The Atlantic Tech Transfer Team for Apiculture had the opportunity to attend the Canadian Association of Professional Apiculturists (CAPA) annual general meeting 2026 this week both virtually and in-person (Calgary, AB). Attending national meetings such as the CAPA AGM, as well as the Canadian Honey Council National Beekeeping Convention, is important to ATTTA as it provides the opportunity to voice the concerns and needs of the Atlantic beekeeping industry at the national level. Read this week’s blog to learn more about CAPA and why it is valuable that all Tech Transfer programs participate in this association. 

The Importance of Participation of the Atlantic Tech Transfer Team for Apiculture in National Groups

The Canadian Association of Profession Apiculturists (CAPA) is the umbrella group for professionals who independently conduct research, educate and otherwise support the beekeeping industry across the country. This group of apiculturists converge every year at the CAPA annual general meeting. The 2026 meeting, held in Calgary, AB, highlighted the importance of this association and the extensive work members are involved in, within and outside of the group, to support Canada’s beekeeping industry. It is worthwhile highlighting the importance of ATTTA and all Tech Transfer programs participating in national groups such as CAPA and also attending events hosted by the Canadian Honey Council (CHC).

Logos of Canadian national beekeeping groups: Canadian Honey Council and Canadian Association of Professional Apiculturists.

Members of CAPA engage in diverse activities in their roles outside of the professional association, such as regulatory aspects of honey bee management, honey bee health inspections, honey bee health and pollination research, collection of statistics, conservation initiatives to support wild pollinators, and development of cost-effective practices and tools to support a sustainable beekeeping industry. CAPA meets annually in conjunction with the Canadian Honey Council (CHC) as a joint, important communication and networking event.

The communication between ATTTA and national groups allows the Atlantic beekeeping industry to have a voice nationally. The Atlantic beekeeping industry in unique compared to other regions of Canada. For example, Newfoundland and Labrador has the privilege of being Varroa mite free, and protecting their industry should be a priority of all other Canadian provinces. Additionally, the commercial beekeeping business model for the Atlantic provinces is very different from other areas in Canada where most Atlantic commercial beekeepers prioritize wild blueberry pollination, and expected honey production is less than regions of Canada where commercial colonies pollinate canola plants. Making sure that the Atlantic region is well represented at national meetings is important for these reasons. Additionally, national meetings provide valuable information on new research, industry priorities and market trends which, when appropriate, ATTTA can circulate that information throughout the Atlantic region.

Although each Tech Transfer team does a great job at representing their industry at the national level it is also encouraged for individual beekeepers to get involved with national groups and training opportunities when possible. For example, there are two upcoming Canadian Honey Bee Health webinars taking place on March 18^th and March 25^th which are organized by the Canadian Honey Council and the Canadian Bee Tech Transfer Programs. 

Upcoming Canadian Honey Bee Health webinars taking place on March 18^th and March 25^th which are organized by the Canadian Honey Council and the Canadian Bee Tech Transfer Programs.

Overall, ATTTA, and all other Tech Transfer Programs, communicate and work with CAPA and the CHC on industry concerns that are shared across the country. Canadian beekeepers are fortunate to have both of these organizations working on their behalf. To learn about new research happening both nationally and internationally read next week’s blog which will highlight research shared at the National Beekeeping Convention. 

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

Every spring, beekeepers are asked by the Canadian Association of Professional Apiculturists (CAPA) to report on their overwintering losses. The results of the 2022 survey are in! Last week, CAPA released their “Statement on Honey Bee Wintering Losses in Canada (2022),” read on for a brief summary of the results. 

A Look at Canadian Honey Bee Overwintering Losses

The CAPA “Statement on Honey Bee Wintering Losses in Canada” is an annual report published to consolidate information that CAPA and our Provincial Apiarists have collected regarding the overwintering success of beekeepers across the nation. Reporting overwintering losses to CAPA continues to be a valuable tool for seeing trends in beekeeping operations nationwide. This year, results are based on the responses of 626 Canadian beekeepers with a total of 480,983 hives.

Figure 1. A modified table of survey parameters and preliminary honey bee colony mortality (2021-2022) to highlight the results of the Atlantic Provinces. 

The 2021-2022 winter was a difficult winter for Canadian honey bees. The national overwintering loss was 45.5%. This is nearly double the percent loss reported the winter prior, at 23.2%. Between provinces, there was a large range, from 15.3% to 57.2%. Overall, Atlantic Canada fared better than most of the nation, with Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland being the only three provinces to report losses below 30%. Prince Edward Island suffered higher losses, at 51.9%. 

The CAPA statement not only reports figures, it also asks beekeepers to indicate the possible causes for their losses. This year, beekeepers were more consistently responding with the same causes. Ineffective varroa control, poor queens, and weak colonies in the fall were the top reported reasons for colony loss, nationwide. Furthermore, the provinces which had the highest losses all ranked “ineffective varroa control” to be their number one reason for colony death. For Atlantic Canada, specifically, the leading reasons for loss were less consistent, with ineffective varroa control, weak hives in the fall, and starvation being the top concerns. As such, beekeepers preparing for the upcoming winter this season should consider addressing these as priorities in their summer and fall management practices. For example, it will be important to test for mites and subsequently treat; hives should be supplied with adequate food resources to make it through the winter; and now is a good time to consider how to best manage weak colonies. 

Figure 2. A modified table of the top four ranked causes of honey bee colony mortality to highlight the results of the Atlantic Provinces. 

The 2022 statement places particular emphasis on varroa mite control. According to the survey respondents, Apivar® is the number one chemical treatment used against varroa mites across Canada. It is popularly used in both spring and fall treatments. As such, it is inevitable that varroa mites will develop resistance to amitraz, the leading ingredient in Apivar®. Unfortunately, there has been evidence of this beginning in some provinces. This means that monitoring for mites both before and after treatment is more important than ever. Please see the ATTTA factsheet on Summer Disease and Pest Monitoring in Honey Bees for detailed information on how to monitor varroa mites in your colonies. Monitoring in the summer can be critical to knocking back varroa mites populations before fall, when it may become too late for effective control of large infestations. Beekeepers expressed this as a challenge which they faced in the 2021 fall. 

In addition to monitoring, CAPA has highlighted the importance of testing the continued efficacy of our leading varroa mite treatments. Here, ATTTA can help! This summer ATTTA is busy sampling hives across the Maritimes to measure the efficacy of both Apivar® and Api Life Var® in eliminating the mites within. This work will be completed in September and results shared with the industry shortly thereafter. 

The CAPA wintering losses survey provides us with valuable insight into the challenges and successes of the Canadian beekeeping industry. For more information on the results of the 2022 survey please read the full statement, found here. Thank you to all who participated!

Written by Annie Bennett, ATTTA Apiculturist, abennett@perennia.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