Honey Bee Disease Control

Honey Bee Disease and Pest Information

Ontario Honey Bee Breeding Program

Infiormation regarding the Ontario Mite and Disease Resistant Honey Bee Breeding Program.

Beekeeping Workshops And Courses

Workshops are available every spring.

Ontario Beekeepers' Association, Technology Transfer Program

�

The Ontario Beekeepers’ Association (OBA), Technology Transfer Program (TTP) was established in the early 1990’s by Dr. Medhat Nasr. The mandate of the TTP is to conduct research for Ontario’s beekeeping industry, to facilitate a honey bee breeding program in Ontario and to transfer information, skills and methodologies to the beekeepers.

The OBA Tech-Transfer Program is unique because it operates directly for the beekeepers of Ontario, focusing on issues which are of importance to them. Base funding is received from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. The beekeepers also donate funds for research, however; additional funding is sought from agencies such as the Agricultural Adaptation Council. The focus is Integrated Pest Management. A large component of this is the breeding program. Tech-Transfer works individually with the bee breeders to assist them with their stock selection. They also test a variety of treatments for the control of varroa mites. The goal is to be pro-active and to limit the number of treatments that must be applied to the bee hive each year.

The current TTP research crew, Les Eccles, Janet Tam, Melanie Kempers, Alex Maranduik and Devan Rawn, are based in Guelph. Collaborators include the Provincial Apiarist, the University of Guelph and co-operating beekeepers.

Educational, hands-on workshops are held every year regarding introductory beekeeping, integrated pest management in beekeeping and introductory queen rearing.

The results of the work conducted by the OBA TTP is presented at the annual OBA meetings, to local beekeepers associations within Ontario, to other beekeeper associations in Canada and the US, and to school and community groups with an interest in honey bees.

Current Events

2011-07-05 TTP SECURES 244,000 FOR RESEARCH - FUNDING ANNOUNCED AT ANNUAL AAC SUMMER MEETING

The Government of Canada is helping the beekeeping industry develop new strategies to respond to a decline in honey bee colony populations. Member of Parliament Patricia Davidson (Sarnia-Lambton) announced today on behalf of Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz an investment of more than $244,000 to the Ontario Beekeepers' Association.

See Full Article - Click Here

2010-10-18 SMALL HIVE BEETLE

The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) has positively identified small hive beetle (SHB) in locations in Essex County. This is the first time this pest has been found in Ontario. Surveillance activities continue. To date, no SHB has been found outside Essex County.

OMAFRA staff are expanding surveillance activities in border areas, including Lambton and Kent Counties, as well as in the Niagara and Cornwall areas. Bee inspectors have received additional training in SHB recognition and biosecurity measures.

For further information regarding the small hive beetle, click here.