Beekeepers will be abuzz over national-provincial funding aimed at protecting honeybees from disease, pests and weather-related events.
On Aug. 1, the province announced $1.7 million has been provided through the Honey Bee Health Initiative to help 206 beekeeper businesses, and a total of 334 individual projects, “improve the resilience of their colonies and boost the competitiveness of their honeybee operations in the face of U.S. tariffs.”
The cost-sharing initiative helps beekeepers make operational improvements to reduce overwintering losses, purchase equipment to improve hive health management, and acquire new honeybee stock or queens.
Funds come through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP), a five-year, $3.5-billion initiative between the federal, provincial and territorial governments to boost the agriculture and agri-food sector.
"Honeybees in Ontario provide valuable pollination services to many of the crops we eat. High winter losses, new pests, and the threat of treatment resistance have made recent years challenging for Ontario’s beekeepers,” Stephen Moore, president of the Ontario Beekeepers’ Association, said in a provincial news release.
“The Honey Bee Health Initiative has been a valuable support for beekeepers who are having to change their practices or invest in new equipment to meet the emerging challenges. It is helping to enable beekeepers to continue to provide the critical pollination services to the broader agricultural and horticultural community here in Ontario."
According to the province, Ontario’s more than 4,000 beekeepers generated $28 million in farmgate sales in 2024.
Ontario is Canada’s fourth largest honey-producing province, generating 2.65 million kilograms of honey in 2024. In the same year, about 1,600 jobs and $47 million in GDP was tied to the industry.
The Honey Bee Health Initiative was delivered by the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association.
