Insurance may cover hive beetle damage

Thursday, May 12, 2011

by PAT CURRIE

Agricorp, the Ontario government agency that provides crop insurance, has announced that Ontario honey producers with production insurance or AgriStability coverage who have been affected by small hive beetle infestations (and associated quarantines) may be eligible for a claim or benefit.

Production insurance customers with pest infestation damage should contact Agricorp as soon as it occurs, the agency said. Applications are due by June 30, 2011, and producers can contact Agricorp to request priority processing of their files.

A native of sub-Saharan Africa, the small hive beetle larvae tunnel through honeycombs, spoiling honey with their excrement. The pest has spread to the United States (where it was first identified in 1998 and to Australia in 2002. It has been found in Alberta, Quebec and Manitoba and was found in Ontario in 2010. According to a fact sheet from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, it is not known whether the pest will establish a resident population in the province.

All infested apiaries are located in Essex County, close to the border with Michigan. A quarantine zone has been established by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. The quarantine prohibits the movement of honey bees out of the area to protect bees in other parts of the province from becoming infested.

The only registered treatment for small hive beetle in Canada is through the use of CheckMite+, a trademarked pesticide that is toxic to humans and bees, requires care in its use and may not completely eliminate an infestation, Agriculture Canada has warned. BF