Summer Events

Thursday, 18 July 2024

 

The wild blueberry and beekeeping industries depend on each other for continued growth. Despite being busy, the summer is a useful time for beekeepers and wild blueberry producers to have events to learn about what’s happening in these industries. The Atlantic Tech Transfer Team for Apiculture had the pleasure of attending the New Brunswick Beekeeper’s Association (NBBA) evening session last Saturday and the Wild Blueberry Producer’s Association of Nova Scotia’s (WBPANS) field day this past Wednesday. Continue reading for details on these great events! 

NBBA Evening Meeting Summary

A group of New Brunswick beekeepers gathered for an evening meeting, entitled “Bees and Honey….From frame to barrel” on the evening of Saturday July 13th. This event was put on by the New Brunswick Beekeeping Association and hosted by Chris Lockhart of Lockhart Apiaries and Atlantic Gold Honey.  The event, held in the Moncton area, was well attended by over 20 local beekeepers, providing an excellent mid season opportunity for discussion.  There were three short presentations across the evening.  Chris Lockhart gave an overview of his operation and showed his extraction operation.  The Atlantic Tech Transfer Team for Apiculture did a demonstration on honey quality, diversity and classification.  Additionally, ATTTA talked about mid season disease management.  Overall, a pleasant and well received industry event organized by the NBBA to support the New Brunswick beekeeping sector.


Chris Lockhart (center) discussing his beekeeping operation, flanked by prominent NB beekeepers, Eric Neil (left) and Boyd Hicks (right) at the recent NBBA evening meeting.

WBPANS 2024 Field Day

On July 17th, the WBPANS held their annual summer meeting, hosted by Paul and Lori Kittilsen at their beekeeping farm in the Debert area.  The event began in the morning with tours and demonstrations around the Kittilsen’s farm. These included wild blueberry and beekeeping machinery demonstrations, an example of a pollinator strip, and tours through the Kittilsen’s honey extraction room, bottling room, and construction workshop. 

Paul Kittilsen speaking at the WBPANS Annual Meeting

There were many exhibitors set up throughout the day to give demonstrations. There were equipment and machinery displays, where attendees could test drive forklifts and harvesters and shop for new equipment. There were displays and delegates from across the agri-business sector, including NS Crop and Livestock Insurance and Farm Credit Canada, as well as the chance to talk to government staff and industry representatives. Also, attendees could talk to wild blueberry researchers and representatives, including many researchers from Dalhousie University, Living Labs, and Perennia. 

The Kilted Chef and his team provided a delicious wild blueberry themed lunch, during which there were presentations given. The WBPANS president, David Harrison, and executive director, Peter Burgess, of WBPANS welcomed the group and provided a WBPANS update. Hugh Lyu, the wild blueberry extension specialist at Perennia, provided an industry update looking at the season so far this year. Also, Paul and Lori Kittilsen introduced everyone to their team and gave an overview of their business and history as beekeepers and honey producers. The Kittilsen’s have nearly 2000 honey bee hives that go to wild blueberry fields for pollination, hugely contributing to the wild blueberry industry. 

John and Kaitlyn from ATTTA with the Kilted Chef at the WBPANS Annual meeting

Thank you to all the members of WBPANS who helped organize this field day, and to all those who work to support the wild blueberry industry in Nova Scotia. 

The next beekeeper event for our region the Atlantic Bee Tour held in Bathurst and Charlo on the 26 & 27 July.  Details can be found on the NBBA web site: https://nbba.ca/

 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 abyers@perennia.ca