Wild blueberries are a major industry in the Canadian Maritimes. Nationally, wild blueberries were the most economically significant food crop in 2020 and the Maritime provinces contribute about half of our overall production (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada 2020). The high production capacity of the wild blueberry industry is closely linked to the honey bee industry. Honey bees are the most common pollinators of wild blueberries, a plant which depends on insects for pollination and berry development. Providing pollination services is a great opportunity for Atlantic Canadian beekeepers. Read on for tips on how to get started!

Pollination for Beginners

It is a great time for Atlantic beekeepers to get involved in wild blueberry pollination! Pollination is a critical service in agricultural production, and the demand for pollinating units on wild blueberry fields is high. Providing pollination services is accessible to beekeepers of all scales. Just like there are small scale beekeepers, there are small scale blueberry producers.

Provincial beekeeper and wild blueberry producer associations are an excellent resource when beginning pollination services. First of all, these groups are knowledgeable of the industry and can help facilitate new connections. For example, check out the NBBA Bee Yard or WBPANS Marketplace to explore local networks. Secondly, experienced members within these associations can offer guidance and mentorship with practical matters as you get started. Learn from the knowledge of others and find out what works for them, so that you can find out what works for you!

Wild blueberry field in bloom. ©ATTTA 2023

It is possible to start into pollination services without needing any extra equipment. If you have a pickup truck, you can transport your colonies! Typically, beekeepers get started by manually lifting hives into a truck bed and unloading them in the blueberry field. Hives should be tightly secured together with straps before moving them and then safely secured in the truck bed. It is common practice to relocate colonies to blueberry fields during the night, while the bees are at rest, so be sure to coordinate the precise destination of the colonies before heading to the field. Blueberry producers and beekeepers need to coordinate a location on the field with good apiary conditions and ensure that the person moving the hives will be able to find and access this location. Visiting sites ahead of time can be useful, as well. Just like in their home apiary, honey bee colonies need to be spaced to reduce drift, resting off the ground, and protected with a bear fence during the pollination period.

A pollination contract is a useful tool for ensuring pollination services run smoothly. The New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island Beekeepers Associations all have sample pollination contracts which can guide this agreement. Arrangements for pollination should be made well ahead of time. 

There is room for growth within the pollination industry. If hand lifting becomes arduous, investing in a tailgate lift can increase your capacity. Moving hives on trailers is another option. In this case, the hives could remain on the trailer and the trailer sits in the field for the pollination period. Ultimately, large-scale pollination involves palletization of hives and heavy duty equipment for handling these pallets.

Incorporating pollination services into your beekeeping is a great way to diversify your income. If you are successful, there is always potential to expand! Being mindful as you grow will save you time, money, and stress along the way. The best way to do this is by exploring what others are doing and finding what works for you!

References
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Statistical Overview of the Canadian Fruit Industry 2020. Published online June 2021. https://agriculture.canada.ca/en/canadas-agriculture-sectors/horticulture/horticulture-sector-reports

ATTTA Summer Student!

We are looking for a summer student to join the Atlantic Tech Transfer Team for Apiculture in the upcoming season. It is shaping up to be a busy summer filled with bees and blueberries! Find the full job description here and apply by February 24^th!

ATTTA field work ©ATTTA 2021

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

This week, we will pick up our discussion from last week’s blog by preparing our Langstroth frame to hold foundation. Foundation is important as it ensure that bees draw comb within the frames and reduces the amount of drone comb production.  This means a more productive hive with a greater number of worker bees and frames which can easily be removed for inspection. We are using wax foundation in our frame, so we will start today by adding wire support!

Wiring Frames

As always, we will begin by gathering our materials. We have our frame from last week, a sheet of wax foundation, a homemade wooden frame jig, frame wire, eyelets, ¾ inch nails, a loaded brad stapler, hammer, and optional needle nose pliers and razor blade. We also have a larger nail to take the place of an eyelet punch.

Start by adding one eyelet to the outward facing side of each of the holes in the sidebars and securing them into place. This can be done simply by pressing them in with an eyelet punch, or, if you have misplaced your punch, use the head of an upside-down nail and a hammer. Eyelets protect your wood from the wire that runs through the holes.

Now you can place your frame on the jig. A jig is a useful tool for securing the frame as you tighten the wire, although frames can be wired without one. First, add two nails which will secure the ends of the wire. One nail can be positioned just below the bottom hole of the side bar and the other can be positioned just above the top hole.

Feed the wire, directly from the spool, through the top hole of your frame. Draw it horizontally across and through the opposing hole, then down, through the next hole, and across again. Follow this pattern through to the final hole where the end of your wire will end up next to the bottom nail. A jig will likely have pieces to loop your wire around as you move down each level. 

Once your wire has gone through all eight holes and you have four lines across your frame, the wire can be secured around the nails. Wrap the end piece around the bottom nail and hammer it flush. Cut the wire, leaving some to grip, and wiggle the remaining tail free to create a clean break at the nail.

With one end secure, you can now tighten the lines by pulling down on each level with your hand and rolling excess back onto the spool. Start with the bottom row and work your way up. Firmly rotating the spool can also help to create taut lines. The wires should be tight enough to pluck a tune. Once the wire is tight throughout the frame, you can secure the other end around the top nail in the same manner as the bottom.

Now your frame is ready for a sheet of wax. In next week’s blog, we will add the foundation, embed the wires, and discuss some good reasons to keep your comb fresh!

Job Opportunities

ATTTA is looking for a summer research assistant to assist in our field work this season! Click here for additional information, we look forward to hearing from you!

There are additional job opportunities within Perennia, as well! Click here to discover more!

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