Primary Country (Mandatory)

United States

Other Country (Optional)

Set News Language for United States

Primary Language (Mandatory)
English
Other Language[s] (Optional)
No other language available

Set News Language for World

Primary Language (Mandatory)
English
Other Language(s) (Optional)

Set News Source for United States

Primary Source (Mandatory)
CNN
Other Source[s] (Optional)

Set News Source for World

Primary Source (Mandatory)
AajTak
Other Source(s) (Optional)
  • Countries
    • India
    • United States
    • Qatar
    • Germany
    • China
    • Canada
    • World
  • Categories
    • National
    • International
    • Business
    • Entertainment
    • Sports
    • Special
    • All Categories
  • Available Languages for United States
    • English
  • All Languages
    • English
    • Hindi
    • Arabic
    • German
    • Chinese
    • French
  • Sources
    • India
      • AajTak
      • NDTV India
      • The Hindu
      • India Today
      • Zee News
      • NDTV
      • BBC
      • The Wire
      • News18
      • News 24
      • The Quint
      • ABP News
      • Zee News
      • News 24
    • United States
      • CNN
      • Fox News
      • Al Jazeera
      • CBSN
      • NY Post
      • Voice of America
      • The New York Times
      • HuffPost
      • ABC News
      • Newsy
    • Qatar
      • Al Jazeera
      • Al Arab
      • The Peninsula
      • Gulf Times
      • Al Sharq
      • Qatar Tribune
      • Al Raya
      • Lusail
    • Germany
      • DW
      • ZDF
      • ProSieben
      • RTL
      • n-tv
      • Die Welt
      • Süddeutsche Zeitung
      • Frankfurter Rundschau
    • China
      • China Daily
      • BBC
      • The New York Times
      • Voice of America
      • Beijing Daily
      • The Epoch Times
      • Ta Kung Pao
      • Xinmin Evening News
    • Canada
      • CBC
      • Radio-Canada
      • CTV
      • TVA Nouvelles
      • Le Journal de Montréal
      • Global News
      • BNN Bloomberg
      • Métro
MoreBack to News Headlines
Sask. beekeepers hope to avoid sting of killer parasite, tariffs on honey production

Sask. beekeepers hope to avoid sting of killer parasite, tariffs on honey production

CBC
Wednesday, April 9, 2025 1:27 PM GMT

Simon Lalonde warns the guests touring his apiary that the yellowish goo his bees are depositing on their clothes isn't honey.

It's basically bee poop, Lalonde says.

It's a sunny spring day at From Hives to Honey, an apiary a short drive from Clavet, Sask., and the bees are leaving their hives for the first time since hibernation.

"They're doing their cleansing flights, which is … they haven't been able to go to the bathroom since November of last year," Lalonde said.

"They're stretching their wings again. They'll start drinking some water, they'll start working different protein sources just to get the hive up and running. So these first few days are going to be huge to get the hive working to increase their population."

Geoff Wilson is the agriculture ministry's apiculture specialist — the province's chief bee inspector. He said early reports from Saskatchewan hives suggest winter was one of the worst on record for the bee population.

"We're anticipating losses somewhere around 35 per cent on average," Wilson said in an interview.

"That would put us right in the highest we've ever had in the province. This is just guessing at the moment. We don't know for sure.… We'll have beekeepers that have done well and we'll have beekeepers that have lost more than they'd like to."

Population decline isn't the only concern among apiaries. The hives are under attack from a bee-killing parasite and now honey producers are bracing for impacts of a tariff trade war.

Natural honey is on Canada's list of U.S. imports subject to a 25 per cent tariff. There is not currently a U.S. tariff on Canadian honey.

In 2023, Canadian hives produced 91.8 million pounds of honey with a production value of $277 million, according to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Saskatchewan's share of that was just over 20 million pounds.

Saskatchewan exported about $4 million of honey in 2023, down from $6.6 million the previous year, according to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. The Prairie provinces accounted for 73 per cent of all honey exports in 2023.

Tariffs could affect beekeepers by raising prices on equipment, supplies and even queen bees, said Lalonde, who is also the president of the Saskatchewan Beekeepers Development Commission.

New queen bees are developed by hives every year, but in Saskatchewan that doesn't typically happen until June. Lalonde said apiaries here import queen bees from the U.S. to insert them into new hives so honey production starts sooner.

Read full story on CBC
Share this story on:-
Run 3 Space | Play Space Running GamePlay Run 3, the ultimate space tunnel running game with 300+ challenging levels!Adv.
Traffic Jam 3D | Online Racing GameTraffic Jam 3D is a game where you’ll be driving through heavy traffic.Adv.
Duck Hunt | Play Old Classic GamePlay the classic 1984 light gun shooter game Duck Hunt on your browser.Adv.
More Related News
How close are we to getting a vaccine for Lyme disease?

Diana Moser has, to the best of her knowledge, not contracted Lyme disease, a welcome status quo that might be credited to the tick-repellant clothing she wears in the yard of her East LaHave, N.S., home, or to the insect spray she squirts on herself, or to just plain-old luck.

Fredericton parents fighting $125 parking ticket at youth football practice

Jillian and Jody Shealy have spent the past two decades cheering their kids on from the sidelines of just about every sport that's offered in the city, taking them to rinks, fields and arenas across the greater Fredericton area.

