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MAY & JUNE IN THE BEEYARDIt’s spring! Time to clean, assess and treat.PAGE 4
GETTING READY FOR FARMERS’ MARKETSFive things to consider before you commit. PAGE 15
VOL. 33 NO. 03
ONTARIO BEE JOURNALMAY / JUNE 2014
MUNRO HONEY: 100 YEARS AND COUNTING A century of quality and service to the industry.PAGE 23
IN EVERY ISSUE
02 President’s Report
02 Board Members
03 OBJ Advertising Rates
03 About This Issue
24 Local Associations
25 Welcome New Members
26 Classified Corner
FEATURES
04 May & June In the Beeyard
06 Making Splits: Steps to Success
07 Ask An Expert: Les Eccles
08 New Data Questions Seed Lubricant Efficacy
12 How to Identify Bee Poisoning
15 Selling Your Honey at Farmers’ Markets
18 How I Do It: Branding and Marketing
20 Tips, Tricks and Tools: Light My Fire
21 On-Farm Safety: Your Obligations
22 What’s On My Bookshelf
23 Munro Honey: 100 Sweet Years
DESIGN BY ASTER* DESIGN
PRODUCTION COORDINATION
BY LYNN CHUDLEIGH
8560 TREMAINE ROAD, BOX 476
MILTON, ONTARIO L9T 4Z1
T 905 636 0661 | F 905 636 0662
WWW.ONTARIOBEE.COM
WWW.ONTARIOHONEY.CA
VOL. 33 NO. 03
PUBLICATION AGREEMENT
#0041485022
MAY / JUNE 2014
The opinions in the articles published in the Ontario Bee Journal are those of the authors and not necessarily the Ontario Beekeepers’ Association. Further we do not endorse any of the products, goods or services mentioned in this publication unless specifically stated. Articles may be edited for printing purposes.
The Ontario Beekeepers’ Association is working to ensure
a thriving and sustainable beekeeping industry in Ontario.
PRESIDENT’S REPORT
April finally brought some warmer weather, and beekeepers have had a chance to check
some hives. Early reports have been quite variable. Responses to our short and quick survey shows that nearly a third of beekeepers experienced less than 25% losses, but nearly forty percent have lost more than half their hives. Lack of winter stores is the number one reason; with suspicion that pesticides have weakened their hives is second. Surprisingly, an overload of varroa was indicated by only 4% of beekeepers. We’re still getting responses, so we’ll let you know how the survey turns out. Ontario Bee Breeders held their annual spring meeting on March 28th. This meeting was informative and well attended. On the following day, everyone was invited to the Bryan’s family honey house (Munro Honey) who are celebrating their 100th anniversary. Our congratulations and thanks go to the Bryan’s family for hosting the tour this year. The Producers Day at the Best Western in London was also full of interesting presentations. Attendance for the day was around 115 people. We have been trying very hard for the last four months to have a ‘sit down’ meeting with the OMAF minister, which finally happened on March 25th. The Minister/Premier was very receptive to our message and was clear that she wants a solution to this problem. We believe we are closer to helping her find that solution, having had the chance to sit down with her and really go through the issues. Since that meeting we have had meetings with the Minister of Rural Affairs and the Minister of Environment. Another meeting that has stemmed from the meeting with the Minister is about compensation. Our goal is to get compensation for suffering beekeepers that will fill the void until a permanent solution is put in place. The Bee Health Working Group came out with its final report. If you’ve seen the e-newsletter, you will know the OBA did not endorse it, as there are no meaningful changes from the previous year. It seems they are still comfortable thinking that the only risk to bees related to neonicotinoids is dust, when the fact is they are persistent and systemic which opens up a whole new degree of exposure to pollinators. It seems that those involved are happy to talk while ignoring the facts. The fact is, time for talking has passed and the time for action is here.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
ExECUTIVE
PRESIDENT
DAN DAVIDSON Davidson Apiaries, Watford [email protected]
1ST VICE PRESIDENT
TIBOR SzABO Szabo Queens, Moffat
2ND VICE PRESIDENT
JIM CONEYBEARE Coneybeare Honey, Fergus
SECRETARY/TREASURER
JULIE WhITE Long Point Honey Company, Prince Edward County
PAST PRESIDENT
TIM GREER Lilly Bee Apiaries, St. Catharines
CHC DELEGATE
BRIAN ROWAAN B&E Honey Fields, Niagara on the Lake
DIRECTORS
GUY ANDERSON Anderkin Foods Inc., Kincardine
STEVE BRYANS Munro Honey, Alvinston
TOM CONGDON Sun Parlor Honey Ltd., Cottam
ALBERT DEVRIES Clovermead Apiaries, St. Thomas
DENNIS EDELL D’s Bees Honey, Jordan
ANDRE FLYS Pioneer Brand Honey, Inc., Schomberg
BERNIE WIEhLE Wiehle’s Wildflower Honey, Rodney
JIM WILSON JWBeesnmead, Ayr
2 ONTARIO BEE JOURNAL MAY & JUNE 2014
ABOUT THIS ISSUE...
First of all, thanks to everyone who completed the OBA survey earlier this winter. You will see a lot of changes in this issue in response to your helpful feedback on how to improve the OBJ to meet your needs. What we heard is that read-ers want more beekeeping advice, industry information and research. So you will see that we’ve taken that to heart. In this issue and in future issues you will see new features like “Ask an Expert”, where we expand on some of the most frequently asked questions. Also, “How I Do It”, where we have a bee-keeper explain in detail some aspect of his or her operation. Look for “What’s on my bookshelf” for book reviews. We’ve made a special, larger section for the Tech-Transfer Program, but also kept some of the popular features like, “Meet a bee-keeper” and “Tips, tools and tricks”. We love our new look, we think it reflects a professional organization that is growing in reach and impact. But you are the final judge. Let us know what you think at [email protected]
How do you like OBJ’s new look?
OBJ 2014 AD RATES
The Ontario Bee Journal is published in January,
March, May, July, September and November.
The deadline for ads is the first Friday of the
month preceding publication.
CONTACT: MAUREEN VANDERMAREL,
OBA BUSINESS ADMINISTRATOR
(905) 636-0661 | [email protected]
FULL COLOUR ADVERTISING RATES (B&W LESS 20%)
ONE ISSUE 6 ISSUES
Full page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $360 . . . . . . . . . . . $1620
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Classified ads: $.30/word with a $14 minimum.
Note: The article “A two year study of Nosema ceranae in Ontario” in the March 2014 issue of the OBJ was intended as a preliminary report and not a formal publication of research findings as the data is still not fully analyzed.
The work for the project was a collaboration between the UofG and the OBA TTP. The participants in this project from the UofG were: Dr. Ernesto Guzman, Berna Emsen, Mollah Hamiduzaman, Hailey Ashbee and Jessica Gu. And from the OBA TTP: Leslie Eccles, Brian Lacey, Melanie Kempers, Devan Rawn, Raquel Mijares González, Natalie Talbot, Andrea D’Andrea, Daniel Thurston and Kinnison Ma. We would also like to thank the beekeepers who allowed us to use their colonies for this project: Dan Davidson, Mike Parker, Davis Bryans, Gabriela Berger, Bill Ferguson, Tom Congdon.
ONTARIO BEE JOURNAL MAY & JUNE 2014 3
MAY
UNWRAP hIVES
Winter wraps can be removed when the night temperatures are staying above 0° C. Colonies wintered indoors can be moved outside. If unsure of timing, check with other beekeepers in the immediate area. Some beekeepers unwrap when garden planting may be done without a concern for frost. Keep in mind that the timing depends on the type of winter wraps and their insulating value. Removing winter wraps too early will cause the bees to con-sume honey to maintain the inside temperature of the hive. A strong colony low on honey stores can starve in the spring, if conditions are not right for foraging (too cold or lack of nectar source). A weaker colony will benefit from staying wrapped if the spring remains cool.
