April E-News

Don't Miss Out!
A great opportunity to launch your season

Locations & Dates:

Aldergrove • Saturday, April 11

Sechelt • Sunday, April 19

Coombs • Saturday, April 25

Victoria • Sunday, April 26

Ladner • Saturday, May 23




MARK YOUR CALENDAR

Our fall AGM, Conference and Trade Show is planned for

October 23-25, 2026

Coast Bastion Hotel, Nanaimo, BC


- - - - Registration will open in May - - - -


Photo of the Month

Bees foraging in birdseed!? From Maggie Jones of Nelson, BC

Research Updates

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Bee Dancing is Better with the Right Audience

Dance like nobody's watching? Not quite, at least not for honey bees. A new study finds that bees performing the "waggle dance," a form of food source communication, are not simply broadcasting a predetermined message. Rather, the precision of the performer's directions depends on the audience.

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New Research Links Honey Bee Swarms to the Spread of an Invasive Mite

Tropilaelaps mites can hitch rides on swarming honey bees and reproduce in new colonies, a key discovery in the effort to prevent the parasite's spread beyond Asia.

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Scientists uncovered the nutrients bees were missing - Colonies surged 15-fold

Scientists have developed a breakthrough "superfood" for honeybees by engineering yeast to produce the essential nutrients normally found in pollen. In controlled trials, colonies fed this specially designed diet produced up to 15 times more young, showing a dramatic boost in reproduction and overall health.

Bees in the News

In this episode of the Final Mile podcast, host Shaun Haney speaks with Connie Phillips of the Alberta Beekeepers Commission and Dr. Shelley Hoover of the University of Lethbridge about the current state of pollinators in Alberta — and what it means for agriculture.

Coming up in BeesCene

  • Meet the scientists at the Foster Bee Lab at UBC
  • Experience poetry from a Saltspring Island beekeeper
  • Compare the science behind common bee supplements
  • Build a Russian Scion swarm trap
  • Ask 5 beekeepers about recognizing signs of dearth
  • And more!


Do you have a cover-worthy summer beekeeping photo? Please send it to beescene@bchoneyproducers.ca for a chance to be featured!

Back in BeesCene - Winter 2025 issue, Ted Hancock told us about the Medill hive and promised he'd make plans available. These plans are now published on the BCHPA website and can be viewed - HERE

From the TTP

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