Saskatchewan beekeepers reporting bee population slump

There’s a buzz in the air as beekeepers in Saskatchewan and across the country are hard at work with honey bee season underway.

However, there is concern among the beekeeping community as some operators have been reporting higher mortality rates in honey bees in the province.

One Saskatchewan company that recorded a higher than normal mortality rate is Hamilton Apiaries located just north of Regina.

Andrew Hamilton, the owner and operator of Hamilton Apiaries, said 2021 was a good year for many beekeepers in Saskatchewan after the previous winter provided a good start to the season.

However, the situation is not looking as positive this year.

“This year, there are some good ones, a lot in the middle of the road and some bad ones,” admitted Hamilton.

Hamilton shared that 18 per cent of his honey bee colonies died this past winter. He’s used to lower losses at his farm, but he said he will take the loss given the stories he has heard from others in the industry.

“I know a few beekeepers that lost everything and a lot that lost 50 per cent, so I’m more than happy with this,” he noted. “We had one yard that took a bad loss of 60 per cent, but we had a lot of really good yards, too.”

So what caused more bee colonies to die this year compared to last year? A cool spring, especially cold spells in April, is what Hamilton considers the biggest reason behind honey bee losses. He said the bees were not able to get going as early as they normally do.

“People were looking at their hives at the start of April and thought, ‘Okay, I’ve got 10 hives.’ But at the end of April, they only had five.