MONITOR FOR VARROA
An early check for varroa mites is a good practice. Knowing the hive’s early spring mite levels will allow planning of any required treatments and to begin treating as soon as possible.
SPRING CLEANING
On a warm day when the bees are actively flying, the hive can be opened. All the frames, boxes, inner covers and bottom boards can be scraped and cleaned. Spring is the best time of year to scrape colonies since the bee populations are smaller and the winter debris build up needs to be removed. Dead colonies should be inspected to determine the cause of death. If the cause of death is ruled as not contagious, the equipment can be cleaned and made ready for installing nucs or making splits. Equipment not required immedi-ately or unsuitable for re-use should be removed from the beeyard as soon as possible. If there are signs of American foulbrood (AFB), incinerate the equipment immediately. Since there are usually a num-ber of empty or almost empty frames, this is a good time of year to replace old and unwanted frames with new comb or foundation.
MAY & JUNE IN THE BEEYARD BY MELANIE kEMPERS
4 ONTARIO BEE JOURNAL MAY & JUNE 2014
ASSESSMENTS
It is a good idea to thoroughly assess the colonies for queen status, strength, disease, and mites early in the season. Examine each colony frame by frame.
Check the following:
• Queen status: The presence of eggs in the cells and a solid brood pattern are signs of a healthy productive queen.
• Colony strength: Count how many frames are covered with bees and how many frames are covered with brood. Check honey and pollen stores. The amount of stores will depend on the bee population and foraging conditions. A colony lacking pollen will not be able to maximize brood production.
• Stores: Lack of honey stores can result in starvation, if there are no nectar sources available.
• Presence of diseases: Examine for brood diseases (e.g. chalk-brood, sacbrood, American foulbrood, European foulbrood) and for symptoms among adult bees (e.g. nosema). Examining for diseases should be conducted every time a colony is opened and frames removed, or about once a month. Sometimes, chalkbrood and sacbrood occur in the spring or with a newly laying queen. However, if sacbrood and chalkbrood are an ongoing problem, the colony should be re-queened.
ChECk COLONIES FOR SPACE
Ensure that the bees are using their space well. Consider how large the bee population is and how much of the brood chamber con-tains honey and brood. Examine the brood frames. Reverse brood chambers (if running double brood chambers and the bees and brood are completely in the top brood box) or rearrange frames to encourage the queen to lay in empty frames, but keep brood frames together in the middle of the box. Unused brood chambers can be removed from weak colonies and added to strong ones for preservation or in anticipation of making splits.
SPRING MITE AND DISEASE TREATMENTS
After determining the colonies’ health status, treatments should be applied immediately to ensure that the treatment time and withdrawal period (if any) end before honey supers are put on. Check the current Ontario Recommendations distributed by the Provincial Apiarist for proper treatments. Current recommen-dations can be found on the OBA (www.ontariobee.com) and OMAF apiculture websites. Always read and follow the directions on treatment labels for maximum efficacy and to decrease the development of resistance and the risk of residues.
JUNE
SWARMS
As the season progresses, the bees will build up their populations and stores and potentially become overcrowded. A colony that swarms will lower its population and have a reduced honey crop.
SWARM PREVENTION
Providing additional supers as the bees need space, destroying queen cells if there is a healthy, laying queen and re-queening colonies that are inclined to continuously swarm will help reduce the frequency of swarming. You may also want to consider splitting strong colonies to reduce chances of swarming.
SPLITTING COLONIES
Instead of purchasing colonies or nucs, split existing colonies to increase colony numbers. Only strong colonies should be split to ensure survival. Also, splitting a colony will decrease the honey yield of the original colony. Making splits requires planning, equip-ment preparation, and a mated queen or queen cell to introduce into the queenless split. It is possible to let a queenless split raise its own queen, but the amount of time it takes will weaken the colony overall. In addition, introducing new genetics to the bees is impor-tant, especially from bee breeders who actively select breeding stock that are good honey producers with disease and mite resistance.
CATChING SWARMS
Catching swarms can be an easy way to increase colony numbers. It can be profitable to advertise services for swarm removal. However, remember that it is possible to introduce disease and bad genetics when bringing swarms of unknown origin into an opera-tion. If colonies tend to swarm even though they have adequate space, a beekeeper may be propagating swarming genetics. The process of catching a swarm can be daunting, but the main goal is to get all of the bees, including the queen, into a bucket, box, pail or other form of containment until the bees can be placed into an empty brood chamber. Ensure that the bees can have access to air during transportation.
SUPERING
Giving the bees additional honey supers provides them with more space. As a result, the colony is not overcrowded which reduces the need to swarm and allows more room for honey storage. Add more supers as needed throughout the season when the previous super is half to three-quarters full of capped honey.
ONTARIO BEE JOURNAL MAY & JUNE 2014 5
1. TIME SPLITS ACCORDING TO WhEN qUEEN ORDERS
WILL BE READY. A new queen (or queen cell) is needed for the secondary colony being created, and typically newly mated queens are available in June in Ontario, so this a good time to consider making splits. Swarming may occur before this time, so removing swarm cells on a weekly basis will keep the colony strong and intact.
2. ChOOSE A STRONG COLONY TO SPLIT. This source colony should have plenty of bees, brood, and honey. A mediocre or weak colony will lessen the survival chances of the source colony as well as the new split(s). A diseased colony should never be split. Monitoring a colony for mites and diseases before splitting will prevent their spread.
3. MAkE SURE ThE qUEEN IN ThE SOURCE COLONY
IS YOUNG AND PRODUCTIVE OR REPLACE hER AT
ThIS TIME. The queen of the source colony should be found before splitting. Placing the queen in a cage will keep her safe while the frames are being handled.
4. DO NOT TRY TO MAkE TOO MANY SPLITS FROM A
SOURCE COLONY. A very strong colony can yield more than one split but splits are more likely to survive if they are well stocked with bees, brood, and honey. Nuc boxes can be used to temporarily hold a split until it is strong enough to be moved into standard equipment.
5. GIVE BROOD TO ThE NEW SPLIT. Use at least one frame of emerging brood to ensure enough nurse bees to care for the brood along with three or more frames of brood of differing ages, covered with bees. The brood frames often contain enough pollen for additional brood rearing. One additional frame of honey should also be used.
6. REMOVE ANY WILD qUEEN CELLS WhILE ChOOSING
FRAMES FOR ThE SPLIT. Any wild cells will hatch and fight with the new queen or will destroy the queen cell provided. Place all frames containing open or capped brood in the middle of the hive body. This makes it easier for the bees to regulate the tem-perature of the brood nest and to care for the larvae. Honey (and pollen) frames should be placed surrounding the brood frames. Arrange the remaining frames in the source colony the same way.
7. ShAkE BEES INTO ThE SPLIT TO ENSURE A GOOD POPU-
LATION. Keep in mind that bees tend to return to their original hive. To prevent this, the entrance of the split(s) can be tempo-rarily blocked with grass, screened or can be moved to a different yard. Bees and brood from different colonies can be combined into one split, since it will receive a new queen or a queen cell.
8. PROVIDE ONE qUEEN PER hIVE. The queen from the source colony can be placed back into the original hive. Introduce a mated queen or a queen cell into the new split(s). Splits that receive a mated queen can be a little weaker than if a queen cell is used because production of new bees will begin sooner with a mated queen than with a cell.
