Hobbyist beekeeping in Nova Scotia surges 73% since 2012

Cory Cauvier's most peaceful days begin with a cup of coffee and at least 20 minutes of quiet bee observation.

"It's kind of like a form of meditation," said the 36-year-old Cole Harbour man.

Cauvier is an electronic engineering technologist by day. Outside the nine to five, he and his three kids raise bee colonies to produce and sell their own honey.

Cauvier is a registered hobbyist beekeeper in Nova Scotia. He is part of a quickly growing cohort in Nova Scotia that numbered 365 last year, according to the Department of Agriculture, a steady climb from the 211 registered in 2012.

Hobbyists are those who keep 50 hives or less, and represent the majority of the province's beekeeping population.  

New crowd

Perry Brandt, a Wolfville beekeeper, says the province's apiarist meetings have never been so bustling. And, he says, the crowd is getting noticeably younger.

"I'm 57, and I remember when I first started going to the association meetings here in Nova Scotia, I was the young guy," he said.

"But there are a lot more young people going into more natural ways of beekeeping."

Brandt says the influx of new hobbyists could be a reaction to the recent media attention paid to concerns about bee health. 

'They're in trouble'

"Bees are in the news. They're in trouble and I think most of the world recognizes that," said Brandt. "I think everybody is trying to do their bit."

The province is also taking note. In the past year, it decided to include hobbyist beekeepers in a subsidy program aimed at boosting pollination by increasing the number of hives being operated. 

The same program also subsidizes the importation of international bees to the province. However, beekeepers who solely produce honey are not eligible.

'It just spiraled from there'

Cauvier's choice to raise bees started with a desire to join the "go local" trend. He wanted to show his kids the connection between nature and the fresh products on their table.

With a full-time job, he decided raising large animals or crops wasn't for him. Bees seemed like the most low maintenance option because they require no more than an hour of care a week.

Once he set his sights on beekeeping, Cauvier spent years calling and visiting local beekeepers, watching videos and reading books about making honey.

"It just spiraled from there," he said. "I had my mind open. Bees just seemed to gravitate toward me and me toward them."

It took three years of research before Cauvier and his kids acquired hives of their own. Now, he says everyone has a job: 10-year-old Liam does daily checks, seven-year-old Madalind focuses on honey marketing and labels, while three-year-old Livia just likes to eat the sugar-water crystals fed to bees.

Befriend your local beekeeper

Cauvier says most hobbyist beekeepers market their honey through word of mouth because they don't produce or sell enough to have a table at a market.

This month, Cauvier launched Beekeeper Connection, a website to connect beekeepers to each other and to their communities. The site allows visitors to enter their postal codes and find the closest beekeepers to them.

He said there are about 50 beekeepers using the site now, and he hopes Nova Scotians will be surprised by just how common they are in the province.

Brandt said getting to know your local beekeeper is the best way to make responsible, healthy purchasing choices.

"I've always said, 'Find the beekeeper closest to where you live, and his honey is going to be the best for you.'"