Bee Diagnostic Services for Canada

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Canadian beekeepers manage 750,000 hives for honey production and pollination services, contributing over $4 billion to the Canadian agriculture industry. Beekeepers require healthy and strong colonies. Since winter 2007\2008, overwintering hive losses have consistently exceeded the 10% to 15% rate needed to remain sustainable. In 2011, regional beekeepers asked Grande Prairie Regional College for specialized diagnostics services. The National Bee Diagnostic Centre (NBDC) opened as a Technology Access Centre (TAC) in April 2013. The state-of-the-art laboratory provides timely, accurate, reliable and confidential diagnostic services needed by beekeepers to make sound management decisions, remain productive and competitive. Beekeepers rely on NBDC-TAC to develop innovative techniques and then the services that will meet the emergent bee health and related market challenges. The renewed NBDC-TAC is enhancing applied research support to industry and bee researchers. It will formalize its molecular diagnostic course, develop related hive health management short courses, and reshape its high-value learn while you work student experience. NBDC-TAC contributes directly towards a sustainable, dynamic, healthy and profitable Canadian beekeeping industry.