The planned blog for this week will be postponed so we can bring some information relevant to an immediate challenge in our region.  Currently, across the Maritimes we are experiencing drought-like conditions.  This is difficult for everyone, but we will discuss important considerations which relate directly to beekeepers. So, please read on for information to help keep honey bees healthy and beekeepers safe during this drought. Next week we will pick up with the scheduled blog on honey bee behaviour.

Beekeeping during a drought!

Warnings of fire bans and water restrictions bring attention to the current drought-like conditions in the Maritime region.  For beekeepers, this means additional vigilance when working our bees and increased focus on the overall health of the colonies.  It is important to be mindful of how to support honey bees during drought, while also practicing safe and responsible beekeeping. 

Currently every province in the Maritimes has a burn ban in effect. Nova Scotia has restricted travel and activities in the woods until October 15 or until conditions change¹. New Brunswick and PEI both have province-wide fire bans as well ^2,3. These restrictions must be considered by beekeepers working in high-risk areas and using smokers.

Figure 1: Provincial Fire Restrictions for the Maritime Region as of August 7^th 2025.

During periods of severe drought, using a traditional smoker can pose a significant fire risk, especially in dry conditions where fire bans are currently in effect. In response, products have been tested to try to find a flameless alternative to safely manage colonies when beekeeping. The Apisolis Vaporizer uses essential oil vapor to calm bees without flame. It is a rechargeable and non-toxic device that offers a safer option during fire bans. While it is a useful tool, it does not fully replace smoker’s effectiveness. Another option is Apimil ®, a water-diluted spray made from essential oils and saccharides. This product helps reduce the bee’s defensive behavior, especially if introducing a queen. It is applied directly onto the colony with a light mist. Another smoke alternative is to use a 1:1 sugar water spray. Spraying this mixture lightly on the bees and frames can distract them with grooming and feeding behavior, helping reduce aggression. Although these options are not perfect substitutes for smokers, they can help manage honey bees during times of high fire risk. For more details, check out our previous blog on Alternative Smokers .

Figure 2: Apisolis Vaporizer and Liquid for the Vaporizer (ATTTA ©, 2025)

During periods of drought both the quantity and quality of forage available to the bees decreases.  Nectar flow will be reduced, and the nutritional profile of pollen will change.  It is known that drought-stressed plants provide 10% less protein and 17% less carbohydrates to honey bees ⁴.  This can have a direct impact on honey bee survival and longevity.  The foraging range for both water and food will increase during drought conditions, also having an impact on the bees overall well being.  Guidance on how to manage bees during drought conditions is available in the ATTTA fact sheet: HOW DROUGHT CONDITIONS IN THE MARITIMES CAN IMPACT HONEY BEES. 

Beekeepers are encouraged, when inspecting their colonies to identify signs of drought.  This can be dry brood (see figure below) which is a strong indication of a lack of resources available to feed the larva.  Also, colonies will slow down or stop brood production during periods of dearth.  Worker bee will remove and cannibalize brood in extreme conditions.  Beekeepers must also monitor colonies for behavioural changes.  During periods of drought, with an increase in the risk of robbing, colonies may become defensive. 

Figure 3: A) Healthy honey bee larvae with plenty of jelly vs B) Dry larvae.

As drought conditions persist across the Maritimes, beekeepers must remain vigilant about fire safety and honey bee health. If dry conditions continue, be prepared to take proactive steps such as providing clean water sources, relocating hives to better forage and water access and feeding bees when necessary. Remember to stay alert, monitor your colonies closely, and support your bees as required until conditions improve!

Written by Kaitlyn Newton, ATTTA Seasonal Apiculturist 

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

References:
1.      Government of Nova Scotia. 2025. Burn Restrictions.  https://novascotia.ca/burnsafe/
2.      Government of New Brunswick. 2025. Fire Watch. https://www.gnb.ca/en/topic/laws-safety/emergency-preparedness-alerts/fire-watch.html
3.      Government of Prince Edward Island. 2025. Burning Restrictions. https://www.princeedwardisland.ca/en/feature/burning-restrictions/#/service/FireRestrictions/FireRestrictions
4.      Rankin, E., et al. 2020. Reduced water negatively impacts social bee survival and productivity via shifts in floral nutrition. Journal of Insect Science. 20(5). https://doi.org/10.1093/jisesa/ieaa114 