9. FEED ThE NEWLY CREATED SPLIT(S). It doesn’t hurt to pro-vide supplementary sugar syrup (1:1 sugar to water by weight) and a protein supplement (see the “Homemade” recipe on the website) until they are strong enough to forage for themselves. If the split is in full sized equipment, insert an entrance reducer to help minimize heat loss.
10. DO NOT DISTURB. Leave the split(s) alone during the initial window of queen introduction. If the colony is opened or dis-turbed while accepting a new queen or queen cell, it may reject what was provided and the split will not be successful.
11. ChECk ACCEPTANCE. If a mated queen was introduced, check back in 8-10 days to see if she is laying eggs. If a queen cell was introduced, check back for eggs in 14-16 days.
And that’s it. Good luck!
MAKING SPLITS: STEPS TO SUCCESSSplitting existing colonies is a great way to increase colony numbers with-out having to buy nucs. Here is a quick and easy guide to a simple split.
6 ONTARIO BEE JOURNAL MAY & JUNE 2014
If you have a beekeeping question for Les, send it to [email protected]
LES ECCLES, TTP LEAD RESEARCHER, ANSwERS YOUR qUESTIONS
ASK AN EXPERT
qUESTION “I want to make sure the bees get enough protein in early spring, when there is not much else coming in. But I have a question about the amount of sugar in the pollen substitute recipe you provided. I also worry about the texture of the patty. I know if sugar absorbs moisture from the patty it can drip in between the frames over time. But what if it gets too hard? And how do I know if I need it?”
ANSWER The objective of our pollen patty project was to test a particular recipe. We based this recipe on what Dave Mendes and David Hackenberg are using because they are successful at provid-ing pollination services and keeping bees alive. That is not to say that there couldn’t be other recipes that are just as good or even better, but to understand the field realistic benefit of pollen substi-tutes we need to test them, just as we test for mite treatments.
The sugar in the recipe should not be considered a nutrient source, its purpose is to attract the bees to the patty and increase palatability. There is not enough sugar in the patty to feed a sugar deficient colony. Sugar feeding should be considered a separate activity by opening barrels or top feeding if they are short. It takes some beekeeping experience to know when feeding is necessary, particularly pollen feeding. Some years colonies need pollen supplement and other years they don’t; it all depends on the conditions of that year. For example, the spring of 2012 came very early and colonies strengthened quickly. Then the last two weeks of April got unexpectedly cold and suddenly the colonies that were in very good shape started going into starvation for both pollen and honey to sustain that early population growth. This is where feeding pollen and sugar in spring can really help. Other years, they come out of spring with good resources and if you substitute feed pollen you don’t see any benefit because they have sufficient natural resources available. The hardening of the patties usually happens if the colonies didn’t need or consume the amount given, but they eventually eat even the hardened stuff. If the colony doesn’t use it they probably didn’t need it. We put the patties we made in a Rubbermaid con-tainer or garbage bag and they only hardened when they were on the hive.
ONTARIO BEE JOURNAL MAY & JUNE 2014 7
FEATURE ARTICLE
The new seed lubricant from Bayer CropScience effectively reduced dust levels in a 2013 Ontario corn planting evaluation. Unfortunately, the seed insecticide is in the dust emitted was far more concentrated. That’s what two Ontario beekeepers said after hearing a presentation by Dr. Art Schaafsma of the University of Guelph and Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food field crop agronomist Tracey Baute. After weeks of delays, the pair released some of the details from the evaluation at the Ontario Bee Health Working Group meeting in Guelph, Ontario on December 12.
“Overall, the dust lowers what is emitted into the environment by 21%,” said Jim Coneybeare, a member of the working group. “It’s not the numbers they wanted. The dust with this new flu-ency agent has a higher neonicotinoid level than the regular dust.” Depending on the circumstances, that could create an even greater problem, Coneybeare suggested. Debra Conlon, manager of government relations for the Grain Farmers of Ontario, is more optimistic. She said the 21% reduction is a move in the right direction. Baute who was on holidays in December couldn’t be reached. Schaafsma did not respond to requests for further information.
NEw DATA qUESTIONS SEEDLUBRICANT EFFICACY
Thanks to the generosity of American Bee Journal and journalist, Jeffrey Carter, we have been able to reprint this timely and important article in its entirety for OBA members.
8 ONTARIO BEE JOURNAL MAY & JUNE 2014
The executive director of the Pollinator Partnership, Laurie Davies Adams, said the Ontario trial is part of the organization’s Corn Dust Research Consortium project. Full results from the trial, and from two others conducted in the US, are scheduled to be released in January or February. Among the many groups, organizations and businesses fund-ing the work are Bayer CropScience and Syngenta, the respective manufacturers of clothianidin and thiamethoxam, Adams said. Regardless of the new lubricant’s efficacy, Coneybeare said that the planting dust associated with clothianidin, thiamethoxam and other neonicotinoid seed treatment insecticides is just one issue. He cited comments made by Laval University researcher Valérie Fournier concerning another planting research project, this one conducted in Quebec in 2012 and 2013. According to Fournier’s speaking notes, “Pollinators risk poisoning if they are exposed through the wind current trans-porting fragments of insecticides, or by collecting contaminated nectar and pollen from exposed nearby vegetation or by collecting surface water from fields.” In January Fournier told Ontario Farmer the concentration of neonicotinoids increased in field puddles by about a 100-fold a month after planting. After checking her numbers, however, it was found that a mistake was made in the calculation. The concentra-tion in puddles at planting time and a month later were about the same, she said, but even at the lower concentration there is still a concern that bees are being negatively impacted. According to the Quebec research, both honeybees and bumblebees were impacted during study. “Extensive use of neonicotinoid-coated seeds results in increased mortality. Neonicotinoids in soil increases intoxication probability when honey bees are carrying or drinking water from the field surface,” the study concluded. CropLife Canada and the Grain Farmers of Ontario both talk about the importance of pollinating insects in their submissions to Health Canada’s Notice of Intent, Action to Protect Bees from Exposure to Neonicotinoid Pesticides.
The grain farmers said there is an agronomic advantage with the insecticides but acknowledge, “The level of loss without access to neonicotinoids has not been studied at great length in Canada.” The organization suggests yields are increased by a much as 10% in corn and 20% in soybeans. According to Baute, Ontario research conducted close to a decade ago showed average yield improvement of two to three bushels in corn. However, she said the seed treatment insecticides can be particularly effective on sand and silt-loam locations where insect pressure is high. The grain growers want Agriculture and AgriFood Canada to set up a national task force to examine all complexities facing honey-bee health. CropLife Canada said neonicotinoids shouldn’t be singled out as the only factor affecting bee health. It cited the relatively healthy bee population in Western Canada where neonicotinoids are widely used for canola. The use of neonicotinoids in Western Canada was the subject of a presentation by Christy Morrissey at the Ontario Beekeepers Association’s annual meeting in Niagara Falls, Ontario. Neonicotinoids have not been connected to honeybee losses in the west, but there is evidence the insecticides are affecting prairie pothole ecosystems. The University of Saskatchewan researcher said there appears to be impacts on both insects and the birds that feed on them. “The neonicotinoids are being used on a scale that is unprec-edented. They’re being use prophylactically to defend against pests. They’re stable in the soil – in some case for years – and they do leak into water,” she said. “The bee issue is definitely the canary in the coal mine . . . but the problem is potentially much bigger than the bees; the problem is loss of diversity, worldwide really.” Morrissey said there are two ways birds could be impacted. The first is direct toxicity – birds being exposed to an insecti-cide through direct contact. According to a report by Dr. Pierre Mineau of Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, “The amount of insecticide adhering to the average corn seed can result in acute intoxications in birds with all three registered products – imidaclo-prid, clothianidin and thiamethoxam. With imidacloprid, a single seed may prove lethal for an average-sized bird.” The second concern for birds involves an indirect relationship. If there are fewer insects because of the presence neonicotinoids, there is less food for insect-eating birds to consume, Morrissey explained. Morrissey’s study was conducted in North America’s pothole region, an area of shallow wetlands and rich agricultural soils stretching across parts of Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Montana, the Dakotas, Minnesota and Iowa.
