Beekeeping has increased significantly in Ontario where many farmers are embracing modern methods of keeping bees in an effort to increase food. Honeybees are only accountable for a part of pollination of farms in Ontario; however, wild bees being the largest population of bees in Ontario are under threat because of attacks by parasites, preys and diseases. In 2016, Ontario had the largest number of beekeepers in Canada with 2,896 out of 9,859 national total or 29 percent (Mortillaro, 2016). The beekeeping industry is vibrant and flourishing. Despite the growth the industry has experienced, there are many challenges that have seen Ontario beekeepers encounter mortality rates of around 70 percent because of extreme weather conditions and use of pesticides. In 2016, Ontario undertook measures to limit the quantity of neonicotinoid pesticides that may be injurious to honeybees. These strategies forbid farmers from utilizing neonicotinoid-treated corn along with soybean seed excluding where there is a confirmed to be pest challenge (Oz, Karasu, Cakmak, Goksoy &. Turan, 2009). Currently, there around 31% of beekeepers in Ontario and this figure keep on growing because of growing significance of the industry. The goal of Ontario is to reduce use of the pesticide by around 80 percent. Companies and communities are growing their endeavors to assist pollinators past just accumulating additional beehives. The paper will investigate two major challenges and opportunities of beekeeping industry in Ontario.
Ontario’s beekeeping sector is among the most diverse with beekeepers invested heavily in honey business for a huge domestic marketplace, bee colony plus queen production, as well as sales and pollination for a vast fruit plus vegetable sector. Ontario beekeeping industry is facing opportunities and challenges. The dependence on the bee for providing pollination is becoming more and more hazardous. Non-Apis species in Ontario have become more and more popular amongst beekeepers for the proviso of money-making pollination. Thus, they are mainly more effectual pollinators, as well as less prone to mite along with viral contagion as bee. Beekeeping is a long-standing practice in Ontario and makes great contribution to the economy and environment for many years (Nerson, 2009). Ontario has the largest numbers of beekeepers in Canada where many farmers have kept bees that has brought many benefits. Ontario beekeeping industry has been faced by many challenges and few opportunities in the recent years. Poor winter weather has been a great concern for several farmers in Ontario that has affected the colonies in the province (Allsopp, de Lange, & Veldtman, 2008). Ontario Beekeepers’ Association surveyed around 900 beekeepers across the province and established that 70 percent suffered unsustainable losses and 40 percent said that the recent cold weather that extended into spring was the major reason. Ontario has the largest number of beekeepers in Canada with 2,896 of the 9,859 national total or 29 percent as shown in the pie chart below:
There is a growing market for bee products in Ontario and Canada in general that provides a chance to farmers to market their products. Currently, there is a growing domestic and international market that ensures that the bee products and honeybee will increase in the future and this is assurance to the market (Mortillaro, 2016). Honey in addition to beeswax play a leading function among the people of Ontario and there is a huge by companies that use these products to manufacture different products, such as candles. Another aspect brought by the demand for the products is via plant pollination plus protection of environment. There is growing interest by the government in Ontario to boost beekeeping since it increases efforts to increase conservation of the environment. The government have emphasized the need to increase been production because of the growing demand to conserve the environment. Beekeeping is ecologically sustainable practice, which may be incorporated with farming practices, such as production of crops, animal husbandry, as well as protection of natural resources. Hence, this could be one most significant involvement areas for sustainable development of provinces such Ontario. The inputs of beekeeping in Ontario in sustainable development plus preservation of resources have been well acknowledged and stressed by the current authorities in Ontario (Allsopp, de Lange, & Veldtman, 2008).
Therefore, this demand of the honeybees and bee products has increased the demand for these products that creates an opportunity for demand and need producers to increase the amount of these products to meet the market demands in Ontario. In addition, the growth in the cultivated farm of pollination-reliant plants, like berries, and fruits can have amplified the need for bee colonies in addition to increase the growth of both apiaries along with pollination fields. Because the sector of pollination-reliant crops exhibits no sign of decreasing , the need for pollination is anticipated to augment in addition to structural modification in beekeeping sector in Ontario will probable to carry on to increase that will create an opportunity for expanding of non-Apis honeybees as principal pollinators of Ontario’s primary plants. This will create greater demand for more beekeeping in the province (Losey & Vaughan, 2006).
Beekeeping in Ontario has the potential to expand given the local human capital that has provided the necessary knowledge and skills towards adopting the necessary technologies. For many years, beekeeping has been practices in Ontario unlike other provinces in Canada. The people of Ontario have developed indigenous knowledge that was passed through generations. The primary areas of indigenous beekeeping are hive construction from locally available materials, swarm catching; hive fumigation, honey and swarming season identification, diverse medicinal values of honey, identification of vital honey floras and identification of adulterated honey. Thus this familiarity along with pride with beekeeping may support rapid uptake amongst additional beneficiaries. In addition, beekeepers in Ontario have adopted new technologies that have been instrumental in producing high-quality products that are consumed in different markets across Ontario and Canada (Currie, Pernal, & Guzman, 2010).
With growing consciousness of pollination’s gains to community comes an augmented private, as well as public concern in the health of the bees. The worries regarding many existing risks, which are experienced by the sector in Ontario where natural pollinators in general has resulted in researchers across Ontario corporate with the agencies, non-governmental organizations, and identify and comprehend the origins of these dangers, prospective damages, as well as cost-effective consequences on the beekeeping (Mussa, 2018).