Last year Nova Scotia saw the largest recorded wildfires in its history. The wildfires in Halifax Regional Municipality and Shelburne, Yarmouth counties caused devastation to beekeepers either by decimating entire apiaries or by destroying food sources for bees. Last year’s wildfires also raised serious concerns about using smokers during extreme drought. The reality is that with changing weather patterns we are likely to experience severe drought in Atlantic Canada once again, and we need to have options to the traditional smoker. This week’s blog will discuss two different options for beekeepers when drought conditions persist.

Alternative Smokers

On an exceptionally dry and hot day beekeepers must be cautious about using their smoker when working with bees. Last year, drought conditions persisted for weeks, and this raised a new level of concern regarding the safe use of smokers during an extreme drought. Since it is not a safe option to use a smoker during drought conditions, beekeepers found themselves looking for alternative products to calm their bees when working through a hive. ATTTA decided to test a couple of products on the market currently in order to suggest some alternatives to a smoker under drought conditions. Below are some of the initial thoughts on these products but the team would need to try the suggested products many more times, and during varying weather conditions and beekeeping activities, to have a better understanding of the effectiveness of each product to calm bees, prevent stings and allow beekeepers to work through a hive.

Using Apisolis Vaporizer on honey bee colony in April (ATTTA©2024).

One alternative beekeepers have available to them is the Apisolis Vaporizer. This is a flameless electronic vaporizer, which works much like a traditional smoker but produces temperature regulated vapour formulated with essential oils to calm bees. The composition of solution used in the vaporizer is propylene glycol and active ingredients present in essential oils. The use of the product is safe for human health, safe for use on bees and non-hazardous to the environment. The company Apisolis was founded in France by Damien Albrespy. The device is easy to use and is an alternative to calm bees during drought conditions. An advantage of this electronic vaporizer, over a traditional smoker, is that assuming it is fully charged and has been filled with the required Native vapour fluid, the device will not “go out” while beekeeping – unlike the traditional smoker that goes out from time to time. That being said, the battery of the vaporizer does need to be recharged on a regular basis, and, unlike a smoker, if the battery dies in the apiary there is no quick way to restart the vaporizer. Like a smoker, caution must be taken to not over use the vaporizer on the bees. Providing a periodic puff of the vapour should suffice to keep the bees calm. The device is unlikely to be a permanent replacement for the traditional smoker, as its ability to calm and move bees is seemingly not as effective as smoke. So, it is advised to always bring a traditional smoker to each apiary just in case the bees are more defensive than anticipated. During drought conditions, the Apisolis Vaporizer is an option to work bees safely. The device can be purchased from Dancing Bee Equipment for $299.95 plus tax and shipping, along with 50 other global distributers all listed on the Apisolis website (https://apisolis.com/en).

Apimil® product (2024©ATTTA)

A second option for beekeepers is the product Apimil® (https://apimil.com/). This is a liquid product that is diluted in water and used as a spray. The composition of the product is mainly compounds extracted from essential oils and saccharides. The product is prepared as a 10% solution and can be sprayed directly on the colony when working through the hives. The product contains a combination of essential oils that work to calm honey bees and is a safe option during drought conditions. Andermatt Canada has also done preliminary research using Apimil® suggesting that the product may be used to significantly improve the success rate of introducing honey bee queens, prevent robbing and improve the success rate of combining colonies. Apimil® does not move bees around as a traditional smoker would, but rather helps mitigate defensive behaviour of bees when working through the hive. Caution must be taken to not over use the product in the colony. Periodically mist the bees with the solution and watch to see if their behaviour changes. The product can be purchased from Andermatt Canada for $30.00/250 mL. Again, the product is unlikely to be a permanent replacement for the traditional smoker, and during each visit to the apiary a traditional smoker should be brought for back up. Additionally, if new to beekeeping, it would be advisable to try a traditional smoker before any of the alternatives.