OPPOSITE
COUNTS WERE TAkEN USING A
VARIETY OF METHODS TO ASSESS THE
IMPACT OF INTENSIVE AGRICULTURE
AND NEONICOTINOIDS ON INSECT
DIVERSITY AND ABUNDANCE ON
THE CANADIAN PRAIRIES. PHOTO
COURTESY OF CHRISTY MORRISSEY.
ONTARIO BEE JOURNAL MAY & JUNE 2014 9
There were two parts to the study. More than 100 wetlands at five different locations in Saskatchewan were tested for neonicotinoids and other chemicals. It was found neonicotinoid levels tended to spike in the summer to exceed water quality guidelines. The second part of the study involved the evaluation of bird populations at four different sites that were similar in terms of wetland area. Three of the sites were surrounded by cropland, the fourth by grassland where the insecticides had not been used. There were bird counts, feeding observations and measurements of both adults and their young. “There is a suggestion that where neonics are higher you get poorer body conditions in both the adults and nestling birds,” Morrissey said. Morrissey also talked about the toxicity of the neonicotinoids, their persistence in the soil, and the amounts being used by farmers. In 1990, neonicotinoids held less than two percent of the insecticide market share. That increased to 25% by 2008 and the number is likely even higher today. “We conservatively estimate 11 million hectares of cropland was treated with neonicotinoids in Western Canada in 2012. That’s 44% of the prairie farmland,” she said.
Research is showing the persistence of the insecticides in the soil varies depending on soil type and climate. Morrissey cited a study by Dr. Dave Goulson of the University of Stirling in the United Kingdom showing imidacloprid levels in the soil increasing fivefold over six years. Studies from Ontario, North Dakota and Saskatchewan showed neonicotinoid levels greater than 80% four to six months after seeding. The insecticides are highly toxic to insects, as much as several thousand times more toxic than DDT in some cases. With the mounting evidence of harm in Canada, the US and elsewhere, New York State beekeeper Jim Doan hopes regulators in North America will act. Doan doesn’t see much hope in his own country at this point and so is looking to Canada for leadership “We’re so hopeful. If Canada bans them, or if Ontario bans them, it will put more pressure on the Environmental Protection Agency here,” he said. Doan was featured this past summer in Time magazine and represents the American Beekeeping Federation on the National Honey Bee Advisory Committee, a group focused the impact pesticides have on honeybees. At the Niagara Falls meeting he had an opportunity to hear a representative of Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA), Mary Mitchell.
10 ONTARIO BEE JOURNAL MAY & JUNE 2014
“The conclusion was that with the suspension of neonics for corn, they were seeing an improvement in bee health.” Kozak sees a need for more international communication among the honeybee research community. He cited recent research in honeybees and bumblebees linking problems to low level expo-sure to neonicotinoids. The European Union’s two-year ban on three neonicotinoids – clothianidin, thiamethoxam and imidacloprid – went into effect on Dec. 1, 2013.
Mitchell, environmental assessment director, cited the neonicotinoid-laced dust created when corn and other are crops are seeded as a key concern, but did not discount other routes of exposure. “We are not saying that other aspects are unimportant. We’re just saying that it (the dust) is the most important,” she said. She said it is possible neonicotinoid registrations could be revoked prior to the 2017 review deadline. “Anytime we feel the science is sufficient we will take additional action...We are all questioning whether the use of neonics need to be quite as extensive as they are.” Meanwhile the PMRA, the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food and industry are emphasizing best management practices as a means to limit pollinator exposure to neonicotinoids at planting time. Doan, along with many of the beekeepers who heard Mitchell, hope the PMRA will go further than introducing additional BMPs – even if they’re to be mandatory. They’re convinced the residual levels of insecticides in the soil, water and plants are killing bees and causing other problems well past planting time. Roughly 240 bee kill incidents linked to neonicotinoids were reported in 2012, mainly in Ontario. Another 300 were reported in 2013 in Ontario, Quebec and Manitoba. This year the PMRA tested soil, water, nectar and pollen along with dead and dying bees for the presence of the pesticides. Beekeepers who’ve met with PMRA officials understand relatively high levels of the insecticides were found in all areas. Back in Western New York State, Doan fears for his future. The third-generation commercial beekeeper winters his bees in Florida and then moves them northward in stages over the course of the summer to pollinate crops. “We were working with 5,600 hives, but in seven years we’ve gone down to less than a thousand,” he said. Doan said his winter losses have approached 40%. He also lost hives over summer – a time when the bee population should be climbing. Farmers in Ontario face similar challenges and even in Western Canada high winter losses were reported last spring. Ontario government apiarist Paul Kozak has concerns with the PMRA’S focus on planting dust. He said while the imple-mentation of best management practices may help, strategies like configuring air planters to exhaust toward the centre of the field are unproven. Kozak said he attended the International Pollinator Conference at Penn State University and the Apimondia Conference in Ukraine this year. He learned about the situation in Italy where the use neonicotinoids was suspended in 2008. The number of Italian pesticide poisoning reports dropped to two in 2009 – both attributed to off-label uses – and to zero the fol-lowing year, he said. In 2008, 185 bee kill incidents were reported.
OPPOSITE
NORTH AMERICA’S UNIQUE POTHOLE
ECOSYSTEM STRETCHES FROM ALBERTA
TO MANITOBA AND INTO THE UNITED
STATES. PHOTO COURTESY OF CHRISTY
MORRISSEY.
ABOVE
A TECHNICIAN MEASURES A TREE
SWALLOW AT ONE OF THE TEST
LOCATIONS. PHOTO COURTESY OF
CHRISTY MORRISSEY.
ONTARIO BEE JOURNAL MAY & JUNE 2014 11
Symptoms of acute pesticide poisoning of honey bees may be much easier to recognize than chronic symptoms. Provincial Apiarist, Paul Kozak provides the following list of symptoms for most types of insecticides, although he cautions that some particular classes of insecticides may have distinct symptoms.Pesticide damage may take place at an individual or colony level. The impact of pesticide poisoning to a colony may be short-lived or longer lasting. Longer lasting may result from multiple pesticide applications to the same or different fields or when contaminated pollen is brought back to the colony into the food stores. SYMPTOMS OF ACUTE POISONING
IN INDIVIDUAL hONEY BEES
According to Paul, symptoms include:• Paralysis, trembling, stupefaction, disorientation
and jerky, erratic behaviours by worker bees.• Honey bees regurgitating, sometimes where many
dead and dying bees form a wet, sticky mass.• Loss of hairs: bees appear dark.• The presence of only young (fuzzy looking) bees,
indicating a major loss of older foragers.
HOw TO IDENTIFY AND REPORT SUSPECTED BEE POISONINGS
We are quickly coming up to what could be our third season of significant bee kills related to pesticide poisoning. While we are hoping that the measures grain farmers and others have put into place will have some impact, we want beekeepers in Ontario to understand the signs of poisoning and the process for reporting in the event of exposure.
