Beekeeping: an industry essential


Their numbers are diminishing along with tree fruit acreage, but the demand for honey continues to rise.


By Judie Steeves D toast.


Even more important, honey bees’efforts at collecting nectar to make that honey results in pollination of tree fruits such as apples and cherries. Without proper pollination, there would be no commercial tree fruit industry. Just as the orchard industry was transplanted from Europe, so too were the honey bees that fruit trees rely on for adequate pollination.


That’s not to say there aren’t native bees and other insects that pollinate, but for adequate pollination in commercial orchards, European honey bees are needed.


John Sladen


In today’s high-density apple plantings, it’s recommended that


growers place two hives of honey bees per acre in the orchard as the blossoms open in order to ensure the walls of bloom result in walls of fruit come harvest-time. Beekeeper John Sladen of Keremeos has been operating Orchard Blossom Honey since 1981, trucking 550 of his hives at the peak of his career from orchard to orchard in the Okanagan and Similkameen Valleys, to ensure tree fruits were pollinated.


His was one of the largest beekeeping operations in the South Okanagan during the 1980s and 90s. In fact, with hives he rented as well, Sladen says he was


putting 1,600 hives into orchards at one point. “We’ve done a good job looking after growers over the years. We’ve never let an orchardist down. I stress about the bees in spring and ensuring orchardists get good pollination with my bees,” he recalls.


Under the right conditions, with a strong bee colony, the insects can pollinate an orchard in a couple of days. Unfortunately, conditions are often not perfect in spring, with rain, wind or cold temperatures that keep the bees from flying.


Despite this, the Okanagan has one of the province’s better climates for overwintering bees — dry and not too cold — and there are now a number of beekeepers from northern Alberta who overwinter their bees in the South Okanagan or Similkameen. It’s estimated 10,000 to 15,000 hives are brought here in the fall from Alberta. Although provincial apiculturist Paul van Westendorp is concerned having that many bees around orchards in spring can cause over-pollination, local orchardists and beekeepers say they haven’t seen a problem. Organic apple grower Wilf Mennell of Cawston says over-pollination is more commonly a problem caused by weather conditions than too many bees.


While conventional growers have an arsenal of sprays to combat such a pollination problem, organic growers must rely mainly on hand-thinning, either blossoms or fruitlets, or spraying oil and lime sulphur. Of course, in marginal weather conditions, you want every bee you can find, he added.


Oliver beekeeper Ray Levesque, who has been the region’s British Columbia FRUIT GROWER • Winter 2013-14 17


uring the six-week summer life of a honey bee, each worker produces just a fraction of a teaspoon of honey. In order to produce that honey, she travels a distance equal to flying once around the world.


Consider that as you spread a little honey on your


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