Did you know that in the Outaouais region, MAPAQ counts 7 agricultural businesses<\/strong> whose main source of income is beekeeping? These beekeepers are spread across the entire\u00a0territory, and\u00a0represent a total of 420 declared hives<\/strong>. Average honey production per colony in Quebec was 29.8 kg<\/strong> in 2022. A colony is a society made up of a single queen, numerous workers, drones and eggs, larvae or pupae. The size of the colony varies according to the season. In summer, the colony comprises 30 to 60,000 bees<\/strong>, the queen and a few hundred drones; in winter, the queen is surrounded by just 3 to 5,000 bees. \u00a0<\/strong> Three sources of income<\/strong> are possible in beekeeping. There is the sale of honey, the rental of colonies and the sale of products other than honey. In 2022,\u00a0in order to\u00a0help\u00a0with a\u00a0lack of\u00a0native pollinators, blueberry and cranberry crops used 94.1% of the 43,119 colonies rented.<\/strong> In the same year, the total value of beekeeping in Quebec was $23.2 million.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n There are many enemies of beehives. They can be as big as a bear or as small as a mite, not to mention climatic conditions. Winter mortality of bee colonies in Quebec varies greatly from year to year. It is generally above 15%<\/strong>, but in 2022 it peaked at 49%<\/strong> in Quebec, compared with 45.5%<\/strong> for Canada as a whole. Manitoba had the highest percentage of winter mortality, at 57.2%<\/strong>. Mortality was attributable to varroa mites, unfavorable weather conditions and weak colonies in the fall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Whether you’re a hobbyist with a small number of hives or a large-scale beekeeping enterprise, annual registration of your hives with the Quebec government is mandatory, and the owner’s name and address must be affixed to the hive. This registration enables us to provide an accurate picture of production, to contact beekeepers quickly in the event of any\u00a0sanitary\u00a0problems, to conduct reliable\u00a0sanitary\u00a0inspections\u00a0and to offer free beekeeping disease diagnosis services in MAPAQ laboratories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bees are\u00a0absolutely essential\u00a0for the fertilization of flowers, certain plants, shrubs and fruit trees, and they also provide us with honey, pollen, wax, propolis and royal jelly. That’s why it’s so important to maintain biodiversity in our landscapes, and to keep our green spaces in both rural and urban areas in bloom. \u00a0 Article written by Linda Larocque, agronomist,<\/em> 7 agricultural businesses whose main source of income is beekeeping […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":14617,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"articles","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14707","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-environment"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
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\n\n\n\nUnderstanding the enemy!<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Worth knowing…<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
What we eat depends on pollinators!<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Keeping dandelions on our lawns serves the needs of urban beekeeping, not rural beekeeping, since their hives are a good distance from our lawns. Urban beekeeping can certainly expand, but it must be sure to follow the various provincial and municipal regulations that govern it.<\/p>\n\n\n\nA few more facts about bees:<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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References:\u00a0<\/strong>
L\u2019abeille domestique, la solution pour la pollinisation, 2012, FAQ.\u00a0
Enqu\u00eate annuelle sur la mortalit\u00e9 hivernale des colonies d\u2019abeilles au Qu\u00e9bec en 2022, MAPAQ.\u00a0
Portrait de l\u2019apiculture au Qu\u00e9bec en 2022, Mise \u00e0 jour\u202f: 19 janvier 2024.\u00a0
Rapport sur la mortalit\u00e9\u00a0hivernale de colonies d\u2019abeilles mellif\u00e8res au Canada (2022), Association canadienne des professionnels de l\u2019apiculture (ACPA).\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"