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Smitten by the bug: Beekeeping a labour of love for Calgary honey farmers

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Wes Lafortune

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For the Calgary Herald

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Call it the spell of the honeybees. These tiny creatures, each weighing less than a gram, have been enticing humans for thousands of years with their fanciful flights to find flowers that help them produce delectable honey. Now hundreds of Calgarians are taking up beekeeping as a hobby.

According to Samantha Muirhead, the province of Alberta’s apiculturist, there are 1,707 beekeepers in Alberta with 313 of those in Calgary.

One of them is Eliese Watson, occasionally referred to as the queen of bees. In 2010, while in her final weeks of completing a history degree, she was smitten by the honeybee bug. She applied for a grant to initiate a honeybee project through an environmental foundation and was awarded $5,000 and her life changed forever.

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“I was in my last semester and I dropped out,” she recalls. “I didn’t want to miss bee season.”

Eliese Watson opens a hive for inspection. Courtesy, ABC Bees
Eliese Watson opens a hive for inspection. Courtesy, ABC Bees Photo by Andrea Louise /jpg

Since then, her passion for all things bees hasn’t waned, with stints to study beekeeping across North America from New York City to Colorado.

“People want to have more nature around them,” she says about one of the primary motivations for hobbyist beekeepers. “They want to see life.”

She founded Apiaries and Bees for Communities (ABC Bees) where today she is a full-time mentor, instructor, and advocate working with beekeepers, corporate groups, and in 2014, appearing before the Canadian Standing Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry. There she testified on the importance of the hobbyist beekeeper and the invaluable “inside the hive” observations they provide to the field of beekeeping.

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“Everyone from retired CEOs to Hutterites are involved,” she says.

Asked if there is a common bond between what may appear a disparate group of beekeepers, Watson quickly replies, “Empathy.”

“They (beekeepers) are the type of people who are working for the next generation,” she says. “From an ultra-conservative to a hippie, they will get together and have an energized conversation about beekeeping.”

A frame of wax and bees being pulled out of a hive. Courtesy, ABC Bees
A frame of wax and bees being pulled out of a hive. Courtesy, ABC Bees jpg

Unfortunately, the hobbyist could face additional hurdles this bee season with recent reports of high mortality rates in colonies.

“It is not clear exactly what caused the high colony mortality. It is likely a combination of parasitic mites (and the viruses they vector) and weather conditions,” Shelley Hoover, a research associate at the University of Lethbridge’s department of biological sciences, said in an email interview. “We had an early spring last year which allowed mite (a virus) populations to build up to higher levels than usual before beekeepers treated in the fall, we had extremely hot conditions that affected the plants, and we are seeing some beekeepers that were not able to get the mites under control in the fall. All these led to weaker than usual colonies at the start of winter.”

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For new beekeepers in search of their first bees, or more experienced hobbyists wanting to replenish their colonies, this could present another obstacle. The importation of bees into Canada is governed by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. Queen bees are imported from a number of countries, including the U.S., while bulk bees, often referred to as “packages” are imported from a limited number of countries such as New Zealand, Australia, and Chile.

“We import packages from all three countries, but historically the largest volume has come from New Zealand,” writes Hoover. “ Package importation has been disrupted by COVID. It requires a large volume of flights to move large volumes of bees as only a few pallets of bees can be accommodated per flight, and not all planes are equipped to carry bees as cargo (they generate a lot of heat and must be cooled). So, there are fewer packages available than usual.”

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Beekeepers can also acquire bees domestically by purchasing full-sized colonies, or small colonies called ‘nucs’ or nucleus colonies. But this year, due to the widespread losses, there is high demand and low availability for domestic bees. “Hobby beekeepers looking to replace dead colonies, to increase their colony numbers, (as well as) new beekeepers will struggle to get bees, and the price will be higher than previous years,” noted Hoover.

A bee takes flight after collecting nectar in a flower bed on the grounds of Government House in Edmonton. Postmedia files
A bee takes flight after collecting nectar in a flower bed on the grounds of Government House in Edmonton. Postmedia files Larry Wong/Edmonton Journal/Post

The undaunted hobbyist must also follow some basic rules as outlined in Alberta’s Bee Act. It stipulates that all owners of bees, or used beekeeping equipment, must register annually with the provincial apiculturist by June 30. Used equipment is registered because of the concern that hives can harbour diseases and pests for extended periods of time. Beekeepers must also register for a Premises Identification (PID) number, an identifier associated with a specific location. Without a PID, beekeepers in Alberta cannot purchase antibiotics or other medicines they may require to keep their honeybees healthy.

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Specifically in Calgary, the so-called ‘birds and bees bylaw’, officially known as the Responsible Pet Ownership bylaw, went into effect on Jan. 1, 2022. It regulates urban chickens, pigeons and bees. In the coming days, it’s also expected that the City of Calgary may require all beekeepers with active hives to apply for a city-issued permit.

Bill Rayment, a local bee guru and resident of Bridgeland, mentors new beekeepers and sells his HillBilly honey through his business, Project Bee.

“I live on a hill and my name is Bill,” quips Rayment. “HillBilly Honey.”

With more than 20 years of urban beekeeping experience, he explains the basics of creating a colony for a backyard hive are quite simple: a package of bees (one kilogram of honeybees equals approximately 10,000 bees, including a queen), a beehive, protective gear, a smoker, and a scraper/pry bar.

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“It costs about $650, could be more, or it could be a little less,” says Rayment. “Shake them into the beehive and then introduce the queen.”

Rayment makes it sound straightforward, but he notes factors such as pests and disease, in addition to Calgary’s famously mercurial weather, play into the success, or failure, of the urban beekeeper. “The honeybees won’t fly with any temperature less than 10 C,” he says. “They have to stay home to keep the brood warm.”

When climatic conditions are favourable, the honeybees depart their hives, as far as three kilometres to seek out flowers for nectar and pollen. The bees use the nectar to create honey by drying the liquid gold with the breeze from their wings. “Dandelions are super important,” says Rayment. “They also like pussy willows, goldenrod and crocuses.”

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Although he’s a cheerleader for honeybees (and dandelions), Rayment says it’s important to know the commitment required before getting involved. ”Once you’re in, you might never get out,” he says, issuing a good-natured warning to those considering the hobby. “I started beekeeping as a young guy, then took a 40-year break from it and now have returned to it for more than 20 years. You’re taking part in an ancient art and craft. It’s something that’s been happening since the beginning of time in one form or another.”

Learn more

Heritage Park will be offering hive tour workshops this summer, led by expert beekeeper Eliese Watson of ABC Bees. The workshops will run on Tuesday evenings from July 12 to 23. Participants will learn about bee products, honeybees and native bees, and they will get to look inside the beehives (weather permitting). The workshops are $50 per person with a maximum of 22 participants per week.

For more information, go to heritagepark.ca

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