B.C. Honey Producers' Association holding conference in Vernon this weekend

The Prestige Vernon Lodge will be a bee hive of activity this weekend as the B.C. Honey Producers' Association holds its fall educational conference and annual general.

“Beekeepers in British Columbia live in a paradoxical time. Never has the craft of bee keeping and producing honey been more popular,” the BCHPA said in a news release.

But it also is a time of great challenge and change.

“Whether it is the continuing difficulty of keeping healthy bees, the impacts of wildfires and climate change, or dealing with the increasing demand for local, fresh and raw honey, B.C.’s hobbyist, sideliner and commercial beekeepers face both opportunities and challenges.”

The annual event BCHPA fall education conference and AGM is being held Friday, Saturday and Sunday and will feature speakers and topics that directly apply to the issues B.C.’s thousands of beekeepers deal with every day.

For more than a century the BCHPA has been the representative organization that speaks on behalf of the province’s more than 4,700 registered apiarists.

“Our education conference this year will look at practical solutions for growing healthy livestock and queen bees. The interaction between managed honey bees and wild bees will be discussed. And interprovincial and national concerns around the importation of honey bee stock, the availability of important bee medicines and best management practices are also on the agenda. Industry leaders, researchers and government officials will be there.”

B.C.’s beekeeping industry, aided by a robust BCHPA-operated Tech-Transfer program, is a national participant in areas of honey bee research and management.

The conference will look at some of the many innovative efforts being led by B.C., Canadian and international researchers. The conference trade show will feature some of Canada’s eminent equipment and service companies, and the honey show will feature the province’s best honeys and meads (honey wines).