Last week the Atlantic Tech Transfer Team for Apiculture had the pleasure of attending the Maritime Wild Blueberry Conference in Moncton, NB. This was a joint event between the three Maritime wild blueberry associations: Bleuets New Brunswick Blueberries, Wild Blueberry Producers Association of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island Wild Blueberry Growers Association. The event was well attended with over 170 representatives from the three Maritime provinces. To learn the highlights of this event read this week’s blog.

Review of the Maritime Wild Blueberry Conference

On Friday morning, prior to the Maritime Wild Blueberry Conference, the PEI Wild Blueberry Growers Association held their own AGM at the same venue.  Taking advantage of the conference to hold their own business meeting, the PEIWBGA gathered in good numbers in Moncton to review the work of the year past and make plans for the future.  Anyone in attendance realized that the blueberry producers in PEI are resilient and optimistic for the future of their sector. The meeting was led by PEIWBGA’s current president, Benny Nabuurs, and supported by the executive director, JoAnn Pineau, to effectively work through a full agenda.  The meeting was concluded with the presentation of the Pioneer Award.  This is a recognition of the significant contribution to the industry of individuals who through their hard work, leadership and generosity helped build and shape the wild blueberry industry in PEI. The deserving recipients of the 2026 Pioneer Award are Paul Gallant and Rodney McInnis.

The Maritime Wild Blueberry Conference started with an update from each of the presidents of the three Maritime wild blueberry associations. Zach Fisher (Bleuets New Brunswick Blueberries – BNBB), Benny Nabuurs (Prince Edward Island Wild Blueberry Growers Association – PEIWBGA) and Andrew Dobson (Wild Blueberry Producers Association of Nova Scotia – WBPANS) each provided an overview of the associations’ activities and the provinces’ industry.

Donald Arseneault (executive director of Bleuets New Brunswick Blueberries) introducing each of the three Maritime wild blueberry association presidents.

The first presentation of the event was from Patrick O’Neil (Wild Blueberry Association of North America – WBANA) who provided an overview of WBANA’s activities for the past year. The association has been busy marketing the benefits of wild blueberries on a global scale, and working with various partners to spread that message.

Next, Colleen Craig (Wyman’s Director of Marketing) gave a health research update. The health research group is actively supporting numerous studies on the health benefits of wild blueberries, and aims to differentiate the numerous benefits of wild blueberries from cultivated blueberries.

Adriana Yunes (Agriculture Alliance of New Brunswick) discussed the seasonal workforce needs in agriculture. One of the main considerations Adriana highlighted is the benefit of having seasonal workers employed by multiply agriculture commodities to extend their employment season.

Michael Tesfaendrias (Department of Fisheries, Agriculture and Aquaculture) provided a presentation on timing fungicide applications to manage wild blueberry diseases during a sprout year. In particular, Michael highlighted the management of leaf rust disease and powdery mildew.

Sylvain Gadbois (Business Development Officer Department of Fisheries, Agriculture and Aquaculture) discussed two important programs that are available to Canadian farmers – Agri-Invest and Agri-Stability. To learn more about the benefits these investment and insurance programs can provide to wild blueberry growers visit the Government of Canada website.

Kim Lipsett (NB Agriculture Alliance) gave an overview on the structure, priorities and work of the NB Agriculture Alliance. The NB Agriculture Alliance works hard to advocate for the wild blueberry industry, and provides various programs that can be explored in detail on the NBAA website.

Cody Mallette and Ji Ma (Viridian Bioscience Company Ltd.) gave an overview of Viridian Bioscience  Ltd. and discussed the science behind biostimulants which can be used to target plant growth signals, and could be used within the wild blueberry industry in the future.

Janette McDonald (Executive Director of the Wild Blueberry Producers Association of Nova Scotia) concluded day one’s activities.

