MONCTON – Beekeepers are hoping find out how to better save bee populations across Canada at a special gathering in Moncton.
The Canadian Beekeeping Convention and Tradeshow started Wednesday night in Moncton.
New Brunswick beekeeper Paul Vautour says bee populations in the province have been struggling like others across the country for years.
“The scientists seem to think that our main culprit is the Varroa Mite,” he said. “It’s a small tick that gets on the back of bees and it bites into the bees and it spreads viruses.”
Now he’s hoping this convention will help beekeepers save their hives.
“We suspect there is going to be a pest management workshop to try and get this Varroa Mite under control,” he said. “Rather than using chemcials to find other ways of destroying the mite.”
The Petitcodiac Watershed Alliance says it will be watching what comes out of the convention. Member Christine Mclauchlan says the importance of bees in the environment should not be underestimated.
“Bees are super important to the local environment,”she said. “Farmers rely on them heavily because they provide a free service to make sure the food that we grow develops well and is properly fertilized,” she said.
The convention and tradeshow ends Saturday.
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