ISSUES MANAGEMENT
12 ONTARIO BEE JOURNAL MAY & JUNE 2014
SYMPTOMS OF ACUTE POISONING
AT ThE COLONY LEVEL
• Excessive numbers of dying and dead bees in front of the hive, on the bottom board or on top bars. This can take place within 24 hours or days or weeks. Dead bees at the entrance may represent only 10–20% of the total number being killed as most bees are in the field.
• Sudden pronounced decrease in colony population (thousands of bees) in a previously strong colony in the middle of the spring or summer season. The colony may stop growing in population during a time of the season where they should be normally increasing.
• Brood may become chilled within 4 to 8 weeks due to insufficient worker to maintain and care for the brood.
• Dying larvae crawling of the the cells.• Sudden aggressive behaviour in the colony. queen
super secure, particularly multiple supersedures. SUBTLE EFFECTS AT ThE COLONY LEVEL
• Decrease in population, lack of colony development.• Queen health issues, such as a spotty brood pattern.• Dead larvae are dry.
We encourage all beekeepers to report even suspected chronic or acute bee poisonings as soon as possible. Please let the OBA know if you report a bee kill but PMRA is not able to respond.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Michelle Gillespie, Acting Regional Manager, Pesticide Compliance Program Tel: (519) 826-2895 Email: [email protected]: www.healthcanada.gc.ca/pmra
TOPA MAP OF CORN (RED) AND SOYBEAN (GREEN) GROWN IN
SOUTHERN ONTARIO IN 2013. ANNUAL SPACE-BASED CROP
INVENTORY FOR CANADA, 2013, EARTH OBSERVATION SERVICE,
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY BRANCH, AGRICULTURE AND
AGRI-FOOD CANADA.
BOTTOMA MAP OF ACTIVE BEEHIVES IN ONTARIO. DATA FROM MINISTRY
OF AGRICULTURE, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS WWW.OMAFRA.
GOV.ON.CA/ENGLISH/ABOUT/BEEHEALTHPRESENTATIONS/
OMAFAPIARY.HTM
Why moving your hives away from neonicotinoids isn’t as easy as it sounds:
ONTARIO BEE JOURNAL MAY & JUNE 2014 13
FEATURE
Beekeepers have found surprising new allies across Southwestern Ontario, in the form of ten Anglican parishes, who are transforming their church gardens into gardens for the bees. Funding comes from the London Community Foundation through the Julia Hunter Fund, whose mission is to support public gardens. The Project emerges from a simple idea: a church can be seen as an organized group of volunteers who control land. Many churches have a concept of stewardship of the earth, but these ten are bringing this ancient concept into today’s world to meet today’s urgent needs. A subsidy to start the garden, a chance at a financial prize to encourage excellence, and a Bee Fest celebration to wrap it up – there is the project in a nutshell. One church is laying out a garden with the paths in the shape of the diagonal St. Andrew’s cross. At another, Rogation Day (May 25) will feature the usual outdoor procession, but after each of the
Ontario’s bees (and beekeepers) thank you!
“GARDENS4BEES”
nine traditional prayers, someone will dig in a pollen-source plant. A London parish is hosting a major fundraiser to propel the project into the future and to a wider audience. Partnership support has been outstanding. The World Wildlife Fund is supplying each site with WWF-branded butterfly-weed seed for each site; a Nature Conservancy staffer is helping as judge and adviser, and Lee Valley Tools is supplying plant markers to make tours easier. There are still lots of ways for beekeepers to show support for this worthwhile effort. Speakers at events, participation at Bee Fest, gifts in kind, donations to silent auctions – or simply contact-ing your local Anglican parish anywhere from Windsor to Owen Sound to Brantford.
Contact: [email protected]: Gardens4Bees
Church-going bees, who’d have thought…BY MURRAY hUNTER
14 ONTARIO BEE JOURNAL MAY & JUNE 2014
market is open. That means you need to have enough product to sell. If not, you might consider sharing a booth with another local beekeeper.
2. SELL ONLY qUALITY PRODUCT. Customers at farmers’ markets expect to get local honey straight from the beekeeper. Make sure market shoppers know what makes your honey different and better: Varietal (blueberry, buckwheat etc.) or process (creamed, unpasteurized, raw etc.) are some ways you can make local honey a special and valued purchase.
3. SELL AT ThE BEST PRICE. We can’t tell you what price to sell your honey, but there’s no need to sell honey cheaply just because you’re selling it directly. There will always be someone who will complain about price. Just remember you are selling a quality product and how hard you and your bees work to get that 500gms of honey into a jar. However, it is legitimate to discount for quantity purchases.
4. PRESENT YOURSELF WELL. Dress up your booth and make it distinctive and welcoming. Keep your table full of product. Signage is important. Include photos of your operation. Put out signs that describe the tastes of different honey or the uses of wax products. Sampling will attract people to your booth. (Who can sample honey without buying?) Bees are of great interest to everyone these days so be prepared to talk to people about the art and state of beekeeping. Making regular customers out of strangers should be your goal. There are people who come to farmers’ markets who will never visit your honey house.
5. TAkE ADVANTAGE OF WhAT ThE OBA hAS TO OFFER.
The OBA is committed to promoting 100% Ontario Honey. We have designed a suite of tools you can use to dress up your booth and the people in it. We have 100% Ontario Honey aprons, t-shirts, ball caps, banners and cook-ing with honey brochures. Visit: www.ontariobee.com/sales-and-services/promotional-items or call the OBA office (905) 636-0662 to order or if you have any questions.
When you’re all set-up, take pictures of your booth and send them to us. We’ll publish the best in the OBJ. For more information on Ontario’s Farmers’ Markets or where to find one near you: www.farmersmarketsontario.com/index.cfm
FEATURE
Thinking of selling your honey at a farmers’ market? According to our recent OBA survey most of us sell our honey either from our farm gate/ honey house or at farmers’ markets. There are over 150 farmers’ markets in Ontario and they are booming. It’s no wonder when you consider that they offer fresh produce from farms using healthy farming practices and are a great source of food that is actu-ally good for you. Selling your honey at a farmers’ market is one way to make direct sales to many people without advertising or taking a retailer discount. You get full price for your honey and you can sell all your honey and wax products (even t-shirts). You also get to meet and talk to a bunch of people every week (we’re assuming you like people!). There are few things to consider when making the decision to sell at farmers’ markets:
1. IT’S A SEASONAL COMMITMENT. While you may only need to be there one day a week on a seasonal basis, you should be prepared to be at the market most of the weeks and times the
FARMER’S MARKETSBY DENNIS EDELL
ONTARIO BEE JOURNAL MAY & JUNE 2014 15
16 ONTARIO BEE JOURNAL MAY & JUNE 2014
ONTARIO BEE JOURNAL MAY & JUNE 2014 17
HOw I DO IT
For many Ontario beekeepers it’s generational, and for me, too, it started with my grandfather, Charles Sauriol, CM. I always include the CM as he earned the designation Companion of the Order of Canada for a lifetime of environmental conservation work. His true love, though, was beekeeping. I remember visiting my grandparents as a child. My mother would ask where my grand-father was and the answer would always be, “he’s with his ladies”. Of course you know he was at his beeyard and not out philander-ing. He had kept bees in the Don Valley since the late 1920’s. My first visit to a beeyard was his, before my father started to keep his own bees in our backyard. I have fond memories of helping my father extract honey in the basement with a two-frame extractor, pouring it right into jars. We gave it away to friends, family and business associates. With 15-20 hives on the go, the honey started to pile up. We always
had several years of honey packed away in 500g jars in a corner of the basement. But timing, as they say, is everything. My income at the time came from the printing business which was providing less and less while at the same time people wanted to buy more and more of our honey. The next thing I knew, we were selling at a local farmers’ market and then another. Demand grew so fast we had to purchase honey from a commercial beekeeper just down the road from us. When they retired we purchased their 500-colony operation. Today we sell at six different farmers’ markets in the GTA and through our retail farm gate store. We’re developing a healthy wholesale market, as well. Over the years, we have sold honey at nearly 20 different farmers’ markets, the Royal Winter Fair, Green Living Show, Home Show and countless Christmas craft and bake sales in schools and church basements.
