Province issues compensation for Ontario's beekeepers

Thursday, May 1, 2014

by SUSAN MANN

The Ontario government’s compensation for eligible beekeepers to offset losses from this year’s harsh winter and other factors is a good first step, says a beekeepers’ association spokesman.

The Ontario government announced funding today for beekeepers consisting of a one-time financial payment of $105 per hive for those with 10 or more hives and losses of more than 40 per cent to their colonies between Jan. 1 and Oct. 31. Bee colonies will likely be hit with higher than normal mortality rates this year due to the harsh winter conditions and other pollinator health issues, an Ontario agriculture ministry press release says.

Dan Davidson, president of the Ontario Beekeepers’ Association, says the funding is “not quite enough, quite yet. But it is a start and at least the government is recognizing there is a problem out there.”

Davidson says with the spring weather taking forever to kick in, it’s hard to know what the overwintering losses are this year. “I know there’s some bad areas,” he notes, adding some beekeepers have lost 80 per cent of their hives over this winter, while others are okay.

The overwintering loss for 2013 in Ontario was 37.9 per cent. The Canadian Association of Professional Apiculturists considers 15 per cent to be an acceptable level of winter loss.

The association’s request for compensation to mitigate losses from neonicotinoid use was “upwards of $500” per hive “because you lose that hive, you lose all the equipment; the equipment’s poisoned,” he says, noting that it takes a lot of money to get the hive back going again.

The beekeepers’ association has been asking for compensation to mitigate the effects of damage to bees from neonicotinoid pesticide use in field crop seeds, he says. But with the compensation program announced April 30 the government “is going out a little bit more broader and covering all losses for this season.”

Davidson says it’s hard to estimate how many beekeepers will be able to take advantage of the compensation. “I know there’s quite a few that have had high overwinter losses, which they’ll be able to get a payment for right away. There may be some who get a payment if they have a lot of summer losses. That’s the one that’s hard to predict.”

Agriculture ministry spokesman Mark Cripps says about 700 registered beekeepers representing more than 90 per cent of the hives in Ontario and the majority of pollination services offered by industry could benefit from the program.

Cripps says there isn’t a monetary cap for the program, just the per hive cap of $105.

Premier and Agriculture Minister Kathleen Wynne says in the release “we want to keep honeybee colonies strong going into the growing season while we continue working with the industry to support long-term sustainability for beekeepers and the health of all pollinators.”

The ministry’s release says the province is also exploring options to offer bee mortality insurance over the longer term. Honey production contributes $26 million to the province’s economy.

Davidson says the compensation “is good for the beekeepers that lost a lot already. Forty per cent is already a disaster, ” he says. The beekeepers wanted the threshold for triggering a payment set at a 30 per cent loss to beekeepers’ bee colonies.

The agriculture ministry’s press release says eligible beekeepers must fill out an application form and meet various criteria to access the funding. Forms will be available by May 16 and the program is being delivered by Agricorp.

Payments will be issued in two installments – one in early summer for winter losses and one in December for any additional losses. BF