This is a request for information regarding the collection of colony loss data and other apiculture data from beekeepers.  In every Canadian province with the exception of Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador, beekeepers are required by law to register with their provincial government. As we know, such regulation has a long history both in Canada and the U.S. going back to early efforts to control AFB.  In addition to facilitating the monitoring and management of various pathogens, pests and diseases, mandatory beekeeper registration also permits data collection related to annual colony losses, various economic matters, urban beekeeping densities, etc.  As far as I can tell, the job of data collection is usually left to provincial or state apiarists who are the only entities in a position to accurately tabulate beekeeper and colony numbers.  As far as I know, regional or local beekeeping associations do not collect such data.

Nonetheless, government apiarist efforts to collect data may suffer from low participation rates in annual surveys. For example, Paul van Westendorp, Manager, British Columbia Ministry of Agriculture Apiculture Program, reported in the Winter 2016-2017 issue of BEESCENE, V32(4):8, that “Every fall, the Ministry carries out a province-wide survey about production levels that beekeepers experienced during the summer season while in the spring, the winter colony mortality survey is carried out.  We have always placed high confidence in the results because of high participation rates. However, this was not the case in the spring 2016 survey. While many beekeepers submitted their wintering results, relatively few responses came from commercial beekeepers. This was unfortunate because the final mortality rate was significantly higher than the anecdotal reports received from a few commercial operators. Early indications showed that commercial beekeepers had excellent winter results with losses as low as 5%. With the majority of respondents being hobby beekeepers, many reported much higher losses and as a result, the final winter morality rate was to be 18%. To ensure that the compiled data of spring mortality rates and fall production estimates reflect the true conditions of the beekeeping industry, it is important that all beekeepers who receive an online invitation participate in the survey. Please remember that all of our bee surveys are completely anonymous and the submitted data deleted after compilation.”

I am familiar with beekeeper survey methods given my social science research background and familiarity with relevant apicultural literature (e.g., van der Zee, et al. 2013. “Standard survey methods for estimating colony losses and explanatory risk factors in Apis mellifera.” Journal of Apicultural Research. 52:4, 1-36.  The problem we have in Newfoundland and Labrador is that without mandatory registration of beekeepers, our ability to obtain data regarding colony numbers and winter mortality is severely limited. To-date, our provincial apiarist has restricted her data collection to a handful of commercial beekeepers, but she has a very incomplete list of hobbyists and has not yet attempted to capture data from this part of the beekeeping demographic.  Our association has members who choose not to participate in the current volunteer registration program established by the province, and we know of beekeepers who reject both membership in our association as well as government regulation. It is hard to get data from these folks.

I would like to confirm that to the best of your knowledge, only provincial or state apiarists collect beekeeping-related data in a systematic manner, across beekeeping communities, apart from any sporadic survey research that academic or private sector researchers may conduct.  In Canada, survey data are protected under provincial privacy legislation.  Do any of your beekeeping associations collect data from your beekeepers re. winter mortality, etc.? If so, how do you manage these data in relation to confidentiality/privacy concerns?

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