If ever in need of a quick alternative smoker, a third option is a spray bottle containing 1:1 sugar: water. The solution can be sprayed directly on tops of frames and bees when opening the hive, which should keep them occupied with grooming and feeding. The sugar water solution should be used sparingly while working through the hive, as the intention is not to have bees feeding on sugar water during the summer months when there is a nectar flow on. With all alternative smokers, they may not suffice for aggressive colonies.

If opting to use a traditional smoker during the summer months, use extreme caution. Avoid placing the smoker directly on grass or vegetation, and instead try hooking it onto the side of hives or place it on a fireproof surface. Put green grass into the spout of the smoker to prevent emitting sparks and travel with at least a few liters of water to each bee yard. Finally, make sure the smoker is completely out when finished beekeeping. This can be done by either pouring water into the smoker until it is extinguished or dumping the ashes into a metal container with water. Travel with the smoker and any ashes in a fire proof container.

For any questions or advice on alternative smokers contact the ATTTA team.

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

Ratios Rather than Concentrations of Nutritionally Important Elements May Shape Honey Bee Preferences for ‘Dirty Water’

We are nearing the end of July and the weather has been warm lately here in Atlantic Canada! With all this warm weather, just like us and other animals, our honey bees need to stay hydrated to beat the heat and maintain proper colony function. Honey bees access water from a variety of sources but did you know they have specific preferences depending on the mineral content of the water? A recent study investigated honey bee mineral preferences in water. Keep reading to find out more about what preferences honey bees have for minerals in water and why they might have these preferences.

Speaking of water, we are nearing the typical drought and dearth season for the Atlantic Canada region. This year we are seeing more rain than last year, which is great, but we still need to keep an eye out for signs of drought and dearth so we can provide our bees with necessary resources as they are needed. If a dearth period is brought on by a drought, beekeepers can help their colonies along not just by providing sugar syrup feed but also by providing a nearby water source for their bees!

Ratios Rather than Concentrations of Nutritionally Important Elements May Shape Honey Bee Preferences for ‘Dirty Water’ *

Honey bees have nutritional requirements, just like all other animals. Often when considering these nutritional requirements, nectar and pollen are identified as the suppliers of these nutrients for honey bees. However, nectar and pollen alone are not always able to provide all the minerals that honey bees need to satisfy their nutritional needs. One way honey bees increase their mineral intake is by drinking ‘dirty water’, or water that contains these essential minerals. A recent study investigates the preferences of honey bees towards a selection of ‘dirty water’ offerings containing various ratios and mixes of minerals. This is a novel approach to exploring mineral preferences of honey bees since it incorporates comparisons of various mixed mineral ratios and concentrations, rather than only comparing individual mineral concentrations as has been carried out in past studies. The minerals used in this comparison include:

• Sodium chloride (NaCl)
• Potassium chloride (KCl)
• Calcium chloride (CaCl₂)
• Magnesium chloride (MgCl₂)
• Ammonium chloride (NH₄Cl)
• Potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KH₂PO₄)

These minerals were mixed in water in various configurations of ratios and concentrations to yield the four mineral solutions used in this investigation:

In addition to these mineral solutions, deionized water was offered as a neutral control and 20% sucrose solution was offered as a positive control.

Samples of bees were collected and offered these liquid options under constant observation for 1 hour time slots. The results of these observation indicate:

• A significant preference towards the mixed solution (‘Mixed molar conc.’ in the above table) compared to other mineral solutions and the neutral control

• A preference towards the mixed solution compared to sucrose solution in the afternoon, but vice versa in the morning

The study at hand suggests that the preference towards the mixed solution compared to the other mineral solutions could be explained by the high Na:K (sodium : potassium) ratio in the mixed solution. Since animal tissues contain much higher levels of Na than plant tissues which are higher in K, honey bees have a natural preference towards solutions containing higher ratios of Na:K when presented with options of varying ratios. This is further supported by the importance of Na in the honey bee diet, which is highlighted by the example of acute bee paralysis potentially being caused by a diet with too low a ratio of Na:K.

The observed preference towards sucrose solution over the mixed solution in the morning, but then a preference towards the mixed solution over the sucrose solution in the afternoon could be explained in terms of energy supplementation. The study suggests that bees prefer the sucrose option in the morning since it is a carbohydrate and will provide the bee with an energy source. Once this carbohydrate energy requirement has been satisfied, then the bees will forage to meet their other nutritional requirements.