HOw I BRAND AND MARKET MY HONEYBY ANDRE FLYS, OWNER OF PIONEER BRAND hONEY
18 ONTARIO BEE JOURNAL MAY & JUNE 2014
I recently found an old sign my grandfather had made to adver- tise his “Don Valley Gold Pure River Valley Wildflower Honey” $2 for a 500g jar or two or more for $1.50 each. It got me thinking that as the new season begins, we should all be thinking about our true costs so that we sell for true value. The last ten years or so, input costs and lower crop yields have driven prices up. It wasn’t long ago that barrel pricing for honey was well under the $1/lb mark. Now we see $2.50/lb and rising. If you sell your honey directly to the public, you know that you are selling much, much more than a commodity. We, as beekeepers, sell our love of nature, contribute to good health and educate about where food comes from. I’ve managed to fetch $11.50/kg for the last five years and recently raised our price to $12 for a 1kg jar. We started packing raw unfiltered honey at extraction time only two years ago. We now receive $15 for 1 Kg of raw honey and a 3kg pail for $35. Branding of any product is critical to its health and survival. When it came time to name our operation it was a ‘no brainer’. The brand began with my Grandfather Charles who often gave away his honey in ceramic jars to potential donors for conservation initiatives. He wrote books about beekeeping and his role in environmental protection. My grandfather had established a history of what I felt portrayed the industry well and we try to continue the same today. So Pioneer Brand Honey is what I call our family operation today. Developing a brand isn’t always about making a sale; it’s about making a customer. When we go out of our way to explain the process, answer questions and offer to educate about our products, rather than just pitch for a one-time sale, we develop customer loyalty. It’s up to you to pass along that love of what you do to your customer. That is our brand as beekeepers: we love what we do, we are what we do and we are very proud of it. So the next time someone tries to treat your product as a commodity, respect your brand. Remember there are many people willing to pay you for your valuable work, so charge what you are worth.
Developing a brand isn’t always about making a sale; it’s about making a customer. When we go out of our way to explain the process, answer questions and offer to educate about our products, rather than just pitch for a one-time sale, we develop customer loyalty.
ONTARIO BEE JOURNAL MAY & JUNE 2014 19
TIPS, TRICKS & TOOLS
If you are frustrated at trying to light your smoker with sodden matches or lighter sticks that don’t work, then this handy-dandy professional kitchen torch is just the ticket. Unlike most kitchen torches that barely crisp crème brulee and have to be refilled frequently, this torch is powerful enough to keep your smoker lit, sanitize your tools or scorch your supers. And it’s not as likely to burn down your honey house or singe your nose hairs as a full size blowtorch. You can buy this Iwatani Torch Burner Professional Model at Amazon.com for $26.40 US, but stock up on the butane fuel canisters as they can’t be bought locally.
BABY, LIGHT MY FIRE…
WORkShOP #1
INTRODUCTORY BEEkEEPING
Classroom and hands-on in the beeyard for all experience levels.
June 14: Moose CreekJune 21: Bracebridge
WORkShOP #2
INTERMEDIATE BEEkEEPING
AND INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT
Classroom and hands-on in the beeyard for those who have taken Introductory Beekeeping and have some beekeeping experience.
May 11: Ancaster May 25: Milton June 1: Port Hope June 15: Moose Creek June 22: Bracebridge
COST: $140 OBA MEMBERS
$150 NON-MEMBERS
FOR INFORMATION: (519) 836-3609
2014 OBA TECH TRANSFER wORKSHOPS
20 ONTARIO BEE JOURNAL MAY & JUNE 2014
FEATURE
With spring upon us and regulatory changes coming in on July 1st, it’s essential to remind ourselves of the importance of on-farm safety. When was the last time you considered potential risks to your employees or yourself and how you might control them? What about risks to people who may come to your farm to buy product or learn about beekeeping?
A hANDY WAY TO ThINk ABOUT RISk
Have you ever thought about risk as a mathematical equation? Consider this:
RISK = Likelihood x Impact
That means, for every safety risk on-farm you can take action in two ways: How can you reduce the likelihood of that risk happening? How can you minimize the impact if that risk did happen?
SAFETY AT ThE FARM GATE
Do customers visit your farm to learn about beekeeping? Do you sell your products at the farm-gate? Do you host school groups or families? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you have another perspective to consider in your health and safety program. It’s important to realize that farmers are often very aware of the potentially hazardous areas of the farm. However, visitors, especially those with little or no farm background, may not recognize those hazards as easily. When identifying hazards walk around your prop-erty as a visitor or young child would. Better yet, have a colleague, non-farm friend, or insurance agent walk your property with you. For other tips, read the Ministry’s fact sheet on Managing Risk on Farms Open to the Public. It can be found online at: www.oma-fra.gov.on.ca/english/busdev/facts/06-087.htm
NEW REGULATORY REqUIREMENTS FOR MANDATORY
WORkER AND SUPERVISOR AWARENESS TRAINING
As of July 1, 2014 if you have employees in Ontario, you are required to complete a basic training awareness program to introduce them to the Occupational Health and Safety Act. The program takes less than one hour to complete. It can be done through a workbook or an online learning module available through the Ministry of Labour.
hELPFUL RESOURCES
The Ministry of Labour has provided a useful online portal with resources related to farm worker safety: www.ontario.ca/farmworker-safety. Here you can find information on the Act and a number of resources that will be helpful in complying with the regulations, for example:
A Guide to the Occupational Health and Safety Act for Farming OperationsWith a special focus on agriculture, this guide outlines the rights and responsibilities of employers, supervisors, and employees under the Occupational Health and Safety Act. It outlines which farm operations are covered under the Act and provides some good remind-ers about employees’ right to refuse unsafe work and the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB).
Ontario Farm Safe Resource GuideThis practical step-by-step guide will help you make a health and safety program so that safety is part of every plan and activity on your farm and becomes part of your farm culture.
A little thought and preparation can ensure that you are not only compliant with the regulations, but provide a safe environment for your family, employees and visitors.
ON-FARM SAFETYBe aware of your obligationsJESSICA kELLY
ONTARIO BEE JOURNAL MAY & JUNE 2014 21
I spent almost two years reading about beekeeping before I got my first hives, so I gathered quite a collection during that time.
JULIE’S PICKS
wHAT’S ON MY BOOKSHELF
I also took Paul Kelly’s course at the UofG and an on-line extension course with Dewey Caron. So I’ve ended up with a range of books from textbooks to those that focus on different styles of beekeeping, to really old books, like “Honey” by Eva Crane. I even have a few on my Kindle. Some of these I read just in the winter when I am desperate for the sound and smell of the beeyard, but others I use almost daily during beekeeping season.
MY “GO-TO” BOOk
The book I would recommend most is “The Beekeeping Handbook” by Diana Sammataro. I like it because it’s clear and detailed enough for a beginner, but comprehensive and in-depth enough for someone with more experience. There are many informative charts, tables and illustrations and plenty of information on bee biology that doesn’t always get discussed in beginner beekeeping classes but is so fundamental to understanding beekeeping. This is where to go for
information on how to remedy problems with laying workers, queen-lessness and other physical issues. I actually met her once at a Eastern Apiculture Conference when it was in Vermont, and could have fol-lowed her around all day she was so knowledgeable and helpful.
