The president of the Ontario Beekeepers Association says his members are spending a lot of time preparing their colonies for the winter.
Tibor Szabo says that includes eliminating their weaker hives in the fall and putting their stronger hives together for the winter.
He suggests that's likely one of the reasons the provincial winter-kill numbers are down 20 points from a year ago.
However, a national survey says Ontario's 38 per cent losses are the highest in the country.
The national average is about 16 per cent.
Szabo blames it on neonic-treated seeds.
He argues that while other provinces use neonic-treated canola, Ontario farmers plant most of the country's corn and soybeans - and most of those seeds are neonic-treated.
He also contends fields with corn one year, soybeans the next will build up more the pesticide than fields which use canola with other non-neonic treated crops in the rotation.
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OBA President Tibor Szabo blames it on neonic treated corn and soybean seeds.
[audio mp3="http://blackburnnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/SZABO-Bees-1.mp3"][/audio]
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Szabo says some of the year over year drop in losses comes from changes in what beekeepers are doing.
[audio mp3="http://blackburnnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/SZABO-Bees-2.mp3"][/audio]
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Szabo says beekeepers are spending a lot of time preparing their colonies for winter and watching where they put them in the summer, too.
[audio mp3="http://blackburnnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/SZABO-Bees-3.mp3"][/audio]
