Bees in Demand for 2013: Bryan Ash, Stock Replacement Chair

摘要

Beekeepers across Manitoba could face a major shortage of colonies for honey production for the 2013 honey season. An MBA preliminary survey in early April, confirmed several beekeepers are discovering unusually high winter losses. Many hives are covered by several feet of snow; and yet members find disappointing results when they dig them out. (Survey results found elsewhere in this newsletter). This creates a large demand, and a difficult search for bees within Manitoba. Meanwhile heavy demand by Quebec and Ontario, to meet the blueberry pollination requests from the East Coast growers, placed unusual pressure on typical stock sources. Although Bee Outfitters, in Winnipeg, placed their usual order, only about 2600 packages were available. Additional supplies from New Zealand are not likely, as direct flights are booked and space is unavailable to bring packages into Vancouver.