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Federal government investing in bees

June 29, 2011  By Fruit & Vegetable


beesJune 29, 2011, Sarnia,
Ont – The Government of Canada is helping the beekeeping industry develop new
strategies to respond to a decline in honey bee colony populations with an
investment of more than $244,000 to the Ontario Beekeepers’ Association (OBA).

June 29, 2011, Sarnia,
Ont – The Government of Canada is helping the beekeeping industry develop new
strategies to respond to a decline in honey bee colony populations with an
investment of more than $244,000 to the Ontario Beekeepers’ Association (OBA).

The project aims to help
beekeepers secure sustainable honey harvests and provide essential pollination
services to the fruit and vegetable industry.

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“The partnership formed
between the Agriculture Adaptation Council and Ontario Beekeepers Association will ensure beekeepers are
able to manage genetics, pests and nutrition according to their business
objectives,” said Les Eccles, OBA tech transfer program lead specialist.
“Providing management strategies specific to the beekeepers goals will give
more sustainable and consistent results.”

Over the past four
years, beekeepers in Ontario have been losing high numbers of honey bee
colonies due to disease, pest resistance to treatment methods, and increased
demand on honey bee colonies to provide pollination services.

Led by the universities
of Guelph and Manitoba, the program will develop a breeding program that will
result in honey bees that have the ability to resist pests and diseases. It
will also screen new products for pest and disease control and develop best
management practices relating to pollination colonies. Beekeepers in the
province of Ontario have identified these issues as priorities for the
industry.

Ultimately, the project
will provide beekeepers with the ability to have better control of colony
genetics and health in order to have consistent honey production and
pollination services.


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