Lethbridge Polytechnic researchers say supporting both managed and wild pollinators can pay dividends in canola production — and the long-term resilience of Alberta agriculture.
Most Alberta growers know bees play an important role in canola production. But many may not realize just how much modern agriculture depends on both managed honeybees and the hundreds of native bee species quietly working alongside them.
That was the message from Lethbridge Polytechnic researchers Jemma Todoschuk and Jessenia Buzunis-Delagreau during Lethbridge Polytechnic’s Field Day, July 14, where they encouraged producers to think beyond honey production and consider pollinators as another valuable part of the agricultural system.
“There are no native honeybee species in Canada,” Todoschuk says. “All of the honeybees we see here were brought to Canada for agricultural purposes.”
Instead, the familiar European honeybee (Apis mellifera) was introduced to pollinate crops such as canola. Because they’re managed by beekeepers, honeybees are considered livestock under Canadian regulations, with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency overseeing imports, exports, and disease management much like cattle or poultry.
Click here to see more...