By paNOW

Saskatchewan winter weather hurts honey bee populations

May 3, 2013 | 6:13 AM

Honey bee populations have seen a fairly high mortality rate in Saskatchewan in the past five years.

Geoff Wilson, provincial specialist in apiculture — or beekeeping — said that an average of 23 percent mortality has plagued many beekeepers in the province over the term.

This year, anywhere from five to 90 percent of honey bee populations have faced mortality from reports coming into Wilson.

The extended winter weather has not helped either, according to Wilson.

“Just getting in to find out what’s going on with the bees has been a bit of a struggle (due to the snow),” said Wilson. “The second problem has been, there’s no pollen and nectar out there from the early flowers, so there’s no pollen to let the bees grow yet.”

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Wilson said that despite this rate being higher than beekeepers are comfortable with, they are still able to make a fair profit from the colonies.

“It’s recoverable, it all depends on the price of what you’re selling of course,” said Wilson “As soon as you start hitting that 30 percent mortality the profitability becomes questionable.”

On top of providing honey and beeswax to beekeepers for profit, honey bees also play a major role in the pollination of canola plants.

“Honey bees can give a 10-15 per cent boost to the canola yields,” said Wilson.

Fruiting plants and trees also require cross-pollination — where pollen is transferred from the flower of one plant to the flower of another — which can be provided by honey bees.

Wilson said there are over 120 commercial beekeepers in Saskatchewan, which is a beekeeper who has more than 100 colonies.

He said the largest commercial colonies in Saskatchewan come in just under 5,000.

jbowler@panow.com

On Twitter: @journalistjim