This is in response to Peter Borst re. the efficacy of state-run inspection programs.

Yes, I have certainly wondered about the efficacy of such programs. The government of Ontario’s inspection program re. SHB in commercial operations involved in cross-provincial border pollination services failed recently, resulting in the spread of SHB to New Brunswick.  

I also wonder about the efficacy (methodological robustness) of state-run honey bee health monitoring programs.  I’d love to have a good stats/methods person review the sampling protocol used in the past for the Canadian Honey Bee Health Survey which sampled commercial operators only.  In B.C. the definition of “commercial” for CAPA’s winter loss surveys and presumable for national health survey purposes is 10+ “viable” colonies (compared to 400 in Alberta). With a registered beekeeper population of ~2,700 B.C. has the ability to enlarge the sampling frame to improve geographic coverage as well as  account better for variations in beekeeper management methods, climatic and environmental variables, etc.  In contrast, here in Newfoundland and Labrador, our provincial apiarist’s mandate is focused exclusively on several commercial operators.  None of the 100+ small scale/hobby beekeepers have been included in any inspections or health monitoring surveys (including the annual CAPA winter loss survey and national health survey).  I don’t believe this limited approach can help us generate an accurate profile of apiculture in the province, and as a health monitoring or early detection program for exotic pests and pathogens, it’s seriously defective.  

Convincing the provincial government to extend inspection and other services to all beekeepers in the province is a work in progress. However, we are limited in our ability to persuade government to allocate additional scarce resources to apiculture, because unlike agro-economics in other provinces, there is almost no agriculture here that requires pollination services. As a result, the economic punch of beekeeping is quite limited.  I can’t see this changing any time soon.

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