BC beekeepers have made a beeline for online meetings as COVID-19 has limited the size of public gatherings. At the provincial level, the semi-annual meeting of the BC Honey Producers Association in March took place via videoconference while its semi-annual education day was cancelled. Its monthly business meetings have since taken place via videoconference. The …
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Agri-Innovation projects announced
Bees and cranberries are the latest recipients of funding under the Canada-BC Agri-Innovation Program, administered by the Investment Agriculture Foundation of BC. Worker Bee Honey Co. of Chilliwack received the largest portion of funding, $170,320, to support development of an automated honey extraction system. It will reduce labour costs for honey producers and improve data …
Honey producers honour industry leaders
by TOM WALKER PRINCE GEORGE — The BC Honey Producers Association presented two lifetime achievement awards at its annual general meeting and conference in Prince George on October 4-6. Lance Cuthill was honoured for his work in educating beekeepers. “Lance’s volunteer work benefits all beekeepers across the province,” said BCHPA president Kerry Clark as he …
Bee initiatives in focus
This fall’s Apimondia conference in Montreal put the spotlight on some of the innovative bee research taking place in BC. During the research update at the recent BC Honey Producers Association meeting in Prince George, BCHPA president Kerry Clark acknowledged the BC Ministry of Agriculture’s support for two BC’s participation in Apimondia as well as …
Better beekeeping, verified
BC bees won’t be resting on their laurels later this month as BC beekeepers head to Montreal for the international convention of apiarists, Apimondia. Vancouver hosted the event in 1999, and a healthy contingent of beekeepers will be heading east for this year’s conference. Meanwhile, their bees will continue produce honey, something they’ve been happily …
Asian hornet identified
BC beekeepers could be facing a new threat with the positive identification of a hornet native to Asia in Vancouver. A female black-tailed hornet (Vespa ducalis) was caught in Vancouver on May 10. Researchers at UBC and Japan’s Hokkaido University Museum and Ibaraki University confirmed its identity this week. Wasps are known to devastate colonies, …