Canadian beekeepers’ 2007 honey crop is over 40 per cent smaller than the record production in 2006 and about 27 per cent below the five-year average, according to preliminary counts from Statistics Canada.
The federal statistician on Friday reported that the preliminary numbers put national honey production for 2007 at 61.4 million pounds, down from 106.6 million in 2006 and the 2002-06 average of 83.9 million.
Yields per colony dropped to about 111 pounds of honey per hive, the lowest level in 15 years. The number of colonies was down 11.6 per cent to 555,471, but colony splitting helped Canada’s 5,534 beekeepers to maintain the number of managed hives, although those hives usually yield less honey, StatsCan noted.
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Most provinces pointed to above-normal winter losses for the drop in production, along with other factors such as weather, pests and fewer available nectar sources.
The three Prairie provinces, collectively, produced over 85 per cent of Canada’s honey in 2007. Alberta production year-over-year was down 41 per cent at 27.5 million pounds; Saskatchewan yielded 12.8 million pounds, down 49 per cent; and Manitoba harvested 12.2 million pounds, down 35 per cent.
Most other provinces reported a similar story, although Nova Scotia’s production was up 10 per cent at 700,000 pounds, and Prince Edward Island’s production was down just 7.2 per cent at 51,000 pounds.
Maple products
Production of maple products (syrup, maple sugar and maple butter) was also down about 13 per cent in 2007, StatsCan estimated.
Poor weather conditions in Quebec, by far the largest producer of maple products, led to a 14.3 per cent drop in production there to 4.7 million gallons compared to 2006. Production in Ontario and Nova Scotia was up slightly at 224,000 gallons and 27,000 gallons respectively, while New Brunswick production fell 11 per cent to 226,000 gallons.
Despite the drop in volume, StatsCan observed, prices in Quebec were unchanged at $31 per gallon. Overall gross value of Canadian maple products was down 10 per cent year-over-year at $168.3 million.
