PG beekeeper receives government funding

Local honeybees and other native pollinators are the focus of a few new projects in BC.

One person being supported is Prince George beekeeper, Roselyne Lambert. She is conducting one of five projects receiving $20,845 from the Government of BC, courtesy the BeeBC Program.

Lambert is monitoring hives with different queens and watching the effect they have on a colony’s health and survival. The development of locally raised bees and two other breeds from outside the region, who have survived four winters without chemical treatment, is being studied. All have shown a resistance to one of the most destructive honeybee pests, Varroa destructor.

A natural alternative to chemical treatments used for mite control in hives is being developed through this project by breeding bees with different traits in an effort to improve hive resistance to mites and reduce colony losses.

“Inspired by Dr. Thomas Seeley’s research on feral honey bees and Kirk Webster’s practices as a commercial treatment-free beekeeper, I am allowing bees to teach me how to better support their own coping strategies and evolution. Most of us local beekeepers end up importing queens from outside our region. I am excited at the possibility that my humble experiments may contribute to offering new locally adapted options to local beekeepers,” said Lambert in a statement.

The objective of the BeeBC Program is to enhance bee health throughout the province, as honeybees play an important role in the agriculture sector. Pollinators of crops contribute an estimated $538 million to the provincial economy.

“The innovative techniques local beekeepers are using to improve the health of our bee population are truly amazing,” said Lana Popham, Minister of Agriculture, in a statement.

“Research and education are taking us to new places in the effort to help protect B.C.’s bees and secure their vital role as pollinators and honey producers for generations of British Columbians to come.”

Nationwide, honeybees contribute an estimated $3.2 billion to the economy.