By Dori Modney

Honey of a deal for Alberta Beekeepers

Nov 9, 2020 | 2:56 PM

EDMONTON, AB. — They’re a group of workers who play a critical role in the success of many agricultural crops. For that reason, the Federal and Alberta government have stepped up to ensure they get the support they need.

The two governments are expanding and extending the Alberta Beekeeper Stock Replacement Program, to provide even more support to provincial beekeepers.

The Canadian Agricultural Partnership program is accepting applications to help Alberta’s beekeepers offset increased colony replacement costs, by ensuring any queens purchased between April 1 and Sept. 30 will be eligible for funding, and by extending the submission deadline to Jan. 29, 2021.

Announced in June, the the Alberta Beekeepers Stock Replacement Program includes up to $1 million to help beekeepers offset the increased costs of colony replacements due to COVID-19. The amended program will retroactively support a 30 per cent cost-share basis to a maximum of $15 per queen.

Last winter, many of the province’s beekeepers saw substantial winter losses in their colonies, forcing them to split their colonies and introduce new queens. These amendments will help them with the costs of purchasing those new queens.

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Alberta is the largest producer of honey in Canada, producing about 18.6 million kilograms of honey annually contributing and $7 million to the economy.

The extended program will help ensure provincial beekeepers are able to mitigate the impacts of a difficult year and the barriers created by the COVID-19 pandemic, which made importing affordable hive replacements from traditional sources like New Zealand and Australia more difficult.