  The registration of products does provide some assurance that they are generally safe for use.  This registration process does not consider unique aspects of your colonies.  As the beekeeper you need to take into account hive configurations especially ventilation, apiary locations and local weather conditions.  It has been stated by Veto-pharma that reported challenges in the use of Apivar 2.0 in the US could be attributed to unique circumstances of climate and conditions.

Monitor hives after application to check that the colony is tolerant of any new treatment.  Monitoring for any signs of toxicity or unusual behavioural changes in honey bees receiving a new treatment is recommended.  Monitor mite populations to confirm efficacy especially with new products.

Challenges with familiarity of new products was exemplified by ATTTA’s own experience.  When initially using the Apivar 2.0, the strip division was not obvious.  It took some detailed exploration to identify where and how the strips needed to be separated.  This oversight could easily result in inadvertently double dosing colonies.  From listening to other beekeepers and reading the manufacturers statement, this was not a unique situation.  The strips are paired and need separation out of the package with one strip applied per five frames of bees.  The product label has all the details.

Any concerns of the use of Apivar 2.0 or other new products will be, alleviated in part, through ongoing familiarity.  We should not forget that the original Apivar is still registered for use in Canada.  Beekeepers should discuss with their supplier if they want to ensure that this product is still available in preparation for spring treatments.  Veto-pharma has committed to work with suppliers and beekeepers to ensure availability.

In conclusion, beekeepers are reminded not to assume that because a product is approved for use it will be compatible with your colonies, location and application practices.  Proceed with caution and ensure that all decisions are based on available and credible information.

 

Pesticide Incident Reporting

https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/consumer-product-safety/pesticides-pest-management/public/protecting-your-health-environment/report-pesticide-incident.html

 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