Ontario Beekeepers’ Association News

In 2013, the OBA released a five-year Summary of Strategic Directions, carving a path forward to support Ontario’s beekeeping industry as well as the growth of the organization. Now, in 2022, we want to refresh our strategic directions, building on our successes since 2013 and leveraging new opportunities to support Ontario beekeepers. To support the development of the new plan, we…

Advanced Queen Breeding WorkshopThe Queen Breeding workshop will guide beekeepers through the theoretical and practical application of developing a program for breeding and the selection of favourable genetics to improve their honey bee stock. Instruction through this workshop will provide interested beekeepers and existing breeders with formal training to adopt breeding components and skills practiced in the Ontario Resistant Honey…

2023 OBA Spring Meeting - Expand, Rebuild, Succeed Friday, March 31, 2023 - 9:00am to Saturday, April 1, 2023 - 4:30pm The OBA Spring Meeting will take place Friday, March 31st and Saturday, April 1st at the Holiday Inn in Burlington, ON.Convention will be hybrid: In-person & ONLINE via Zoom (both require registration)Early bird registration rates will end on March 16th -…

A research group at Université de Moncton is conducting a study this winter as part of ongoing research on honey bee pathogen detection. They are looking for beekeepers across Canada that could give 15-20 minutes of their time for a discussion about their experiences and challenges in the field. These meetings will be held in February and March 2023 and can be done on the…

Mark your calendars for Thursday, February 16, 2023 it is the 22nd annual Agri-Food Ski Day at Collingwood’s Osler Bluffs, a private ski club. This event is a wonderful venue to meet people from the agriculture and food industry, or to reward yourself, or your colleagues for a terrific year.  Registration is now open for Agri-Food Ski Day 2023.   You’ll find more details…

A reveiw of the winterloss data collected by OMAFRA regarding the overwinter loss of bees in Ontario from the 2021-2022 winter season (last year).Overwinter mortality for 2021-2022 for commercial beekeepers operating in Ontario was estimated to be 49%, up significantly from the 18% estimated for the winter of 2020-2021. The estimate for commercial beekeepers in Ontario was approximately 2% less than…

The Ontario Beekeepers’ Association is seeking nominations for our Youth Representative volunteer position. The selected Representative will be able to act as a liaison between the OBA Board of Directors and its youth members, as well as between the OBA and Niagara College beekeeping students, as appropriate. They will have the option of attending Board Meetings, and participating on Committees…

Are you thinking about hiring staff for your farm for the very first time? Are you looking for advice and support on how to train and manage your staff this growing season? Join the NFU for a series of 2-hour free online HR training modules, where their team of agricultural HR experts will provide a crash course on best management practices. Join…

The University of Guelph is conducting a survey to gather information on rental rates and farmland values in Ontario. This survey is open to all farmers in Ontario who own and/or rent farmland. The results of the survey will be made available on our survey website: www.onfarmlandsurvey.com. Your responses will be kept anonymous and will only be reported in aggregate form. The…