Understanding what honey bees need and what their natural preferences are can help beekeepers better support their colonies, especially when it is most needed. Natural supplies of these mineral-rich waters include puddles and other accumulations of water in naturally mineral-rich substrates.

 

* Cairns, S.M., Wratten, S.D., Filipiak, M., Veronesi, E.R., Saville, D.J. & Shields, M.W. (2021) Ratios rather than concentrations of nutritionally importance elements may shape honey bee preferences for ‘dirty water’. Ecological Entomology, https://doi.org/10.1111/een.13067. Full text available ONLINE.

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

Introducing Queens Using Queen Cells & Smoker Safety

As we continue an exceptionally dry summer, there are burn restrictions in many parts of our region. Therefore, smokers must be used carefully especially in drought conditions. To remind beekeepers of best practices related to smoker safety, we have prepared a short piece for this week's blog. Our series on introducing queens continues with the 4th segment being on the use of queen cells as well as an additional list of methods to introduce a new queen.

Introducing Queens Using Queen Cells

An alternative to re-queening with mated queens is using queen cells to replace aging or unproductive queens. Queen cells have the advantage of being much less expensive than mated queens, but because the queens have to emerge from the cell and go on mating flights prior to laying eggs, there is a period of non-productivity for the colony. Also, there is the risk that virgins won’t return from their mating flights or that the queen cell will be damaged. In addition, a mated queen should have previously been evaluated for its laying prowess and bred following a selective breeding program. However, queen cells can also be from selected grafts and the acceptance of queens from cells may be higher than foreign caged queens. The same procedure as described in previous blogs is followed when adding queen cells with the addition of a two week waiting period to check for queen acceptance. Good record keeping is important so the emergence time for the virgin queens is known. 

Other methods

There are many other methods of introducing queens and a vast collection of equipment to help beekeepers with this task. A push-in cage is a very popular method as it allows the new queen to start laying eggs immediately. It does, however, require some extra handling of the queen, but some beekeepers find greater acceptance using this method.

To use a push-in cage:

• Brush the bees off the comb and place the push-in cage over an area with empty cells, some emerging brood cells, and open nectar 

• Remove the queen from the transport cage and place her under the push-in cage. Make sure no other bees are under the cage or can get under the cage. Also, make sure the cage isn’t pushed too far into the comb that the queen is too close to the hive bees so they could harm her 

• Remove the push-in cage after 3-4 days or when the bees are no longer clinging to the cage.


Additional methods of queen introduction may include: dumping all the bees out in front of a hive while adding the queen in the mix, dunking the queen in water, use of butler cages and frames specifically designed for queen introduction.

As with all beekeeping practices, finding a method that works for your operation is fundamental to having a successful and productive apiary.

Smoker Safety

Smokers are used to disrupt the defensive behavior of bees, facilitating hive inspections with less aggression and stings. Some safety rules to follow when using a smoker:

· Choose your fuel smoker fuel ahead of time so you don’t end up using an unnatural fuel source. Smoker fuel should be easy to light, burn slowly, and produce abundant cool smoke. Burlap, wood pellets, cotton fiber, straw, twigs, dried leaves, or herbs are all natural materials that can be used as smoker fuel. Avoid synthetic material!

· Smokers should be lit on the ground free of combustible material, in a fireproof container (a metal bucket), or on a fireproof surface.

· The fuel should be lit within the smoker taking special care on windy days. 

· Keep water or fire extinguisher within reach.

· When the smoker is not being operated, it should be placed in a fireproof container.

· Never leave your smoker unattended.

 

· Never dump your smoker out on the ground with combustible material, such as in a field. If you need to dump the contents before transporting, find some bare ground or a fireproof container and douse the contents with water. Never leave smoldering fuel unattended.

· Transport your smoker in a fireproof container after it has cooled. Never transport your smoker in the cab of a vehicle unless it is empty of all fuel and cooled.

· Smokers are considered fires in the open, so be aware of any fire bans in your area.

· An alternative to using a smoker is spraying the bees with a light sugar syrup. Bees will occupy themselves licking up the sweetness and be less aggressive.

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


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