To start the second day of the conference, JoAnn Pineau (Executive Director of the Prince Edward Island Wild Blueberry Growers Association) welcomed everyone to the second day of presentations. The first presentation of the day was from Gilbert Lavoie (Forest Lavoie Conseil) who provide a global wild blueberry market update. Globally, in 2025, there was 226 million pounds of frozen wild blueberries, which is down from the 10-year average of 298 million pounds. In Canada, for 2025, Quebec had above average wild blueberry production, but the Maritime region had below average production which is linked to severe drought conditions of the 2025 growing season. Currently, the wild blueberry marketing has high export prices and high demand for the premium product, which improves the price paid to producers. Looking forward to the 2026 season, Maritime growers are hoping for higher production volumes and continued high demand for wild blueberries.

The Hon. Pat Finnigan (Minister of the Department of Fisheries, Agriculture and Aquaculture) addressed the industry highlighting that wild blueberries are a healthy, favourable fruit and a significant part of New Brunswick’s agriculture industry. The minister also addressed the impact the 2025 drought had on the wild blueberry industry, but also the beneficial research and technology that is continually being produced within the sector.

Cora Hornbrook (Department of Fisheries, Agriculture and Aquaculture) gave an overview of the Resilient Agriculture Landscape Program and how wild blueberry producers can utilize and benefit from the program.

David Percival (Dalhousie University) discussed current research of his team at Dalhousie which includes wild blueberry disease management and the use of drone technology to apply pest control products. When discussing options for pest control products growers should always check with their processors to ensure that the selected product is on the list of approved agrochemicals.

Kwasi Boakye-Boateng (Future Tech Atlantic) provided a presentation on the Future Tech Atlantic company and discussed their research on soil sensors, which provides real time information for farmers. The hope is that this advanced technology will be researched and utilized for wild blueberry production in the future.

Dr. Andrew Byers (Atlantic Tech Transfer Team for Apiculture) provided a research and extension update on behalf of the ATTTA team. Overall, the team has had a busy winter and is nearing the start of the 2026 field season. One of ATTTA’s projects that was highlighted during the update was their Varroa mite regional survey and amitraz efficacy testing, which will continue for the third and final season this year.

Dr. Craig MacEachern (Dalhousie) discussed research occurring in Dr. Esau’s precision agriculture lab. Dr. MacEachern highlighted the lab’s research on prescription mapping using drone technology, and also his own research on the efficiency and performance of wild blueberry harvesters.

Pattrick Hennessy (Dalhousie) gave an update on new technology in pesticide applications. Patrick discussed the results of field trials for using smart sprayers and machine vision technology to treat various weeds, detect and treat various wild blueberry diseases, and identify wild blueberry growth stages.

Marion Tétégan Simon (Valores) discussed restoring wild blueberries using transplanting services. There is an economic impact of a field with greater than 20% bare land, which is when a growing may want to explore restoring the land.

Dr. Scott White (Dalhousie University) presented on the biology and management of weeds. Scott discussed the biology and treatment options for 2 main weeds of wild blueberries – sheep sorrel and hair fescue.

Michel Melanson (Department of Fisheries, Agriculture and Aquaculture) provide a research update on New Brunswick wild blueberry production fertilizer trials. Wild blueberry fields were split in half, where one side received fertilizer application and the other did not. In a single season there was no observed benefit of using the fertilizer to increase yield, but, in the future, researcher would like to investigate if there is a cumulative benefit of using fertilizer for multiple years.

The final presentation of the meeting was from Andrea Keddy (Koppert) who highlighted the benefits of using bumble bee quads to meet wild blueberry pollination demand. Andrea provided some guidelines for securing and using quad boxes to pollinate.

Donald Arseneault concluded the meeting. This event was a great opportunity for the three maritime industries to network and to share both their challenges and successes within the wild blueberry industry. Thank you to all members of BNBB, WBPANS, and PEIWBG, who helped organize this great event. Also, thank you to all the sponsors of the event, and to those who work to support the wild blueberry industry.

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

It is frequently discussed within the beekeeping industry if wild blueberry pollination has an impact on honey bee health. In a recent blog “Associated Honey Bee Health Risks of Wild Blueberry Pollination and Migratory Beekeeping Practices” (published March 12, 2026) it was explained how migratory beekeeping practices can promote the spread of pests and diseases which directly impacts the health of colonies during and following pollination. However, other than the spread of pests and diseases, there are additional honey bee health risks related to pollination. Both the transportation of colonies and placement of colonies on various agriculture crops, such as wild blueberries, can add stress to honey bee health, which will be explored in this week’s blog.

