Canadian beekeepers have issued an urgent plea to the federal government, calling for a complete ban on all foreign bee imports to protect domestic hives from a destructive parasite that is wreaking havoc in Europe and Asia.
The Threat of Tropilaelaps Mites
If there is one pest causing significant concern within the Canadian beekeeping industry, it is the tropilaelaps mite. This one-millimeter-long parasite, currently found in Asia and small parts of Europe, can cause catastrophic damage to honey bee colonies.
According to Curtis Miedema of the Alberta Beekeepers Commission, an infected beehive can collapse entirely within just two months. The potential introduction of this mite into Canada poses an existential threat to the pollination-dependent agricultural sector and the beekeeping industry itself.
Beekeepers Advocate for Self-Sufficiency
Miedema and his colleagues traveled to Ottawa to convince the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) to implement a temporary ban on all international bee imports. They acknowledge that this measure would cause initial difficulty for Canadian beekeepers, who sometimes rely on imported bees to replenish hives lost during harsh winters.
Peter Awram, a director at the Canadian Beekeepers Federation, explained the dilemma during a press conference. "It is difficult to keep bees over winter. We do have techniques, they work, but we have sometimes some very hard years where we are not rebuilding up to where it is," Awram stated.
He emphasized the industry's consensus, adding, "The majority of beekeepers consider this mite to be so devastating that we are better off not importing and destroying our industry and learning how to be much more self-sustaining." Awram noted that Canada imports roughly 15 percent of its bee population annually from overseas to help rebuild after winter losses.
Regulatory Stance and Industry Frustration
The debate over bee imports is complex. While imports of honey bee packages have been banned for years due to an "unacceptable risk" of importing diseases or parasites, Canada still allows the import of queen bees from the United States.
Awram described this import stream as critical, stating, "If that were to be shut off, that would be disastrous to our industry. We could not rebuild without those." Beekeepers argue that American bees should remain an import option since the U.S. has so far successfully prevented the entry of tropilaelaps mites.
This position, however, conflicts with the CFIA's current policy. After initiating a review in 2023 of its restrictions on U.S. bee packages, the agency reiterated earlier this year that such imports "pose an unacceptably high hazard risk to Canadian hives." The agency stated that "bee health is complex, and it is important that honey bee imports be controlled in such a way that they do not pose an unacceptable risk to the Canadian honey bee population."
Meanwhile, the relationship between beekeepers and the CFIA has grown strained. Awram and Miedema expressed frustration, complaining that the agency has repeatedly refused to adequately hear their concerns, leaving the industry feeling unheard in a matter critical to its survival.
