Thanks for visiting our booth at Apimondia 2019. Looking for more information about BC and Beekeeping in BC? You’ve landed at the right place!
British Columbia (BC) is the westernmost province in Canada. With just under 5 million people, we are Canada’s 3rd most populous province as well as 3rd largest, with a total area of 944,735 sq. kms. BC is larger than the UK and Ireland combined, 2 1⁄2 times bigger than Japan and with the exception of Alaska, it is larger than every US State. The majority of British Columbians live in the Lower Mainland around Vancouver, on Vancouver Island, home of the capital city Victoria, or along the southern border, the 49th parallel.
British Columbia is a diverse province, both in geography and climate. We have more mountains than any other province in Canada. We are famous for natural beauty and the breathtaking scenery of the Canadian Rockies, Columbia Mountains and Coastal Mountains. Our highest is Mount Waddington in the coastal range which reaches 4016 metres. These immense mountain ranges cause huge fluctuations in our weather. Temperate rainforest covers most of the coastal regions and is considered to be Canada’s wettest area. Prince Rupert, on the coast, is the cloudiest city with only 1229 hours of sunshine per year and a whopping 2594 mm of rain! Compare that to Cranbrook, in the SE of the province, with 2205 hours of sunshine! Victoria, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, is the most temperate major city in Canada and can often go an entire winter without sub-zero temperatures. Our northernmost towns and cities have several months of below-freezing temperatures during the winter months but get extra hours of daylight during summer months. The Fraser Valley, in the SW corner of BC, is flat, fertile farmland. A third of BC is alpine tundra, icefield or glaciers. The south-central part of our province is lush orchard and vineyard country known for its world-class wine industry. The NE corner of BC, east of the Rockies, has large fields with prairie crops like canola.
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Beekeeping in British Columbia
BC’s diverse geography and climate offer some excellent opportunities for honey bees and honey production. The coastal areas and Fraser Valley have a mild climate and an extended season for beekeepers. The area is also home to a wide range of berry crops that require honey bee pollination such as blueberries, cranberries and raspberries. Bees in many areas benefit from large areas of fireweed, especially on Vancouver Island. The southern interior areas have a drier climate with vineyards and fruit orchards offering forage for many honey bee colonies. The central and northern areas have shorter but intense growing periods with ample forage for productive apiaries (weight gains up to 10 kg/day and 100 kg production per hive, per year) but challenging long winters.
Although bears inhabit most parts of the province and are capable of damaging apiaries, precautions such as electric fences can minimize their impact.
All agricultural areas of the province support good honey production, queen rearing and nucleus hive production. The majority of our beekeepers are small-scale operators but there are full-scale commercial operations spread throughout the province. Honey and hive products are sold at the farm-gate, farmer’s markets, retail stores and in bulk from commercial operators.
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British Columbia Honey Producers’ Association
The BCHPA was established in 1920 to serve beekeepers of British Columbia. The association’s primary goal is to educate and improve the quality of beekeeping throughout the province for all beekeepers. The BCHPA is acknowledged by the BC Ministry of Agriculture as the voice of all beekeepers in our province. We represent BC beekeepers at the national level through membership in the Canadian Honey Council. In 2020 we will celebrate our 100th anniversary. Currently, there are more than 750 association members, representing over 25,000 colonies in all areas of our province.
The BCHPA’s mandate is to promote and encourage the keeping of bees using the most effective management practices. We disseminate current, reliable, and practical information to beekeepers in our quarterly-published BeesCene Journal and maintain an association website. By offering education programs and exhibitions we enhance public knowledge and we champion applied research in apiculture. Additionally, the BCHPA highlights the role of bees in agriculture by representing the interests of British Columbia’s beekeepers to all levels of government.
BCHPA initiatives include the Boone, Hodgson, Wilkinson Trust Fund for Honey Bee Research, the BC Bee Breeders’ Association and a Certified Beekeeping Instructors training program. The association holds educational conferences twice a year. These gatherings offer forums for debate, information exchange, and fellowship among its members.
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Government Apiculture Program
BC’s Provincial Department of Agriculture has had beekeeping specialists and apiary inspectors on staff since the early 1900s. Currently the program has a Provincial Apiculturist and 11 inspectors. Under the BC Animal Health Act – Bee Regulations, the program provides extension services and monitors bees for diseases and parasites. Permits are issued for the movement of bees, sales of bee stock and used beekeeping equipment.
Since 1955 BC’s Apiculture program has organized a biennial Bee Masters short course. This week-long educational opportunity is traditionally hosted through either the University of British Columbia or Simon Fraser University. There is an optional exam at the end that may result in a Bee Master certificate. The next course is scheduled for February 2020.
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BC Beekeeping by the Numbers – 2018
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- 2640 Beekeepers (25% of Canada’s beekeepers)
- 52,033 Colonies (19% of Canada’s total colonies)
- Honey Yield: 1,542,417 kg
- Average Yield per Colony: 30 kg
- Wholesale Honey Sales: $2.8 million
- Retail Honey Sales: $10.6 million
- Beeswax Sales: $317 thousand
- Pollen Sales: $118 thousand
- Queens Raised: 46,892
- Nucs Produced: 36,302
- Colonies in Pollination: 29,211
- Income from Pollination: $3.8 million
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Pollination Partners:
BC Raspberry Industry Development Council
BC Blueberry Council
BC Cranberry Marketing Commission
BC Fruit Growers Association
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BCHPA Apimondia Project funding provided by:
BC Honey Producers’ Association
Province of British Columbia – BC Ministry of Agriculture
BC Cranberry Marketing Commission
Canadian Agricultural Partnership
Government of Canada
*Funding for this project has been provided by the governments of Canada and British Columbia through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, a federal-provincial-territorial initiative.
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BCHPA Apimondia Brochure
View & Download – CLICK HERE
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Helpful Links:
British Columbia Tourism
BC Ministry of Agriculture – Beekeeping in British Columbia
Canadian Honey Council
Pollination Canada
Sustainable Urban Beekeeping Certificate Program, Langara College
Commercial Beekeeping – Kwantlan Polytechnical University
Urban Bee Network
Honey Bee Heath Coalition
We Heart Local
Nature Conservancy
Beekeeping – How To Videos – University of Guelph