Agriculture committee  I think the levels of the infestations are very similar. I think one of the concerns that was stated in the 2014 risk assessment was on the Apivar-resistant forms of varroa that were in the U.S. but were not in Canada at that time, so I think Mr. Hamilton is right: It is probably

Agriculture committee  Yes, absolutely, both are needed. Domestic production should be ramped up, and it has its place. Although in years like 2022, when there were widespread bee losses across the country, in most years or more commonly we'll have one area of the country that has a higher loss than no

Agriculture committee  We are acknowledging accepting packages from Ukraine.

Agriculture committee  Yes, we need to restore the numbers across the country for various reasons. Pollination of fruit crops across the country is a huge issue. Without being a researcher, I believe part of what's happening right now is probably varroa control. Again, I'm not a researcher and I don'

Agriculture committee  Yes, there probably are ways to do that, although I'm unaware of any government incentives that are available at this time that would cause that to happen.

Agriculture committee  Yes, it probably was a perfect storm of problems. We are starting to see the end of Apivar as a useful product. In 2021, there was an early spring and a late fall, which gave a couple of extra growth cycles for the varroa mites to grow in. Possibly Mr. Hamilton might have some

Agriculture committee  It is, very much so, yes.

Agriculture committee  I'm familiar with them, but they're not part of our sector.

Agriculture committee  Again, we're dealing only with honeybees in this case. I'm not very familiar with leafcutter bees.

Agriculture committee  Typically, out in the Prairies, we haven't been seeding other crops to offset the flowering season. However, rather than having government agencies spraying the roadside ditches, we would like to encourage them to use a seed mix that has some type of flowering plants in it rather

Agriculture committee  It really wouldn't be good. It would be a disaster. Those bees would suffer.

Agriculture committee  It is a tough subject to really put a gauge on, because the weather patterns do change over time and there's an ebb and flow there. Part of what we're doing with bees in keeping them alive in Canada is that we're pushing them to the absolute limit in trying to keep them alive ov

Agriculture committee  Yes. There is domestic production of queen bees in Canada, but there are also a large number of imported queen bees as well. One of the big problems in domestic production of queen bees is timing. Most beekeepers want queen bees earlier than we can produce them in the same year

Agriculture committee  Yes, monoculture is a factor that we're concerned about, although in my operation we thrive on the monoculture that happens in the Prairies with the canola crop. That's what I make my living on. I make honey from canola. Ninety-five per cent of my honey crop is from canola. Howe

Agriculture committee  There are a couple of different institutions that do offer beekeeping training, although there is no national-based beekeeping course that could be offered. That could also be part of the solution, but the bigger thing here would be more access. As my colleague Mr. Hamilton was r