Beekeepers name for import ban on non-North American bees as lethal mite spreads

Canadian beekeepers are sounding the alarm a few pest that’s spreading in elements of Asia, and calling on the federal authorities to take motion.

A bunch representing the Canadian Beekeepers Federation and the Alberta Beekeepers Fee was on Parliament Hill as we speak as a part of a lobbying effort.

They’re alarmed by the unfold of the tropilaelaps mite, a parasite that may be devastating to pollinators.

In line with the Canadian Cattleman’s Affiliation, the mite’s unfold wouldn’t solely devastate beekeepers but additionally agriculture extra broadly as a result of honey bees are essential pollinators of many crops.

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The president of the Alberta Beekeepers Fee says Canada ought to halt all imports of bees from exterior North America to forestall the pest from spreading right here.

Honeybees are usually not native to Canada and so they battle to outlive the winter, so bee imports are essential to the business’s survival.

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Alberta Conservative MP Arnold Viersen says he additionally desires imports from the US to renew — one thing Canada has banned for years due to different pests.

With recordsdata from International Information.

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