Bees & Bee-keeping

Bee pollinator decline of all species of bees is real and needs attention.
This information pathfinder is for beekeepers, farmers, growers and the general public, providing good information on beekeeping of the familiar European hive bee as well as our 400 species of native bees in BC. Special effort was made to assemble links for organic honey bee beekeepers. Since colony collapse disorder and disease threatens the existence of hive bees, pathways to information on the nature and management of our native bees is also provided. Web sites for commercial bee businesses have not been included. Many of these have good information as well. Please send suggestions for improvement.

Be notified of updates to this page

Bee news:

CBC video documentary: To Bee or Not To Bee, on The Nature of Things, with David Suzuki
The sudden and drastic disappearance of bee colonies around the world has scientists scrambling to find a cause - and an antidote. Watch online. To Bee or Not to Bee web site.

Introduction
Beekeeping for Beginners (Government of Alberta)
Beekeeping in BC
Apiculture - Bees and Pollinators (BC Ministry of Agriculture and Lands)
Note: All hive locations need to be registered with the BC provincial apiarist
Terminology
Beekeepers Glossary (The Beekeeper's Home Pages)
Beekeeping Glossary (Apiservices)
Where to get honey bees
BC Bee Breeders Association
BC Honey Producers Association
Beehive and bee-keeping equipment
Bee Keeping Equipment You Must Have (EzineArticles)
Hives - what to look for (Government of Alberta)
Build It Yourself (Beesource)
Drawings of Hives and Hive Parts (Dave Cushman)
How to Keep Bees
Bee-keeping and bee breeding (Dave Cushman)
Beekeeping (Beesource)
Beekeeping (Wikipedia)
One Stop Learning Center for All Hobbyist Beekeepers (Beemaster)
Beekeeping (Bad Beekeeping)
Scientific Beekeeping (Randy Oliver) One of the best, up-to-date reviews of important topics in beekeeping today.
Pollinator toolkit for organic farmers (Xerces)
Organic farming offers many benefits to pollinators but some common organic-approved pesticides and practices can be potentially just as harmful to bees and other pollinators as conventional farming systems. The Xerces Society has developed Organic Farming for Bees (PDF/3.6M), a tool kit for organic growers that includes guidance on how to minimize disturbance to pollinators from farm activities, and on how to provide nest sites and foraging patches. In particular, two fact sheets provide information on toxicity to native pollinators for all major organic-approved insecticides and about pollinator-friendly organic farming practices.
Visual Aids
YouTube videos
Examples:

Beekeeping / Honey Industry Periodicals
American Bee Journal
Bee Culture
Canadian Honey Council
Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD)
Important: Symptoms for CCD observed in the USA have not be common in Canada where hive decline has mostly been attributed to disease pressure especially via Varroa mites
Colony Collapse Disorder (Wikipedia)
Scientists Untangle Multiple Causes of Bee Colony Disorder (Environment News Service)

Click to see very large image of varroa
on honeybee host

VARROA MITE. Varroa Mite Management Precaution - Use an integrated approach. Keep up-to-date on this topic. Varroa mites infest most hives in BC. Reducing and maintaining varroa mite populations in hives to very low levels is required for colony function. Failure to do so, especially prior to winter, will lead to hive collapse. Make sure your methods work.
Varroa destructor (Wikipedia)
Varroa Mite Detection Methods (BC Min.of Ag)
Varroa Mite Controls (BC Min.of Ag)
Drone Brood Removal for the Management of Varroa destructor (Cornell)
Powdered sugar dusting in bee colonies as varroa control (Khalil Hamdan, PDF)
Recent IBRA study Found no significant control with powdered sugar. (IBRA)
IPM steps to control varroa mites the organic way (Tribe)
Bee Pollinator Decline / Bee Biodiversity Conservation
Status of Pollinators in North America and Recommendations. 2007
A landmark publication. Soon after its publication, the North American Pollinator Protection Campaign was started. Canada followed with Canada's Pollinator Protection Initiative (CANPOLIN) to inventory and protect bee pollinators. Bee decline is real and merits immediate attention. Canada has the biggest, most elaborate bee bar-coding project in the world, housed at University of York, Toronto headed by Dr. Laurence Packer. Check for updates on the above-mentioned websites.
Bee conservation research
Pollinating Insects The famous non honey bee lab in Utah. Keep an eye on this one because they have tons of information on using native bees for commercial pollination of crops and decades of experience doing this kind research. We have over 400 species of bumble bees and solitary native bees in BC to care for.
XERCES SOCIETY. Excellent publications for gardeners, farmers and landscape managers to easily, conveniently and economically feed and provide habitat for bees better at very little cost and attract more pest control insects as well.
Pollinator Conservation (Xerces)
Pollinator Conservation Guidelines (Xerces)
Revision Resources for a BC Pollinator-Friendly Environmental Farm Plan (Xerces, PDF)

Much of the material on this page has been put together by:

Ted Leischer B.Sc.,CANPOLIN Corresponding Member and Bee Pollinator Conservation Outreach Volunteer, lives in Cawston, BC and can be reached at 250-499-9471 or E-mail: bctedl1 (at) nethop.net
Ted has kept bees for 30 years, including ten as a commercial beekeeper operating 500 hives and raising his own queen bees; and taught beekeeping at an agricultural college in Alberta for 15 years. Observing the importance of bees to the economy of southern BC, and noting the serious nature of bee decline, he has engaged in volunteer bee pollinator conservation outreach, working with CANPOLIN researchers. His conservation activities are guided by extensive reading and investigation. He actively networks with the CANPOLIN team and maintains a bee-collecting site for the CANPOLIN bee bar-coding project. He also speaks to garden clubs and community groups to get the bee pollinator decline story out and convey what can be done to save our 400 plus native bee species in BC - main pollinators of our food crops.

Elsewhere on this site
Pertinent Federal (Canadian) & Provincial (BC) Regulations
Organic Dairy Farming in Canada
Farm Equipment
Marketing Your Product
Organic Prices (fruit and vegetables)
Small Scale Food Processing
Pest Management
Soil (Canada, USA) and Water (BC, Alberta) Testing Labs & Services