This past weekend the Nova Scotia Beekeepers’ Association held their annual general meeting in Truro, Nova Scotia. The Atlantic Tech Transfer Team for Apiculture was pleased to attend and present at this year’s meeting. Read this week’s blog to learn about the highlights of the event, and to find out what is happening in the Nova Scotia beekeeping industry.
Review of NS Beekeepers’ Association AGM 2024
Another successful annual general meeting of the NS
Beekeepers’ Association occurred on February 24th in Truro, NS, where
approximately 90 beekeepers and/or industry representatives were in attendance.
The event included a commercial beekeeper meeting, several tradeshow exhibits,
and multiple guest speakers including the Atlantic Tech Transfer Team for
Apiculture. During the AGM, the NSBA also held their annual business meeting.
Jason Sproule, the provincial apiculturist of Nova Scotia,
gave an update on the Nova Scotia beekeeping industry for 2023. As of 2023,
Nova Scotia has 912 beekeepers (of which approximately 200 are newly registered
beekeepers), and over 27 thousand active honey bee colonies spread across over 1000
apiaries. There are 41 beekeepers contributing to queen production, and an
impressive 416 beekeepers contributing to honey production. The average honey
crop for Nova Scotia this past year was 21 kg per hive. The Nova Scotia honey
bee winter loss average continues to be below the national average, with a
provincial loss of 15.6% in the winter of 2022-2023.
The average pollination rental price was $161.56, but when
removing outliers the average is closer to $185. There is a continued need for
pollination units in Nova Scotia, but blueberry growers who made pollination
arrangements early in the season say their pollination needs were met.
This past year there were 153 apiary inspections across Nova
Scotia. Of these inspections American Foulbrood was detected in one operation,
and the department was quick to respond by managing any disease transmission
risks.
The province is currently working to improve vet-client relationships for the administration of antimicrobials to honey bee colonies, such as oxytetracycline. Information has been provided to NS veterinarians through their professional association on how they can access information and training to better support the province’s beekeepers.
During the provincial report, there was a reminder of the
importance of properly managing swarms. When beekeeping, it is important to try
to prevent swarms by splitting colonies, if possible try to recapture swarms,
consider setting up swarm traps and lures to make recapturing easier, and, if
experienced, volunteer to collect swarms in your area. All of the mentioned
tasks will help prevent colony loss of production, prevent property damage, and
help maintain a positive public opinion of honey bees.
Mathew Boland, of the Saint Mary’s School of Commerce, gave
an overview of the NSBA Cost of Production Tool. The tool is designed to help
Nova Scotia beekeepers determine the economic feasibility and profitability of
entering the industry or business expansion. The tool can be downloaded from
the NSBA website.
Rodney Reid, the Atlantic representative for the Canadian
Honey Council, gave a brief overview of the work being done by the CHC.
Currently, CHC is focused on stock issues, such as the associated risks of the
importation of queens and packages into Canada. They are also focused on
preventing honey fraud in Canada.
During the morning session attendees also heard from the
Minister of Agriculture, Greg Morrow, who spoke about the work the Department
of Agriculture is doing to support the beekeeping industry, such as the
implementation of the Apiculture Sustainability Growth and Health Program,
which will continue next fiscal year.
The keynote address of the meeting was from Doug McRory who
spoke about building a sustainable apiary. Doug explained the various tasks
involved in his beekeeping operation, with a specific focus on his strategy to
make nucleus colonies and queens, and how he manages various pests and diseases
of honey bees.
Neil Erb gave an update on behalf of the Wild Blueberry Producers Association of Nova Scotia. Overall, the wild blueberry industry is struggling with continued decreased margins of profit. The selling price of wild blueberries is not increasing at the same rate as input costs of production. He suggested that wild blueberries should get a premium price over highbush blueberries and European blueberries. This would help stabilize the farmgate price of wild blueberries in Nova Scotia.
The final presentation of the day was from John Murray who
spoke about the business of beekeeping. John gave a great presentation where he
explained some of the economics of growing a beekeeping operation, and he
highlighted how useful the NSBA Cost of Production Model Tool can be when
beekeepers are trying to make decisions about economic feasibility.
The event wrapped up with the NSBA Honorary Lifetime
Membership Award, which was presented to Tom Cosmon and Mary Anne Whidden. This
award is presented to those who have made significant contributions to the
association and the beekeeping industry. Congratulations to Tom and Mary Anne
for receiving this well-deserved award.
Thank you to all members of the NS Beekeepers’ Association who
helped organize this great event, especially the NSBA president Duncan Wetzel, and
to those who work to support the beekeeping industry of Nova Scotia.