Thank you Bill for your e-mail. Just few things to add and clarify some of the info regarding Alberta industry/canola.
1.  True we have not reported any harm to honey bees placed in canola fields unless canola sprayed during bloom. We have few reports by beekeepers every year. I would add,  if canola sprayed at early stages for beetles when farmers mix herbicides with Sevin in a tank and drift onto hives, beekeepers reported bee kill .
2.  We grow about 7-8 million acres (3 million Ha/year). Most seeds are treated with neonics. No matter where the bees fly will hit canola. This makes it difficult to have a control for comparison. So our bees live in their island as it is  and beekeepers can't  see any difference. (oops no control).
3. Most of our operations are commercial operations. Out of 282,000 hives (Statistics 2012;43% of the colonies in Canada) and 850 beekeepers) 262,000 colonies are owned by 119 beekeepers with 400 bee colonies or more. Simply Alberta industry is mainly commercial operations and all my statistics represent only commercials to be consistent in my data.
4. Most of Alberta beekeepers winter bees in Alberta. The percentage of colonies wintered outdoors is 65% outdoors and indoors is 15%.  20% of the colonies is wintered in British Colombia.
5. Alberta beekeepers supply 75,000 -80,000 bee colonies for pedigreed hybrid canola pollination in southern Alberta. This is the largest number of colonies moved for pollinating a single crop in Canada. For sure there is a high density of bees per one acres, food competition, etc.  However to improve pollination and keep healthy bees, we recommend that a hive should have at least 10 frames of bees (6-7 frames of brood). Most beekeepers place hives with more than 15 frames of bees for pollination. In my survey of bee colony kill, if a beekeeper places 10 frames of bees hives, he would expect 25% or more winter kill and no honey. If you place 15 frames of bees or more hives, a beekeeper would expect less than 15%  winter kill and 40-60 lbs of honey. Therefore, beekeeper go for high strength colonies to keep healthy hives and get paid more pollination service fees. ($100/120 per hive vs $ 140-160 per hive) .
6. Alberta established a surveillance program to help beekeepers implement the IPM practices. Beekeepers have become more proactive in looking for mites, nosema and other stuff in their hives. They treat on time and ensure there is more feed and bees before wintering.
7. The Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) is active in implementing their regulations. In recent years, they have been checking operations for illegal use of pesticides. In 2012/2013 PMRA fined a couple of beekeepers for illegal use of miticides. One of the fines was $31,000. They still working on some other investigations.  I hope that beekeepers stay vigilant and use proper formulations of pesticides. We can't afford to have Amitraz resistance. There is no replacement for this product at this time. This is where we need more research to stay sustainable.
8. We have never correlated any winter kill with canola pollination or production. 85% of our honey comes from canola. Who can complain? All our statistics and surveys point to management practices and winter /spring conditions.
9. The beast is winter.  We can't control this one though I keep asking beekeepers to have better communication with the weatherman.
 10. In spite of all complains, statistics show that number of hives is increasing. Dead outs are replaced and an additional 5-10% increase per year. Is there something wrong with this picture?
11. One thing I admit "Beekeeping is challenging nowadays". You have to stay  on the top of it; 360 degrees. Environment, pesticides, pests, cropping systems, food safety, marketing, etc. are all part of beekeeping.  A loss of 50-75% of bees is no fun. To stay in business, don't let your guards down?
12. Sustainability is a key and we need to pursue more research to stay competitive.


I do enjoy this list, too. It is an educational form and sometimes is fun.

Bill Truesdell who thinks "Alberta Canola" should have been a character in the Sopranos. Medhat thinks "Alberta canola should be a melody".


Medhat

Dr. Medhat Nasr
Alberta Provincial Apiculturist
Pest Surveillance Branch
Crop Research and Extension
Agriculture and Rural Development
17507 Fort Road NW
Edmonton, AB T5Y 6H3 Canada
Tel: 780-415-2314             Fax: 780-422- 6096
E-mail:  [log in to unmask]


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