MY FAVOURITE BACk-UP
I like Ross Conrad’s book “Natural Beekeeping”. He has a nice, calm way of addressing colony issues without resorting to chemicals as the first defense. Conrad understands Integrated Pest Management and makes it seems sensible and doable. But he doesn’t make a religion out of it and he will resort to treatments if necessary. As an organic beekeeper, I appreciate that. People think that organic means treatment free, but chemicals like formic acid, oxalic acid and thymol are organic and allowed under the regulations. I’m not one to rely on Darwin with my hives, I’ll do what it takes to keep them healthy and safe. The book doesn’t have much in the way of photos, but it’s a good companion to Sammataro’s book. However, don’t forget to check out OBA’s TTP offerings, their manuals are excellent and affordable. And finally, if you are a com-mercial producer or planning to scale up, CFIA has a comprehensive guide, “Honey Bee Producer Guide to the National Bee Farm-Level Biosecurity Standard”. Do yourself a favour and pick one up.
Would you like to share your bookshelf and favourite beekeeping books? [email protected]
22 ONTARIO BEE JOURNAL MAY & JUNE 2014
RECOGNITION
When Warren Munro caught his first swarm of bees in 1914, he could not have known that he was igniting a passion that would live 100 years. Nor could he have known as he built his first honey house in 1923 that this modest endeavour would blossom into one of the largest and most influential beekeeping businesses in Ontario. Despite two World Wars, the Great Depression and a major fire, the business grew and thrived. It started with Warren, then Howard and Mavis Bryans, who purchased the company from the Munros in 1958 and passed it to their sons, Davis and John in 1989. And now their children and their children’s children, the fifth generation, are involved in the business. (Although the con- tribution of the littler ones may be limited to honey tasting and bee petting so far.) From a handful of hives to the current 3,000 colonies in 100 beeyards, producing up to 500 barrels of honey, the product line has evolved to include award-winning mead – the first in the Province - and quality Buckfast queens and nucs. Munro Honey also received the Premier’s Award for Agri-Food Innovation Excellence. But business success would not sufficiently define the Bryans. The contribution the family has made to the beekeeping industry also extends through decades. From leadership as President of the Canadian Honey Council as well as the Ontario Beekeepers’ Association, Howard was also an early recipient of the Fred Rathje Award. As well, they are long-time members of the Ontario Bee Breeders Association, and now Steve Bryans, Howard’s grandson, currently sits on the OBA Board of Directors. The OBA is proud to be connected with Munro Honey and wishes them another 100 prosperous, happy years led by five more generations of beekeepers.
100 Sweet YearsMUNRO HONEY
So how does a family celebrate 100 years of sweetness? With a party, of course! And you’re invited...
JUNE 21, 2014
MUNRO hONEY OPEN hOUSE
3115 RIVER STREET, ALVINSTON
FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL (519) 847-5333
WWW.MUNROhONEY.COM
ONTARIO BEE JOURNAL MAY & JUNE 2014 23
LOCAL ASSOCIATIONS
BEEkEEPERS’ ASSOCIATION OF REGIONAL NIAGARA
St. Catharines, ON | George Dubanow, President (905) 934-4913 | [email protected] BRAMPTON BEEkEEPERS’ ASSOCIATION
Brampton, ON | Jessica Rhind, President www.bramptonbee.ca | [email protected]
CENTRAL ONTARIO BEEkEEPERS’ ASSOCIATION
Warsaw, ON | Glen McMullen, President (705) 652-3024 | [email protected]
DUFFERIN COUNTY BEEkEEPERS’ ASSOCIATION
Erin, ON | Tom Fox, President (519) 833-0714 | [email protected]
DURhAM REGION BEEkEEPERS’ ASSOCIATION
Sunderland, ON | Toni Beckmann, President (905) 852-0733 | [email protected]
EASTERN ONTARIO BEEkEEPERS’ ASSOCIATION
Metcalfe, ON | Pegi Holtz, President (613) 821-0364 | [email protected]
GOLDEN hORSEShOE BEEkEEPERS’ ASSOCIATION
Brantford, ON | Jim Henderson, President (519) 752-8766 | [email protected]
GRAND RIVER BEEkEEPERS’ ASSOCIATION
Branchton, ON | Vince Nevidon, President (519) 740-1416 | [email protected]
GREY BRUCE BEEkEEPERS’ ASSOCIATION
Toby Bruce, President (519) 794-3335 | [email protected]
hALDIMAND-NORFOLk BEEkEEPERS’ ASSOCIATION
Simcoe, ON | David Bowen, President (519) 428-5386 | [email protected]
hURON-PERTh BEEkEEPERS’ ASSOCIATION
Wingham, ON | Bill Higgins (519) 395-0248 | [email protected]
hURONIA BEEkEEPERS’ ASSOCIATION
Cookstown, ON | Peter Dickey, President (705) 458-1258 | [email protected]
LANARk COUNTY BEEkEEPERS’ ASSOCIATION
Carlton Place, ON | Paul Lacelle, President (613) 253-0566 | [email protected]
LIMESTONE BEEkEEPERS’ GUILD
Battersea, ON | Bill Lake, President (613) 353-6768 | [email protected]
MIDDLESEx, OxFORD, ELGIN BEEkEEPERS’ ASSOCIATION
Arva, ON | Bob Crowhurst, President (519) 666-1670 | [email protected]
MUSkOkA-PARRY SOUND BEEkEEPERS’ ASSOCIATION
Bracebridge, ON | Cathy Crowder, President (705) 645-6180 | [email protected]
qUINTE BEEkEEPERS’ ASSOCIATION
Stirling, ON | Liz Corbett (613) 398-8422 | [email protected]
RAINY RIVER BEEkEEPERS’ ASSOCIATION
Stratton, ON | Richard Neilson, President (807) 487-2387
SOUThWESTERN ONTARIO BEEkEEPERS’ ASSOCIATION
Chatham, ON | Mike Dodok, President (519) 351-8338 | [email protected]
SUDBURY & DISTRICT BEEkEEPERS’ ASSOCIATION
Sudbury, ON | Wayne LeBlanc, President (705) 692-5925 | [email protected]
ThUNDER BAY BEEkEEPERS’ ASSOCIATION
Chris Carolan [email protected] | [email protected]
TORONTO DISTRICT BEEkEEPERS’ ASSOCIATION
Milton, ON | Grant MacKinnon, President (905) 878-4668 | [email protected]
UNITED COUNTY BEEkEEPERS’ ASSOCIATION
Maxville, ON | Sonia Frei (613) 883-6717 | [email protected]
UPPER OTTAWA VALLEY BEEkEEPERS’ ASSOCIATION
Renfrew, ON | Murray Borer, President (613) 432-3432
URBAN TORONTO BEEkEEPERS’ ASSOCIATION
Toronto, ON | Tom Nolan (416) 575-6626 | [email protected]
WELLINGTON COUNTY BEEkEEPERS’ ASSOCIATION
Erin, ON | Brendan Carnduff, President (905) 873-7592 | [email protected]
24 ONTARIO BEE JOURNAL MAY & JUNE 2014
