Up in the mountains near Campbell River, beekeeper and geneticist Iain Glass is trying to breed a better bee.
While he is happy to talk about what he is doing, Glass does not want the location of his mountain yard known to the public. The isolation in the mountains, along with the cooler temperatures makes for a perfectly controlled area to breed new queen bees, and to extend the season into the later months of the year. In that way, itB次元官网网址檚 a lot like Vancouver Island, a place he said is perfect for bee research because of the natural barriers and the hospitable climate.
B次元官网网址淲e have an undefended border from White Rock to Chilliwack. If you think about it, out there there is commercial pollination with the blueberries, cranberries and raspberries on both sides of the border. There are huge amounts of migratory bees coming through. YouB次元官网网址檙e simply overwhelmed by other genetics,B次元官网网址� he explained. B次元官网网址淭he way I describe Vancouver Island to friends is that thereB次元官网网址檚 water. There are barriers. We donB次元官网网址檛 have that same movementB次元官网网址o instead of battling huge amounts of bees elsewhere, here is a place with pockets of stuff and apiaries that are local to the area and donB次元官网网址檛 really move their bees as much.B次元官网网址�
He is collaborating with the many beekeepers that call the area between Comox and Campbell River home to breed these new bees, and in turn, make a better bee that will benefit beekeepers across the country. Simply put, his goal is to develop a breed of bees that is resistant to the Varroa mite, produces large amounts of honey and has a good temperament that makes them easy for beekeepers to work with.
The project, a non-profit research and education group called is, through artificial insemination and selective breeding, working to develop a strain of bees that checks all of those boxes and is specifically adapted to the climate and needs of Vancouver Island.
B次元官网网址淭he collaboration is really building and what we have now is a group of us up in a mountain yard. IB次元官网网址檓 working with Western Forest Products and IB次元官网网址檝e got quite a group of us up there,B次元官网网址� he explained. B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e about to do a bunch of matingB次元官网网址eB次元官网网址檒l be doing this each year. People will bring the best bees up to the yardB次元官网网址eB次元官网网址檒l continue to select the best of the best, theyB次元官网网址檒l go home with new queens and more nucs to enhance their yards as well as the educational component of it.B次元官网网址�
A nuc, short for nucleus, is a colony of bees that already has a strong queen and eggs. Beekeepers use these to turn into productive hives through their seasons, and can even sell them to other beekeepers to make a bit of extra cash. Glass hopes that through the sale of these nucs and general education to existing and new beekeepers he is able to spread a stronger bee across the island and end beekeepersB次元官网网址� dependence on nucs from other parts of the world.
B次元官网网址淭here are thousands of colonies that come in from New Zealand every year, IB次元官网网址檇 like to see that stop. IB次元官网网址檇 really like to see us get to self-sufficiency on Vancouver Island and B.C. It just makes sense for Vancouver Island to be the bee breeding location for B.C.B次元官网网址�
While the COVID-19 pandemic has taught him some lessons about mother nature and her whims, it has also forced him to look into new ways of helping B.C. beekeepers. Through Ensure Hive Future, Glass has started doing online courses, increased the scope of his research and been able to reach beekeepers that he would not have otherwise.
B次元官网网址淚 just really want to spend far more time personally on the educational side, the selection, genetic and instrumental insemination side,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 taking people and making them not only good at queen rearing, but understanding the difference between queen rearing and queen breeding, and that there is a differenceB次元官网网址hatB次元官网网址檚 the role I want to spend a lot more time on in the future, now that the collaboration has started to grow.B次元官网网址�
So far it has been working. He has seen Varroa resistance grow in the bees heB次元官网网址檚 kept on the Island, and he is seeing the beekeepers heB次元官网网址檚 working with having more and more successful seasons. He is also working on teaching new queen rearers his techniques to help make that end of the endeavour self-sustaining. This year he has partnered with seven bee owners and two commercial apiaries. He would like to see that number bumped up to 20 to 25 next year.
B次元官网网址淲hen I brought the first genetics over to Van Isle in that first year, the girls overwintered very well and their mite loads are much much lighter than normal,B次元官网网址� he said, describing the successes the program has already had. It is not just him that is seeing these successes.
B次元官网网址淭he people that weB次元官网网址檝e worked with have really seen results,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 quite satisfying to see people who have had problems with bee health get to the point where theyB次元官网网址檝e overwintered and can put them up for sale.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淭his project is not about me, itB次元官网网址檚 about the bees and beekeepers in B.C. and other provinces,B次元官网网址� he added. B次元官网网址淭he time is really maturing for all of this, and the only component you need is education.B次元官网网址�
RELATED:
marc.kitteringham@campbellrivermirror.com
Like us on and follow us on