Mother and 3-year-old son drown in home pool in Lachine, Montreal police say

A mother and her three-year-old are dead after drowning in a pool inside a residence in the city's Lachine borough.

A website claims wildfire destroyed a single mom's clothing warehouse. But the store doesn't exist

The city of Flin Flon in northwestern Manitoba has faced wildfires and a massive evacuation — and now a fake online site has popped up claiming a clothing warehouse in the city burned down, and the single-mom owner has to sell off what's left.

La Ronge evacuees to begin returning home Thursday

Some people forced from their homes by wildfires in northern Saskatchewan will soon start making their way home, as conditions improve in the La Ronge area.

Chiropractor says being able to order X-rays is paring redundancy from P.E.I. medical system

After a long wait, chiropractors practising on Prince Edward Island are now able to order X-rays to help them diagnose and treat patients.

New rules see province screening sex education resources before they hit classrooms

Alberta school leaders and groups that deliver school sex education presentations are preparing for new rules taking effect this fall that require the government to first vet all information.

This U.S. doctor is making the move to B.C. — here's why

For one Canadian-born doctor, who has been practicing family medicine in Colorado for the last six years, his next career move is a sort of homecoming.

Gen Z is facing the worst youth unemployment rate in decades. Here is how it's different

Graduation cap in hand, Sarah Chung is posing for photos in school regalia ahead of her convocation ceremony. The campus atmosphere is joyful, but what comes next is sobering: this honours student is graduating into one of the worst youth labour markets seen in decades.

Sandy Lake residents evacuated to Cornwall can't wait to go home

Coun. Allan Rae of the Sandy Lake First Nation is 1,600 kilometres from home and worried about his wife and two children.

Male shot by police after allegedly attacking woman in Markham: York police

A male was shot by police in Markham early Wednesday morning after officers responded to a welfare check call, York Regional Police say. 

Family has not given up hope that Indigenous woman who disappeared in Barrie will be found

Family members of an Indigenous woman who went missing in Barrie, Ont., two years ago say they have never given up hope of finding her.

Stratford townhouse proposal would be destructive to wetland, nearby residents warn

Some residents of Stratford are calling on the P.E.I. town's council to postpone a vote on a rezoning application, fearing it will destroy a wetland in their neighbourhood.

Parking Slot | Free Parking GamePlay Parking Slot, the best online 3D car driving and parking game.Adv.
Slope Ball Run - Play OnlineSlope Game takes you on an exciting journey of a ball on special paths.Adv.
What vehicles are allowed in bike lanes? In Toronto, there is no one answer

Toronto needs a single set of rules for bike lanes in the city, a council committee decided on Wednesday.

Mother in Old Crow, Yukon, starts petition to clean up and improve recreational spaces

Living in a small and remote northern community like Old Crow, Yukon, can mean limited access to recreational activities — especially when many of the spaces meant for activities like baseball or soccer are being instead used to store industrial equipment and supplies.

Mark Carney has a national unity problem. A Liberal voice in Calgary might help

Viewed from a certain angle, it could be read as good news that only 30 per cent of Albertans believe their province would be better off on its own, a share that has grown only slightly over the last five years. In a hypothetical referendum, just 28 per cent said they would vote to secede. 

Toronto police identify boy, 15, fatally shot on weekend in Weston

Toronto police have identified a 15-year-old boy who died in hospital after he was shot in Weston neighbourhood on Saturday night.

Rob Lantz confirms he won't run for permanent leadership of P.E.I. Progressive Conservatives

Premier Rob Lantz says he won't seek the permanent leadership of P.E.I.'s Progressive Conservative Party, after previously saying people had been asking him to run for the position.

Alberta premier says province is looking to entice private-sector pipeline builder

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says her government is working to entice a private-sector player to build a crude oil pipeline to coastal waters.

Toronto woman accused of killing 3 people in 3 days fit to stand trial, judge rules

An Ontario judge has ruled that a Toronto woman accused of killing three people in three Ontario cities last year is now fit to stand trial. 

Ottawa and Washington exchange document outlining possible terms of deal: sources

In a sign that Canada and the U.S. are making progress toward some sort of trade agreement, CBC News and Radio-Canada have learned about the existence of a working document outlining details of a potential deal.

Charlottetown Farmers' Market warns local businesses of email scam targeting vendors

The Charlottetown Farmers' Market is warning local businesses that someone is impersonating the market's email account in an attempt to run a scam.

Smoke blankets Calgary area as air quality warning urges caution

The wildfire-induced smoke currently blanketing the Calgary area, is so bad Environment Canada is telling people to go back inside, in an air quality warning issued early Wednesday.

You'll soon need an access card to dump bulk waste in eastern Newfoundland

The old-fashioned clipboard and pen is slowly being replaced at the entrance to waste recovery facilities in eastern Newfoundland, as the board running the sites implements an access card system so it can collect better data on who's using the facilities, and what they're dropping off.

'They're really harmless': Tent caterpillar population explodes in northeastern Ontario

Sudbury and many other parts of northeastern Ontario are at the centre of an outbreak of tent caterpillars, as the insects' population has exploded.

© 2008 - 2025 Webjosh  |  News Archive  |  Privacy Policy  |  Contact Us