Plan bee
Winter colony mortality is annually affecting some 25,000 of approximately 75,000 Ontario bee colonies. In many cases, beekeepers are forced to import replacement bees from countries as far away as Australia. According to Guzman, the loss of bees and the resulting decline in honey production and crop productivity are costing Ontario’s agricultural sector about $50 million a year, and there are no signs of improvement.
Want to become a beekeeper?
Before you jump in, read the Ontario Bees Act. Most importantly, note that “no person shall place hives or leave hives containing bees within 30 metres of a property line.” The act, which is available on the E-Laws website (www.e-laws.gov.on.ca/html/statutes/english/elaws_ statutes_90b06_e.htm), also outlines the dos and don’ts of maintaining a hive.
If you are an urbanite with no room for a backyard hive, your best bet is to join a local beekeeping organization. Start with the Ontario Beekeepers Association (www.ontariobee.com), which can direct you to a beekeeping group in your area.
Fortunate to have a large enough yard to comply with the Bees Act? Your next step is to request the Bee Basics kit from the Ontario Beekeepers Association. The kit includes a beekeeping manual, information about diseases and pests, and other advice to get you started.
The final step is to apply for a certificate of registration with the Provincial Apiarist (www.omafra.gov.on.ca/ english/food/inspection/bees/info_registration.htm). Under the Bees Act, anyone who owns bees – including hobbyists – must register with the province (there is no fee). The application form requires emergency contact information (needed in the event that the bees swarm) and the location and GPS coordinates of the hives, which are used for mapping purposes for pesticide and herbicide spraying programs.
B.B.
The news of the colony collapse phenomenon has heightened public appreciation for honeybees and drawn city dwellers to beekeeping. Bees are now being raised on the rooftop of Chicago’s city hall and in the White House garden. The City of Vancouver recently revised a decades-old bylaw to allow small-scale backyard apiaries. While urban beekeeping cannot make up for the loss of large-scale rural bee colonies, it can improve a city’s biodiversity and contribute to the pollination of thousands of urban plants. “It would be very easy for someone to keep bees in an urban [community] garden,” says Flys. “And the amount of honey that one or two hives would produce would be enough to supply the people that were part of that garden.”
Flys should know: his grandfather was well-known environmentalist and Order of Canada recipient Charles Sauriol, who raised honeybees in the Don Valley a century ago, before having his land expropriated for the Don Valley Expressway. Back then, the divide between rural and urban was less sharply drawn, and beekeeping – along with other types of farming – was an accepted part of the city’s fabric.
“Generally speaking, spots like my grandfather’s are disappearing quickly,” Flys says, “and most people that do have the land are worried about lawsuits and the stigma associated with bees.” Honeybees – which generally sting only to defend their hive – are often mistaken for wasps, which are much more aggressive.
Stigma aside, the big challenge facing urban beekeepers in Ontario is the provincial Bees Act, which prohibits hives within 30 metres of a property line. As a result, most urban beekeeping is done under cover of a tall hedge or fence, sometimes helped along with a gift jar of honey to neighbours.
Organizations like the Toronto Beekeepers Cooperative, however, are hoping to change that. In addition to setting up the brick works hives, the group manages six hives on the rooftop of the Fairmont Royal York hotel in downtown Toronto. At the hotel, the first three hives – named the Honey Moon Suite, the Royal Sweet and the V.I. Bee Suite – were established in 2008, after executive chef David Garcelon noticed butterflies, ladybugs and honeybees foraging in the hotel’s rooftop garden.
Todd on Fri, 18th Dec 2009 8:16 pm
Dancing Bee Apiary is located about an hour east of Toronto. We are offering beekeeping lessons in groups of 8-9 people in the Spring time. Visit our website for all the info http://www.dancingbeehoney.com The goal of the lessons are to have students avoid some of the common mistakes new beekeepers make. By the end of the beginners lesson, students should feel confident to start their incredibly rewarding new hobby.
Julie McKenzie on Thu, 5th Aug 2010 8:42 pm
Can you help us, advise us? Summer of 2009, east wall of house became home for many honey bees. People came to view the problem but no one offered any help. Colony has grown considerably this year. Did not want to resort to exterminating them, but we seem to have arrived at that crossroad. When I think about having them destroyed, my heart sinks…………they’re honey bees, and in this area they are becoming a rare thing, but options have dwindled. Even if no suggestions, appreciate that you gave this a read.