Released on May 29, 2014
The Province of Saskatchewan will again observe the annual Day of the Honey Bee on May 29.“The Day of the Honey Bee recognizes the importance and value of the honey bee industry to Saskatchewan agriculture,” Agriculture Minister Lyle Stewart said. “In addition to producing honey, bees play a valuable role in the pollination of crops in Saskatchewan.”
“Saskatchewan has a well-established honey bee industry, with the highest per colony honey production in Canada,” Saskatchewan Beekeepers Association President Jake Berg said. “We appreciate the provincial government’s recognition of this important sector and of the role of honey bees.”
Saskatchewan has about 100,000 colonies of bees each producing an average of about 185 pounds (84 kilograms) of honey a year. In 2013, Saskatchewan beekeepers produced about 18.9 million pounds (8,570 tonnes) of honey, the value of which is approximately $40 million.
Earlier this year, the Saskatchewan government and the federal government announced more than $1 million in funding for three bee-related research projects through the Ministry’s Agriculture Development Fund, including two projects focused specifically on honey bees.
The Ministry of Agriculture has also collaborated with industry and producers to put in place DriftWatch Saskatchewan, an online tool that assists in identifying drift sensitive agricultural areas such as beehives, orchards and organic farms. This voluntary risk mitigation tool allows crop producers, beekeepers and pesticide applicators an opportunity to work together to manage potential effects of spray operations.
This is the fifth year Saskatchewan has proclaimed the Day of the Honey Bee.
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For more information, contact:
Angela Hall
Agriculture
Regina
Phone: 306-787-2359
Email: angela.hall@gov.sk.ca