Honey bee shortage could pose 'challenge' for wild blueberry growers
CBC
The end of August typically brings an abundance of wild blueberries in the province. And if you ask second-generation commercial beekeeper Chris Lockhart, New Brunswickers have honey bees to thank.
"They say one in every three bites of food has to do with pollination," said Lockhart, who is the owner of Lockhart Apiaries.
That's why blueberry growers rent honey bee colonies from Lockhart and other beekeepers, who bring worker bees to pollinate their fields each year in May.
The process is vital to ensuring a hearty crop for August, he said.
"For the blueberry growers, absolutely; that is their biggest investment, is pollinators."
But Lockhart said the wild blueberry industry is growing so fast that beekeepers in the province can't provide enough pollinators to meet demand.
"It could stunt the growth of the blueberry industry," he said. "If they don't have pollinators then what's the sense in growing blueberries? It's just not economical at that point."
Lockhart's company, which also makes products through Atlantic Gold Honey, manages around 1,000 colonies and sends almost all of them to blueberry fields. In recent years, he has turned away growers asking for more.
"That demand is just going to go up, and trying to fulfil it is going to be a challenge for the blueberry growers."
As wild blueberry growers have been gaining access to new Crown land across the province, Lockhart said some have no choice but to look outside of the province for help.
According to data from N.B. Blueberries, wild blueberry production in the province is trending upward.
Despite a lagging harvest last year due to heavy rain, New Brunswick produced 38 million kilograms of wild blueberries in 2022. That's up from 25 million kilograms in 2021.
While no one from the Department of Agriculture, Aquaculture and Fisheries was made available for an interview, its website states that the province has about 10,000 registered bee colonies.
Lockhart said blueberry growers have been looking to other provinces for more.
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