Black Spruce Company is a member of the NLBKA - Newfoundland and Labrador Beekeeping Association. Their main objective is to support Bee Health and the Beekeeping Industry in NL.
We believe that education is the key to preserving our highly valued honeybee and other pollinators as well.
This season we were blessed to receive a demonstration hive and an observation hive. Talk about excited! This give YOU an opportunity to get up close and personal with the ladies of the hive and see the inner workings in real time! I have to admit ~ I was beyond excited when I was approached by the association to have such items! I can now visit markets, events and even schools and show them what we, as beekeepers do!
To add to the excitement, I also plan to have a Painted Hive Box Contest! Where anyone can take a box and paint it! These hives will then be posted for viewing and judged. Winners will receive.....hmmmmm...maybe something sweet - made right here in The Big Land!
Getting back to the Association - this group is great! You will find a tremendous amount of support, advice and information. And it gets better! You have 5 different membership levels to choose from - Friend, Individual, Family, Commercial and Associate. Each level has different opportunities but as a member you have access to a full list of resources including webinars, training, network opportunities, etc.
To learn more about the NLBKA and how you can be a member - Check them out here
The NL honeybee is a gentle bee created by a blend of mainly Italian genetic lines with Carniolan, Russian and Buckfast bees. What you get is a friendly, hard working bee that doesn't mind visits. They have a gradual spring build up that suits our weather conditions just fine followed by a blast of summer populations just in time for our short season honey flow. We have NL Bee Company to thank for much of this line as they have been supplying colonies and queen across NL for many years.
Despite our small industry, our bees continue to gain public attention. We are very fortunate - mainly due to our geographic location as we are one of only a select few places left in the world that do not have many of the pests and diseases found elsewhere in the world. Varroa mite, small hive beetle and nosema ceranae are commonly found throughout North America but is something that we have been lucky enough to not have to treat for..... as of yet. For the last number of years, Newfoundland has been drawing attention to its pristine stock from scientists and researchers all over the world. Our populations give insight into what honeybee production was like prior to these diseases and pest - it provides a baseline to compare to going forward.
Buzz growing over Newfoundland's healthy bee population | CBC News
While we have been successful in avoiding these problems this far - it is not something that we should forget about. The question regarding varroa and many other honeybee issues is not about if - its more a question of when. Many feel that it is only a matter of time before varroa makes its way to the island. The NLBKA has been vigilant in their efforts to minimize risk by establishing a Varroa Action Plan. This plan will be our first line of defense against varroa once it is discovered here.
You can find the Varroa Action Plan here