Nova Scotia beekeepers group alarmed over proposal to import bees from Ontario

An application toshipbeesfrom Ontario a province knownto have a widespread infection of small hive beetles has been submitted tothe Nova Scotia Department of Agriculture.

The Nova Scotia Beekeepers Association says that if theimport permit is approved, about 500 rented hives could cross Nova Scotia's border in May and leave at the end of the summer.

The association says thebeeswould be headed for wild blueberry fields in Nova Scotia to aid pollination of those crops.

Difficult to remove beetles

The group is concerned that the shipment could infectNova Scotian hives with small hive beetles. Small hive beetles don't hurt thebeesthemselves, but rather ferment and ruin the honey with their excrement.

"The risk is, the beetle lives in the cluster and even through an inspection process it's very difficult to ensure that we can find all of these beetles," saidassociation president and beekeeper Lauren Park.

"If they were to become established in Nova Scotia there's a chance we would never be able to get rid of them."

Province: inspection is robust

"We have a very robust, rigid protocolaround inspection of hives before they come in to Nova Scotia," said Frank Dunn, deputy minister for the Nova Scotia Department of Agriculture.

Dunn saidthe province willsendabeespecialist to Ontario to ensure that the hives are safe and beetle-free before they come to Nova Scotia.

Park said the beekeepers association has been lobbying the province for more than six months to not allow this importation.

Last year, the agriculture department said the only hives that could be imported mustbebeetle-free for two yearsand would not be stored with uninspected hives before heading east to pollinate blueberry fields in Cumberland County.

Dunnwouldn'tsay which individual or company filed the import application with his department.

Neededto pollinate blueberry fields

The beekeeping association saidabout 24,000 NovaScotianhives were rented for use on blueberry fields last year and projects this year that number will significantly lower.

Park thinks the number of imported hives will be insignificant to growers while creating unnecessary risk to local beekeepers.

"This importation is completely unnecessary and would put the entire beekeeping sector at risk of small hive beetle infestation," the beekeeping association saidin a news release.

Hive shortages

The beekeepers associationadmits there has been a shortage in the numbers of hives in Nova Scotia in the past.

"As beekeepers we understand the blueberry growers need to pollinate those fields," saidPark.

Park saidthe drop in the price of blueberries means the industry could scale back, meaning local beekeepers could potentially meet growers demand without having to importbees.

"With that dropped demand, without question, we do have enoughbeesin Nova Scotia to pollinate the blueberry fields," Park said.

Increasing N.S. hives

The beekeeping associationsaidthere has been significant investment in upping the numbers of Nova Scotian hives with the hopes of making up for last year's shortfall.

Park saidthe government-initiated pollination expansion programinvested $900,000 over the last fiveyears, with the goal of increasing the number of Nova Scotiabeehives.

Contradictory rules?

Park saidthere is a different set of rules for beekeepers when it comes to importingbeesor products from Ontario.

"If I wanted to purchase any hive equipment, even without anybeeswhatsoever, that is not allowed because of the risk of beetles, but it's somehow still allowed for blueberry growers to import these hives for pollination season," saidPark

"It seems a little bit contradictory."