The Alberta bee industry has grown over the years – at least if you’re counting bees and weighing honey. If you’re counting beekeepers, it’s a different story. The trend to consolidation is even more dramatic than other sectors of agriculture, according to figures from provincial apiculturist Medhat Nasr.
In 1945, there were about 11,000 beekeepers in Alberta, but he number started dropping in the 1950s and continued in the following decades. By 1990, there were about 750 beekeepers left in the province.
“According to registrations right now, we have about 450 beekeepers that own live bees,” said Nasr. Those remaining beekeepers may own anywhere from one hive to 14,000 hives, he said.
Read Also
Farming Smarter receives financial boost from Alberta government for potato research
Farming Smarter near Lethbridge got a boost to its research equipment, thanks to the Alberta government’s increase in funding for research associations.
There are currently about 200 other beekeepers in the province with equipment, but without bees.
The number of hives began at about 5,000 and increased over the years. By 2005, there were about 255,000 hives in the province. Around 1987, the number of hives decreased when the border was closed and varroa and tracheal mites became a big problem. Over the last three years, the number of hives in the province has also decreased due to varroa mites and the disease nosema ceranae.
Nasr notes that in the past Alberta followed the general Canadian trends. However, the number of hives is now increasing in Alberta while numbers are decreasing in other provinces.
In 1980, the largest concentration of beekeepers and hives were found around Edmonton, Barrhead and Westlock. The Peace River region was the second-most concentrated, followed by southern Alberta. The number of hives and beekeepers has always been low in the central region, said Nasr.
However, in 2009, southern Alberta had the largest concentration with 94 beekeepers and 64,891 hives. The northwest area around Edmonton is home to 220 beekeepers who maintain 26,501 hives while the Peace region remains the highest-producing region with 90 beekeepers who maintain 64,000 hives. Central Alberta has a growing number of beekeepers with 18,000 hives.
Over the last 20 years, beekeepers have averaged about 140 pounds of honey per hive. Southern Alberta has the lowest production, around 100 pounds, due to the pollination activities in this region. The Peace river region averages the highest honey production, with about 165 pounds of honey per hive.
