This weekend, the Atlantic Tech Transfer Team for Apiculture (ATTTA) visited Newfoundland to
attend and participate in the Newfoundland and Labrador Beekeepers Association
(NLBKA) annual general meeting and Growing Together workshop! It was a wonderful
opportunity to engage with the beekeeping community and hear updates from the apiculture
industry. Read on to learn about what is going on with our beekeepers in
Newfoundland!
News from Newfoundland
The beekeeping community in Newfoundland is growing. Every year there are more commercial keepers as well as hobbyists, playing an important role in the industry. Both groups contribute to the growth of apiculture in the province. Increasingly, Newfoundland’s beekeepers are engaged with the sale of queens and nucleus colonies to other beekeepers, as well as mentoring new entrants. One of the most unique considerations about Newfoundland beekeeping is that there is extremely limited importation of bees to the island. Within a typical beekeeping operation, commercial or otherwise, there is effectively no opportunity to purchase new bees, including queens, from outside of the province. As such, growth is restricted to activities within the province. They are rising to the challenge! For example, commercial overwintering losses have been dropping every year since they began reporting to CAPA in 2018, with only 18.1% losses in 2021.
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NLBKA President Rodney Reid speaking at the NLBKA Growing Together meeting.
The reason for strict important legislation is because
Newfoundland remains one of the only regions on earth whose honey bees are free
of varroa mites. The industry is working hard to keep Newfoundland this way!
Despite having no varroa mites, the NLBKA is diligently working to educate
beekeepers about varroa mites and to be prepared, should mites arrive.
Provincial Apiarist Karen Kennedy announced new legislation which has been
developed to protect the industry against a varroa mite infestation. For
example, mandatory hive inspections before bee sales and increased penalties
for illegal importation activities are proposed. She also announced exciting news that
signage has been approved to be placed in high traffic areas to increase
awareness that honey bee importation to the province is illegal. It is important
for those outside of Newfoundland to know this as well. We can all do our part
to help maintain the varroa free status of Newfoundland by not bringing or
selling any honey bees to the province.
More exciting news from the meeting was the launch of the new
NLBKA brand. Branding is a way to unify an industry and help to get your common
message to the public. Check out the NLBKA
website to see the new look! Agriculture in the Classroom was highlighted at
the meeting as well, with representatives of the NL Federation of Agriculture speaking
to the success of this program and displaying contest winning nuc boxes painted
by students.
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Jars of Newfoundland honey for a honey swap! See a nuc box from Agriculture in the Classroom in the background.
The beekeepers of Newfoundland and Labrador are a very
engaged community, and there is no doubt that the industry will continue to
grow. During the visit, ATTTA stopped in at Tuck’s Better Bee Farm in Grand
Falls-Windsor for a glimpse into the exciting agrotourism project being developed.
This expanding business is just one great example of the growing and dynamic
beekeeping industry in Newfoundland. Continue to follow the ATTTA Buzz Blog to hear
more news about NL and the entire regions beekeeping industry.
Connecting with ATTTA Specialists