 

Understanding how Wild Blueberry Pollination can Impact Honey Bee Health

 

Each spring thousands of Maritime colonies travel around the region to pollinate wild blueberries and other agriculture crops. Although pollination is an essential service provided by honey bees it has been questioned by beekeepers and researchers what impacts pollination has on the health of honey bees. To start, it is important that beekeepers understand that the transportation of colonies increases stress on bees. The migratory beekeeping practices discussed in a past blog post (March 12, 2026) have a known impact on the health of honey bees. Transportation can impact bees in a variety of ways such as impacting their ability to thermoregulate the hive, increasing susceptibility to pests and diseases (such as European foulbrood), preventing access to diverse forage sources, and creating physical stress due to the vibrations of transport¹. Transportation practices create a less healthy environment for honey bees, and can weaken colonies prior to pollinating crops or returning to their home apiaries. Therefore, beekeepers must mitigate this stressor by sending strong and healthy colonies to pollination, with adequate food stores. Beekeepers can also make their own management decisions regarding the distance they are willing to transport colonies to support colony health.

 

Once colonies are placed on various agriculture crops there are other health considerations. The availability of nutritional forage while pollinating crops is a key consideration for colonies to remain healthy. In the Maritime region the majority of honey bee colonies are used to pollinate wild blueberries. The ATTTA team investigated the availability of diverse forage by collecting pollen samples from colonies placed on wild blueberry fields over a three-year period. It was found that the diversity and nutritional value of available pollen during wild blueberry pollination is highly dependent on individual field conditions. For example, wild blueberries fields surrounded by a diversity of land use, such as agriculture and residential area, offered a variety of pollen sources to honey bees and greater potential to fulfil their dietary needs, whereas vast blueberry fields surrounded by coniferous forests offered fewer, less varied sources of pollen². Stocking density of colonies during pollination can also impact the availability of forage, and is something worth discussing between the beekeeper and grower.

Honey bee pollinating wild blueberry flower (ATTTA©2016)

 

One other health risk associated with pollination practices is exposure to agrochemicals. If fields are treated with pesticides before or during the pollination period honey bees, among other commercial and native pollinators, are at risk of pesticide exposure and associated impacts. Recent research found that various insecticides, herbicides and fungicides are found on wild blueberry fields in Quebec, however, pesticide concentrations found in bee bread and nectar remained below the LD₅₀ for each active ingredient tested³. To help protect honey bees, and other pollinators, from agrochemicals, there should be clear communication between beekeepers and growers regarding the timing and choice of various pesticide applications. Growers should aim to use products with reduced toxicity to bees, and should not apply any agrochemicals immediately before or during the pollination period.

 

Pollination services are essential to food security, provide needed revenue to beekeepers and provide a service required of wild blueberry production. The use of honey bees for pollination services is vital, however, that does not mean that beekeepers and growers should not recognize and help mitigate the stress pollination can cause for honey bees. It is in the best interest of both the beekeeper and grower to help keep colonies healthy during the pollination period to ensure a sustainable pollination industry year after year.

 

References

1. Melicher, D., Wilson, E.S., Bowsher, J.H., Peterson, S.S., Yocum, G.D. and Rinehart, J.P., 2019. Long-distance transportation causes temperature stress in the honey bee, Apis mellifera (Hymenoptera: Apidae). Environmental entomology, 48(3), pp.691-701.
2. Atlantic Tech Transfer Team for Apiculture. 2023. Best Management Practices Guide For Honey Bee Pollination of Wild Blueberries in Atlantic Canada.
3. Quiroga-Arcila, A.M., McCune, F., Fournier, V. and Giovenazzo, P., 2025. Bee-ing a Pollinator: Constraints, Concerns, and Challenges of Lowbush Blueberry Pollination. International Journal of Fruit Science, 25(1), pp.28-63.

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