To Bee or Not to Bee ~ It is No Longer a Question

As Busy as a Bee

• One bee will visit 500-100 flowers on a single foraging trip.
• A bee travels 20 km in a single day, pollinating as many as 10,000 flowers.
• A day's worth of work: 1/12 of a tsp. of honey.
• Honey bee workers take 21 days to develop from eggs to adults.
• A queen bee can lay as many as 1,500 eggs a day.


The Threat to the Honey Bee

• Disease is a major issue that is threatening Canada's honey bee populations. 
• The average "overwintering" mortality rate was historically 15%. 
• This rate has more than doubled in recent years and is far higher in Europe and the U.S. 
• Losses during the winter of 2008-2009 were about 35%
• Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) is reported to have caused a 40% loss of colonies in the U.S. 
• CCD has not yet been diagnosed by professional apiarists in Canada.
• Pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, and other environmental stressors are major factors in declining bee populations.
• Cell phone, satellite and other telecommunication signals disrupt the bee's ability to communicate with the hive.

The Bee's Importance as a Pollinator






















Facts About the Business of Bees

• Canada is the 12th largest producer of honey in the world
• About 34,000 tonnes of honey is produced per year
• 7,000 beekeepers in Canada
• $70M of honey exported by Canada in 2008
• Pollination services are estimated to be up to $2B annually, nearly 10 to 20 times that of honey
• 80% of all fruits and vegetables are pollinated by bees, representing more than 30% of the food that we eat
• 60 kg on average of honey is produced in Canada per hive, more than twice the global average

Clinton Shane Ekdahl is a beekeeper in Saskatchewan that is petitioning to the Canadian Government and the United Nations to help bring awareness to the seriousness of CCD and the survival of the honey bee.  Visit his website or download a copy of his letter [PDF]

Check out these informative videos as sourced from You Tube