Canada's Beekeeper Numbers Surge, Urban Hobbyists Join

0:00Canada's beekeeper numbers are buzzing up, hitting 16,360 last year, according to fresh statistics Canada data. British Columbia and Ontario are out front, each boasting over 5,000 beekeepers now. In British Columbia, that count jumped from 4,321 to 5,356 last year, with bee colonies climbing from 62,181 to 88,068. Experts are getting into it to save the bees, says Steve Clifford from the BC, honey producers association. But experts like Rod Scarlett from the Canadian honey council warned hobbyists got to learn the ropes. In experienced keepers in cities like Vancouver and Toronto, my skip treatments for the Varroa destructor might, which spreads fast in wipes out, colonies. Ontario saw a similar spike to 5,195 beekeepers last year from 4,095 the year before. Thanks to, modern climates letting urban hobbyists manage one or two hives year round.

1:02Meanwhile, the prairies hold steady or dipped a bit, but commercial ops there handle way more colonies per person. It's a solid trend if new bees join beeclubs for training. Clifford adds, beekeeping and a quick pickup, but done right it strengthens the whole. Hive Nationwide. That's the story for today. Canada news today, driven by AI. I'm Corey with the story.