Each year, the numbers of honeybee colonies face “overwintering mortality”. Thus, in Ontario, the usual long-term overwintering mortality pace is estimated at 15 percent. Nonetheless, in the latest years, bee numbers experienced record losses with mortalities more than doubling. In the beekeeping season of 2014, there many records from beekeepers facing in-season mortality incidents, mainly in southwestern Ontario. Also, in-season mortality incidents are typified by the bunch vanishing of worker honeybees from the bee hive; dying honeybees at the entrance of the colony; the loss of the honeybee queen; along with the failure of the colony to expand (Mortillaro, 2016).
Farmers in Ontario are recording greater levels of queen loss, as well as supersedure that is the replacement of the queen by the honey bee colony. At regular, 22 percent of profit-making beekeepers in addition to 8 percent of non-commercial beekeepers recorded concerns with queen in the colonies in 2014. Thus, when studied by region, 28 percent of bee colonies in Southern Ontario were affected by queen issues that are essentially amplified when contrasted to queen concerns in other parts of Ontario (Mussa, 2018). Experts have linked to losses to harsh and unusual weather conditions; failure to detect control and managing of parasitic mites; starvation because of insufficient nectar flows and fall feeding; plus collapse of both domestic plus imported queen bees. In 2016, Ontario’s bee losses were far superior than in Quebec, in which 18.9 percent of bees died in the winter period that was attributed to extreme weather conditions (Gallai, Salles, Settele & Vaissiere, 2009).
Similar to all living organisms, honey bees are infected by diseases and attacked by parasite sand pests that endanger their life and wellbeing. The diseases of honey bees impose serious problem on the production of honey and productivity of bees since bees are vulnerable to different diseases. In Ontario diseases affects the bees and in many instances results in death of the bees endangering the existing species. First reported in the Eastern in 2006, Colony Collapse Disease (CCD) has been found to affect bees in Ontario. The novel disorder of bees has emerged to be a major risk in Ontario. The signs of the condition are typified by the fast loss of adult honeybees from hives, abandoning brood (larvae along with pupae), few little workers plus the queen. Consequently, the remaining bees are inadequate to take care of the brood, therefore the colony “collapses”. Normally, the dead bees are not located around their colonies. The disorder may be due to one or combinations of several factors, like unfavorable weather conditions, starvation, and pests along with viral diseases, pesticide deposits, worsening wellbeing plus genetic variety, as well as extreme pollination. The occurrence of pests plus predators is interfering with life of honeybees. In Ontario, different pests and predators have been reported that include ants, honey badgers, prey birds, wax moth, termites, and snakes that cause overwhelming harm to bee colonies besides products in a short time (Currie, Pernal, & Guzman, 2010).
Conclusions
The success story of the beekeeping industry in Ontario has succeeded despite some challenges, but there are numerous challenges. The industry is likely to expand in the future because of the government intervention in promoting beekeeping in Ontario. Diseases have become a major threat to the industry where during the last 3 winters about one-thirds of bee colonies in Ontario were vanished to cruel weather condition, amplified mite plus vital infestation, uneven diet, as well as augmented contact to chemicals, as well as pesticides (Mussa, 2018). Thus, the beekeeping industry in Ontario is presently facing huge changes. To better comprehend these changes, and their impacts for agriculture, trade plus surroundings, it is imperative to undertake further research that entail economics, biology besides other areas, to take place to investigate diverse elements of the sector. The 31% beekeepers in Ontario will increase in the future due to the growing significance of pollination services brought about by bees. In general, the industry should capitalize on transforming challenges into opportunities and utilize the growing demand both locally and globally for bee products.
References
Allsopp, M. H., de Lange, W. J., & Veldtman, R. (2008). Valuing insect pollination services with cost of replacement. PloS one, 3(9), e3128.
Currie, R. W., Pernal, S.F. & Guzman, N.E. (2010). Honeybee Colony Losses in Canada. Journal of Apicultural Research. 49(2): 104-106.
Gallai, N., Salles, J.M., Settele, J. & Vaissiere, B.E. (2009). Economic valuation of the vulnerability of world agriculture confronted with pollinator decline. Ecological Economics. 68(3):810-821.
Losey, J. E. & Vaughan, M. (2006). The Economic Value of Ecological Services Provided by Insects. BioSience. 56(2): 311-323.
Mortillaro, N. (2016). How the pesticide believed to be killing the bees could be affecting humans. Global News. Retrieved from https://globalnews.ca/news/2646172/how-the- pesticide-thats-killing-the-bees-could-be-affecting-humans/.
Mussa, I. (2018). Ontario beekeepers struggling after long winter. CBC. Retrieved from https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/ontario-beekeepers-struggle-long-winter- 1.4664022.
Nerson, H. (2009). Effects of pollen-load on fruit yield, seed production and germination in melons, cucumbers and squash. Journal of Horticultural Science & Biotechnology. 84(5):560-566.
Oz, M., Karasu, A., Cakmak,I., Goksoy, A.T. &. Turan, Z.M. (2009). Effects of honeybee (Apis mellifera) pollination on seed set in hybrid sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.). African Journal of Biotechnology. 8(2):1037-1043.
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