The fears of Quebec beekeepers have been confirmed. To help them cope with the shock of a mortality rate three times higher than usual, they are seeking emergency help from federal and provincial governments.
Members of the Beekeepers and Beekeepers of Quebec (AADQ) recorded, on average, 60% dying from their hives, the association revealed at a press conference on Wednesday.
Over the past five years, this rate has reached approximately 21% in the province.
The long summer of 2021 has created the right conditions for the spread of varroa, a parasite that attacks bees. AADQ president Raphaël Vacher described the situation of history and of dangerous.
Under these conditions, Mr. calls. Vacher for joint federal and provincial assistance of $ 12 million to help beekeepers, most of whom have lost more than half of their bees.
Think of the disastrous consequences to its liquidity. The business is losing revenue, but it has the same costs. Without government intervention, these businesses are certainly in danger of disappearing.
Government support will allow companies to re-stock their hives to look forward to at some point more normal in 2023, he argues.
It is not possible to get an immediate reaction from federal and provincial agriculture ministers.
Not heard of in 20 years
In an interview with RDI, Pierre Giovenazzo, associate professor and holder of the Leadership Chair in Bee Science Education at Laval University, recalled that Quebec beekeepers have not experienced such a high mortality rate of their hives since 2002- 2003, when the loss rate was 50%.
If Mr. Giovenazzo indicated that the same parasite was responsible for this murder, we are still looking for the exact reason. In fact, annual treatment of hives against varroa may have been less effective last winter.
More curious of all this is common, Canada’s losses, always one province suffers huge losses, but this year, it’s a few provinces.added the professor, pointing out that Ontario, Alberta and Manitoba were also affected by significant mortality this year.
And in addition to making honey, bees also help pollinate fields to promote the cultivation of products that are widespread and widely used in Quebec, such as blueberries, apples, cranberries, or even cucumber. With fewer hives at their disposal, beekeepers are less helpful to farmers.
If beekeepers can recover from normal mortality of 20-25% losses by splitting hives and importing queens, Giovenazzo stressed that these new colonies will not be able to produce honey before the one year, i.e., from 2023 only.
This step is only part of the solution to the problem of colony mortality, the professor acknowledged.
Source: Radio-Canada
