Why is this research important for Alberta ag?
Honeybees are an important and essential component of Alberta and Canada's agriculture. Since 2016, over 28% of Alberta's honeybee colonies have died each winter, threatening the sustainability of not only the beekeeping and honey industries, but also the production of fruit and seed crops pollinated by bees.
2021 was particularly challenging for beekeepers due to warm temperatures in early spring and fall and extreme heat and drought mid-summer. The extreme heat experienced during the summer can affect bees in several ways. Bees work hard to maintain optimal nest temperature and when exposed to extreme low or high temperatures, they are forced to shift tasks and allocate resources to prioritize water collection and thermoregulation as it could be the difference between life and death. Extreme heat can also affect bees by reducing their tolerance to parasitic mites as well as other pathogens, have adverse effects on their memory and learning, and potentially impact their ability to effectively detoxify pesticides.
This project aims to evaluate if extreme heat conditions affect honeybee nutrition and/or pesticide exposure by analyzing the pollen collected in 2021 (extreme heat event) and 2022.
What benefits can producers expect from this research?
This project will provide pesticide residue and pollen nutritional status information in years with different weather conditions, allow researchers to compare pesticide residues and pollen nutritional status between pollination and stationary colonies, and enable researchers to compare the amount of bee bread pesticide residues and nutritional status, year after year, and study the possible effects of seed treatment changes and weather on bee food resources.
How will these research findings reach producers on-farm?
Results will be shared with beekeepers as well as at provincial and regional meetings, and through materials and publications.
Funded in part by the Government of Canada under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, a federal-provincial-territorial initiative.