Beekeepers say new N.S. funding program not enough to recoup massive hive loss

Some of Nova Scotia's beekeepers say the province's recently announced increase in financial support for the industry is a step in the right direction, but doesn't do enough to address major losses they have faced in the last year.

Last week, the Department of Agriculture said its Apiculture Sustainable Growth and Health Program will provide eligible beekeepers up to $50,000, which is up from a maximum of $27,000 in 2023.

The program focuses on beekeepers looking to expand to pollinate more commercial crops, offering $200 per additional hive for pollination, which is double last year's amount.

The president of the Nova Scotia Beekeepers Association said that right now, however, beekeepers are in recovery mode after major hive loss in the last year, some of which was due to last summer's historic flooding.

"If we didn't have that bad 2023 year, this program would look pretty good," Duncan Wetzel said. "But it doesn't address any of the losses." 

Wetzel said Nova Scotia's beekeepers normally only lose around 15 per cent of bees during the winter, but most recently that number went up to more than 30 per cent. Wetzel said he lost around 40 per cent of his hives.

"It's been pointed out to me by one of the [association] members that it's no point adding a few hives to grow if your losses are so much more significant," he added.

Wetzel said the last year was particularly hard on larger operations in the province, some of which had up to 2,500 colonies.

Through the pollination expansion portion of the program, a maximum of $30,000 in funding is available at $200 a hive — translating to 150 hives — for eligible beekeepers who had more than 500 hives used for pollination in 2023. Meanwhile, funding for the purchase of packaged bees and queen bees is capped at $7,500, which represents 30 to 38 additional hives, depending on the cost.

The association is now looking to work with the government to create a recovery program to help keepers replenish their colonies, but the overall lack of bees in the province is a challenge, Wetzel said.

"We don't want to rely on constant importation," he said. "The issue is that there's just not enough product in Nova Scotia to satisfy the need. We don't have enough hives to go into pollination. We don't have enough nucleus colonies to sell to beekeepers who want to expand. So, we're kind of in a pickle."

David Cameron, who is a co-owner of Sunny Cove Honey in Little Harbour, N.S., echoed that sentiment. He said some of the larger commercial bee operations lost more than 40 per cent of their colonies in the last year, resulting in different priorities.

"A lot of commercial beekeepers are in rebuilding mode, not in expansion mode," Cameron said. "You can't expand if your numbers are below what they were the year before."

Cameron said his company is also down hives, meaning he wasn't able to rent out as many as he usually would to operators in the blueberry business who depend on bees to pollinate their crops.

Pollination contracts are a key part of the business for beekeepers, he added, and while the funding is helpful, it's not enough to restore colonies that have been lost.

Agriculture Department worked with industry on program, minister says

Greg Morrow, the province's agriculture minister, said in an interview that his office worked with industry members to create the program. 

"Obviously, we know it was a difficult year across the entire agricultural sector. Beekeepers were no exceptions. We know they had losses during the floods and then overwintering was particularly difficult," Morrow said.

"[The program] is intended to help expand the number of hives, so it's an increase in support that way."

The province is open to feedback about the program and will continue working with the industry to improve support, he added.

Wetzel said the association is set to gather in September to discuss the state of the industry and the impacts of the program.