Ed Nowek has been keeping bees for more than 30 years and he has always marvelled at their resilience and adaptability. "They persevere quite well, up to a point," Mr. Nowek said from Vernon, B.C., where he owns Planet Bee Honey Farm. "But I think we've just got to the point now where we are pushing them too hard." Like beekeepers across North America, Mr. Nowek has watched his bees die off in droves. Last year he lost two-thirds of his bee colonies, while some other beekeepers in the area lost more than 80 per cent.The number of commercial bee colonies in Canada has shrunk by 155,000, or 26 per cent, this year, according to industry figures (a colony can hold as many as 50,000 bees). Last year the total fell 29 per cent. That's far above the 15 per cent annual loss beekeepers can typically withstand and still stay in business.
The plummeting bee population has not only caused havoc for beekeepers and honey makers, it has also hurt fruit farmers and canola growers who rely on bees to pollinate crops. By some estimates, bees add $1-billion to the Canadian agricultural sector.The situation is so bad the Canadian Honey Council (CHC), which represents beekeepers and honey makers, has asked Ottawa for $50-million in disaster relief and another $10-million in research to help the industry recover. It's the first time the industry has asked for help.
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It takes one colony of honey bees (about 30,000 bees) to pollinate an acre of fruit trees. Pollination success increases if there are more honey bees present at the time of peak flowering. Bees fly the equivalent of more than once around the world to gather a pound of honey. The average life of a honey bee during the working season is about six weeks. Canadian consumption of honey is one kilogram per capita.
Sources: Canada Honey Council, staff
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