Canadian Honey Council

A new certificate program at GPRC Fairview will be the first beekeeping vocational program in Canada for the education and training of commercial beekeepers. The program, which is now filling spaces for a January 2012 launch, will prepare students for employment such as apiary assistants and field supervisors with commercial beekeeping operations, technicians with government agriculture departments, and self-employment as beekeepers.

Previously, a beekeeping course was offered at Fairview College, and a total of 271 graduates completed the program between 1981 and 1999. Industry interest and support for the renewal of a beekeeping program has provided this opportunity for GPRC to develop a program which will meet the future needs of industry and international growth in the bee/honey industry. The program is welcomed by industry and researchers alike.

"The program will provide needed training for those wishing to pursue a career in this industry and will provide an avenue for a new generation of producers to enter the industry,” says Steve Pernal, Officer-in-Charge and Research Scientist
AAFC at Beaverlodge Research Farm. “Together with the recently announced National Honey Bee Diagnostic Laboratory located in Beaverlodge, and building on existing cooperation with Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada, GPRC is positioning itself as a leading player in training and applied research for the honey bee industry."

Rodrigo Mendez, the northwest region representative for Alberta Beekeepers, agrees. "The Alberta Beekeepers Commission is looking forward to the new crops of beekeepers trained by GPRC Fairview. The Beekeeping industry in Alberta and Canada has lacked the ability to formally train new Beekeepers for many years,” says Mendez. “This is a rapidly evolving industry and having this course will give the opportunity for new people with different backgrounds to enter this vibrant industry with new ideas and points of view. This course will re invigorate the industry and keep Alberta Beekeepers at the forefront of beekeeping."

Alberta is the third-largest honey producer in North America, with an estimated $20 Million annual contribution to the economy. The Peace Region, long known for its honey production, is quickly becoming an important knowledge and research base in the field of apiculture. International attention on the issue of bee populations is escalating, and there is urgency to mitigate the negative impact of colony collapse on world food production. “No bees – we don’t eat,” as the researchers put it.

“The launch of the Commercial Beekeeping Certificate Program by GPRC is a significant step forward in the development of a successful and sustainable bee, honey and pollination industry in Canada. Canadian beekeepers will be the recipients of a more knowledgeable workforce to address the many concerns the industry is now facing,” according to Corey Bacon, Chair of the Canadian Honey Council.

“This program not only fills a clearly established need in North America and beyond, but it adds a key component to the work in bee research and diagnostics which is now being initiated in our region,” says Don Gnatiuk, GPRC President and CEO. “I believe that GPRC, through our partnership with Agriculture and Agri-Foods Canada and the beekeeping industry in Alberta is poised to establish an apiculture centre of excellence which will be respected throughout the world.”

For more information about the Commercial beekeeping Certificate program at GPRC, contact Chris Laue, Dean of Trades, Agriculture and Environment, or visit gprc.ab.ca/programs.

For more information please contact:
Lynne Ness
GPRC Corporate Communications, Community Relations
780-539-2951
lness@gprc.ab.ca

 Beekeepers Wanted to Participate in Beekeeping-Economics Survey
      
       Researchers at the University of Guelph, Department of Food, Agricultural and Resource Economics and the University of British Columbia’s Department of Food and Resource Economics are conducting a study on how production decisions, pollination, queen breeding, and preventative practices affect both economic performance of beekeepers and colony losses. The primary goal of the study will be to provide beekeepers with information on production portfolios and practices that help increase profits from their operations while maintaining healthy bees.
       We hope that beekeepers will provide us with their invaluable expertise about their industry whose economic contribution to the Canadian economy is undeniably huge. 
      
       If you are a Canadian beekeeper and you wish to participate in the survey, simply click on the link provided below:
http://www.uoguelph.ca/canpolin/Survey/English/enhonry_beekeeper_survey_2010.htm
Alternatively, you can go to the CANPOLIN site: http://www.uoguelph.ca/canpolin
and select the "BeeKeeping Survey 2010" menu item from the left hand side of the main page:      
      The survey will be open from June 20th through October 1st, 2011.
      
       You may also request a printed copy of the survey to be mailed to you with a return self-addressed stamped envelope by contacting:
      
       Lina Urbisci
       Department of Food, Agricultural and Resource Economics 
       University of Guelph
       (519)824-4120, ext. 53428
       hbsurvey@uoguelph.ca
      
      
       If you have any questions about the study, please contact:
  
   Almuhanad Melhim, Phd
   Department of Food, Agricultural and Resource Economics
   University of Guelph
   (519) 824-4120, ext. 56319

Apiculteurs souhaitaient pour participer à une étude portant sur les conditions économiques de l'apiculture
      
       Des chercheurs du département de l’économie de l’alimentation, de l’agriculture et des ressources de l'Université de Guelph et du département de l’économie de l'alimentation et des ressources de l'Université de la Colombie-Britannique sont en train de mener une étude portant sur la façon dont les décisions en matière de production, la pollinisation, la sélection des reines abeilles, et les pratiques de prévention influent sur le rendement économique des apiculteurs et les pertes au sein des colonies d'abeilles. L'objectif principal de l'étude est de fournir aux apiculteurs des renseignements sur les dossiers et pratiques en matière de production qui aideront à augmenter les profits de leurs activités tout en conservant des abeilles en santé.
       Nous espérons que les apiculteurs nous transmettront leur précieux savoir concernant leur industrie, dont la contribution à l'économie du Canada est indéniablement majeure.
      
       Si vous êtes un apiculteur canadien et désirez participer au sondage, veuillez visiter notre site Web:
      
http://www.uoguelph.ca/canpolin
  et accedez l’option «Beekeeping Survey 2010 » ou « Sondage 2010 sur l’apiculture » au bas du menu la gauche de la page d’acceuil
      
       Le sondage sera disponible du 20 juin au 1er Octobre, 2011.
      
       Vous pouvez également demander qu'on vous envoie par la poste une copie imprimée du sondage dans une enveloppe de retour pré-adressée et affranchie en communiquant avec :
      
       Lina Urbisci
       Département de l’économie de l’alimentation, de l’agriculture et des ressources
       Université de Guelph
       519 824-4120, poste 53428
       hbsurvey@uoguelph.ca
      
      
       Si vous avez des questions sur cette étude, veuillez communiquer avec :