Fence Me In

I listened to a radio documentary the other day that was sifting through 
the tea leaves left from the demise of the east coast cod fishery. This 
billion dollar industry went belly up because of overfishing. There were 
fishermen and scientests who predicted the collapse in cod populations, 
arguing that the government was using flawed computer models to support 
harvesting levels. However, powerful industry players dismissed the 
critics. For them, restraint was unthinkable; besides, people needed fish 
to eat. Now that the fish are gone, these same industry players blame the 
government, saying in effect, "The should have saved us from ourselves".

I think this fiasco has some lessons for the Canadian beekeeping industry. 
There is an ongoing discussion in Canada about the risks and benefits of 
opening the Canada/U.S. border to the free movement of beehives. Some feel 
that doing so would improve the economic viability of beekeeping 
operations in both countries, by increasing management and income 
possibilities. They argue that a modern beekeeping industry needs to move 
hives across international borders to help pollinate crops so that we can 
feed the world's growing population. This argument is only valid if such a 
practise is sustainable. Remember the cod fishermen were trying to feed 
the world's population too.

Some of this debate is driven by northern beekeepers who have difficulty 
overwintering bees. Other advocates want the challange, prestige and 
satisfaction of operating a large number of colonies on an international 
stage. Both seem like legitimate reasons to open the border even if these 
beekeepers are in the minority. But not if doing so effectively sucks all 
beekeepers down a black hole of disease and drug dependancy.

I'm not suggesting our industry motto should be "Go small or go home", 
rather I think it should read, "Operate sustainably or go home". Placing 
limits on how far beehives can be moved helps achieve this goal. 
Therefore, I feel some barriers to hive movement should be maintained.

Proponents of an open border suggest that U.S. beekeepers migrating to 
Canada in search of new honey crops would be like elephants: large, but 
friendly and trainable. This sounds like wishful thinking to me. New 
freedoms usually come with a price. And Canadian beekeepers are just 
assuming U.S. producers would welcome them down south.  

Currently the beekeeping industry in Canada is largely self sufficient, 
with a healthy genetic diversity and steadily increasing hive numbers. 
Beekeepers needing early queens can purchase them (with some protocols) 
from the mainland USA, Hawaii, Australia or New Zealand. The price of 
honey could be better, but most beekeepers are making money. Despite all 
this we have industry leaders pushing for an open border. It reminds me of 
the saying, "Much wants more and loses all."

Beekeepers need to make sure they're being heard on this issue.  We can't 
depend on government to save us from ourselves.

Ted Hancock
Dog Creek B.C.

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