Some P.E.I. beekeepers worry pests will tag along in Ontario imports

Some Island beekeepers want all hives imported from Ontario this spring to be tested for the small hive beetle, due to fears it will devastate their hives. 

The small hive beetle's excrement can cause honey to ferment — something many in the industry refer to as 'slimed.'

Last year, the province said Island beekeepers imported 1,800 hives from Ontario, and said that number could double in 2019.

Roger O'Neill, president of the P.E.I. Beekeepers Association, said because the number of hives being imported to P.E.I. may increase, testing all imports should be mandatory.

My concern is that small hive beetle will, for me, be devastating.— Stan Sandler

"I would like to see the government do 100 per cent inspection on the hives. Last year, we had 100 per cent inspection of the 1,700 - 1,800 hives that came in," he said. 

"As a beekeeper, and most beekeepers will sure agree, you need the honey crop. There's not a beekeeper on P.E.I. that's set up for hive beetle when it comes."

Inspections in Ontario and P.E.I.

Provincial apiarist Cameron Menzies said due to lower demand for pollination last year, testing was doable. This year, he said, the same may be possible. 

"We may have enough time if we can afford it, but we can't anticipate what that's going to be," he said.

"We also have to see what our own honey bee losses are going to be over the winter before we can be sure what the demand for importation is going to be."

He said P.E.I. has safety protocols in place to protect against small hive beetle, which includes sending a team of inspectors to Ontario.

"This will be the second year that we're doing that … and the proportion of hives we're going to inspect in addition to the Ontario inspectors is greater than what is deemed acceptable from a risk-management perspective," he said.

Menzies said between inspections in Ontario and P.E.I., at least 70 per cent of hives will be inspected before they arrive on P.E.I. 

'Don't have quite enough hives here'

In addition to a possible increase of imports from Ontario, Island beekeepers are concerned that Ontario has dropped some of its small hive beetle quarantine zones, saying the zones were no longer effective in reducing the spread of the beetle.

Menzies said hives will only be imported to P.E.I. from zones considered safe in Ontario.

The reason P.E.I. imports hives from out-of-province is to help pollinate the blueberry industry.

"We have to ensure that our blueberry growers have access to sufficient pollinating hives to obtain the profitable yields and … we don't have quite enough hives here on P.E.I. to meet that pollination demand," said Menzies.

'They'll have slimed everything'

John Handrahan is a P.E.I. blueberry grower and spokesperson for the industry who said while he's concerned for local beekeepers, he believes the protocol the government has in place is enough.

"We would not like to see another pest introduced unnecessarily," he said. "However … I have confidence that the province will look after the best interests of the beekeepers."

Stan Sandler, a beekeeper with Milk and Honey Farm near Murray River, said he'd like to see the province protect Island hives by not bringing in any from out of province.

"My concern is that small hive beetle will, for me, be devastating because it takes me months to extract my honey which during that time they'll have slimed everything."

Party leaders make commitment

Handrahan said he's opposed to closing P.E.I.'s borders to imports — he points to difficulties beekeepers faced in past decades with closed border. 

"As a blueberry grower, I went for over five years without being able to access any honeybees at all because then as now, the local beekeeping industry cannot supply enough honeybees to meet the demand," he said.

"Now, there is hope that at some point that with more and bigger operations, they might get to that place," of self-sufficienct, Handrahan said. "But they are not at the place now. And the size of our crop and the profitability of our farms depend on sufficient pollination."

Menzies said if the beetle was to enter the province, there is a plan in place to deal with it.

He said that plan includes the depopulation and destruction of beehives.

Menzies said the province is still working on a full mitigation strategy which may include quarantining. 

At an environmental forum on Monday night, leaders of all four political parties said they'd commit to 100 per cent testing of imported hives if elected. 

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