wELCOME NEw MEMBERS
RICk BEATTY
Beatty Honey Farm Queensvile, ON
LEO ChOLONIUk
Bowmanville, ON
ShANE GROLEAU
Kitchener, ON
ROB JOhNSON
Terra Verde Homestead Conn, ON
ROBERT kEY
Huntsville, ON
GORDON kUBANEk
Kars, ON
ShAWN MCCARTY
Chickabee Garden Farm Jerseyville, ON
MIChAEL MERRIAM
Roadapple Ranch Finch, ON
BARBARA MEYERS
Cannington, ON
ANA PAYNE
Dundas, ON
ROBERT T. STAVRAkY
London, ON
kALE WILLSON
Waterford, ON
MATT & kIM zANTINGh
Bowmanville, ON
JALIL ADhRAS
Canyon Farm Milton, ON
TERRYLYNN BRANT
Ohsweken, ON
MARk BROWN
Holstein, ON
BARTLEY BULL
Toronto, ON
JEANNINE CLOUTIER
Ottawa Honey House Ottawa, ON
SARA COOk
Bracebridge, ON
SAMANThA DAVIDSON
Perth, ON
DIANNE DAWSON
Perth, ON
ANDY DEROOS
Vineland, ON
DEBORAh DONOhUE
Almonte, ON
ANNELIESE J. FENNEMA
Oakland, ON
JIM FETTER
Fetter Farms Trenton, ON
ANDREW FORDhAM
Selwyn Township, ON
ARMAND FRASSON
Hamilton, ON
GARY GOOD
London, ON
ChERYL GRAY
Woodlawn, ON
VOLkER hOhENSEE
Espar Products Inc. Bobcayeon, ON
PETER hOLMES
Haley Station
PhILIP hOLMES
Haley Station
EVA hOTChkISS
Aylmer, ON
LISA JAMIESON
Ottawa, ON
ChRIS JOhNSTONE
Hamilton, ON
JASPER MARTIN
Terra Cotta, ON
RIChARD RIChARD
Mikhaila Honey Wallaceburg, ON
RAChEL PENNINGTON-
LITTLE
Queensville, ON
PIERRE J. ROULEAU
Kitchener, ON
ThOMAS SChRANER
Millbrook, ON
BERNARD SMITh
Kingston, ON
hELENE ST. JACqUES
Toronto, ON
RONALD ST. LOUIS
Radical Homestead Ottawa, ON
PETER STEC
Markam, ON
MARTIN VOGEL
Busy Bee Beekeeping Supplies Toledo, ON
SAMANThA WINDLE
Sunderland, ON
JOhN WRIGhT
Buckhorn, ON
ONTARIO BEE JOURNAL MAY & JUNE 2014 25
CLASSIFIEDS
qUEENS, NUCS & BEES
SzABO qUEENS
Quality Queens, Queen cells,
nucs and hives available for 2014.
Contact Tibor Szabo
T: (519)836-5617 or (519)763-2715
W: honeybees.ca
ChATSWORTh hONEY
Quality spring nucs, hives, queens
and cells. Chattyqueens speak for
themselves! Active member of
ORHBS since 1992.
T: (519) 794-3335
W: chatsworthhoney.com
qUALITY qUEENS
2014 quality queens and cells
available. Volume discount offered
for queen cells. Large orders
welcome. As royal jelly producers,
we are proficient at grafting. We
can graft thousands of larvae, one
person per day. Grafting the right
age larvae without hurting any of
them is crucial for quality queens.
Comb honey producing box
and winter wraps also available.
Contact Dao
T: (647) 236-6886
SPRING NUCS
2014 Spring Nucs – Available for
shipping/picking-up last week
of May 2014 with Italian, mite
resistant, hygienic, naturally mated
queens from California. 1-9 nucs
is $160, 10-49 $150, 50+ is $135.
Ontario Nuc box included in the
price, limited quantity left.
T: (613) 839-9990
W: forestdewapiaries.com
hIVES
Hives available mid-June 2014,
minimum order of $1,000. Single
hives for sale. $180/each. Double
Hives for sale – $250 each.
Contact Blake Hardy
T: (613) 827-2373
FOUR-FRAME NUCS
Four-frame nucs available in
May 2014. Queen cells ready
for pick-up in June and July.
Mated queens shipped June –
September. Contact Highlands
Honey, 6-Z2 Old kingston Rd.,
Portland, ON k0G 1V0.
Contact Phil Laflamme
T: (613) 272-2091
FOUR-FRAME NUCS
2014 Strong, high-quality
four-frame nucs. Queens and
queen cells available for pick up.
Contact Todd kalisz at Dancing
Bee Apiaries
T: (905) 753-2623
NUCS & qUEENS
Buckfast two-, three- & four-frame
Nucs with overwintered Queens.
Contact Reg Lumley, Sarnia
T: (519) 464-3326
hIVES, NUCS, qUEENS
500 Hives, Nucs, Queens, Queen
cells. For Sale: Eazyloader 300,
spinfloat Cooks and Beal also
available. Contact Geoff or
Gabriela at Georgian Bay Honey
T: (519) 372-2046
EqUIPMENT
BUSY BEE BEEkEEPING
Beekeeping equipment and
supplies. Beeswax and bee pollen
bought and sold.
T: (613) 275-1112
W: busybeebeekeepingsupplies.ca
DANCING BEE EqUIPMENT
Budget box sale, finger joint 100
for $8.99 each, deep one-piece
plastic frames 1,000 for $1.79
each, Wholesale pricing available
on all beekeeping supplies.
T: Sales (905) 753-2623
W: dancingbeehoney.com
hIVE ‘N hOE
Country Store – full line of
beekeeping supplies. Open 9-5, six
days a week. Contact us for more
information and to order.
T: 1 866 314-3529
PROPOLIS ETC…
Beekeeping supplies. Everything
you can imagine for the hobbyist to
the commercial beekeeper. Three
locations in Ontario to serve
you better.
Carleton Place: (613) 253-2337
Guelph: (519) 763-7291
Toronto: (416) 783-2818
W: Propolis-etc.ca
BEEkEEPING BOOkS
Old Beekeeping Books – Selling my
collection of beekeeping books,
including copy of Dzierzon Rational
Bee-keeping 1882.
WOODENWARE
Quality Woodenware available
through Cedarwood Honey. Deep
and shallow finger jointed supers
(select, commercial and budget),
frames, bee escapes, bottom
boards, inner covers, and telescopic
lids. Competitive pricing.
Contact Henry
T: (519) 338-2442
FEED & hIVE PRODUCTS
FRESh-FROzEN POLLEN
Pollen – fresh frozen, 80lbs.
Contact: Paul kelly, U of G
T: (519) 836-8897
POLLEN PATTY
“Bee Builder” pollen patty sale.
$1.39 each, minimum 100 or buy
a pallet of 2,100 patties for $1.26
each. Contact Todd
T: (905) 753-2623
W: shop.dancingbeehoney.com
WhITE CLOVER hONEY
White clover honey by the barrel.
Contact Richard Isaac
T: (519) 638-5731
C: (519) 584-5731
WANTED
hONEY SUPERS
Full size honey supers with full
drawn comb in the frames.
Contact Reg Lumley, Sarnia, ON
T: (519) 464-3326
FRESh FROzEN POLLEN
Large Quantities of Fresh Frozen
Pollen (Potential L/T Business
Opportunity) Biobest Canada
Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary
of Biobest NV, is a global leading
authority in biological pollination
and pest control. Biobest Canada
is seeking to restructure its pollen
purchase program and as such
has a number of opportunities for
suppliers of high-quality, high-
protein pollen in North America.
We prefer Canadian-sourced, fresh
frozen pollen, but will consider
freeze-dried pollen cost.
Immediately for up to 10,000
pounds of pollen from your
inventory annually for up to
30,000 pounds of pollen. Biobest
would like to develop long-term
partnerships with three to five
high-integrity beekeepers. Contact
Bernie Mantay, Plant Manager
T: (519) 322-2178
C: (519) 999-1138
26 ONTARIO BEE JOURNAL MAY & JUNE 2014
