On May 30, 2016, CHC Executive Vice-President Anne Fowlie presented to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food on the issue of Bee Health Monitoring in Canada. The Committee is currently studying the issue of bee health, and Ms. Fowlie’s presentation offered information on how “the plant science industry is committed to ensuring that both bees and agriculture co-exist and thrive.”
Research is ongoing as to the issues which affect pollinator health. As Ms. Fowlie states, “Although a number of factors are seen as potential contributors to these declines, no single factor has been identified as the main cause…Canadian, and other, bee researchers overwhelmingly agree that the main stressors to bees are pests and parasites diseases, inadequate diet and weather
conditions.”
Despite reports to the contarary, as Ms. Fowlie points out, “Hive numbers have increased significantly over the last 20 years and are the highest they have ever been, according to Statistics Canada. In 2014, there were over 8,000 beekeepers in Canada keeping over 600,000 hives. That was a 24% increase in hives since 2000. Global honey bee populations are also increasing.”