More beekeepers and more bee colonies in 2024, but less honey and less money

More beekeepers and more bees in 2024 did not translate into more honey production. In fact, honey production fell to its second-lowest level in over a decade, with the usual culprits of unfavourable weather conditions on the Prairies and the deadly varroa mite mainly to blame.

Most beekeepers since the late 1980s

The number of beekeepers in Canada increased for the sixth straight year, rising from 10,523 beekeepers in 2019 to 15,430 in 2024—the most beekeepers we have counted since 1988.

Of note, varroa mites first appeared in Canada one year later, in 1989. Varroa mites are a parasite that is one of the leading causes of bee mortality.

By 1991, the number of beekeepers had fallen by about one-third and the number of colonies had fallen by one-quarter from 1986.

Second-highest number of bee colonies on record

There were 829,120 bee colonies across Canada in 2024, up 2.4% from a year earlier and just below the record high of 834,262 set in 2021.

Ontario (+10,102 colonies to 111,263) saw the largest increase in colonies from a year earlier, while there were fewer bee colonies in Saskatchewan, Quebec and British Columbia.

Largest drop in honey production in over a decade

Honey production fell 18.3% from a year earlier to 78.2 million pounds in 2024, the largest drop since 2007 and the second-lowest production in over a decade. Honey production fell in every province except Prince Edward Island, which accounted for less than 1% of national production.

Over four-fifths of the honey produced in Canada in 2024 came from the Prairie provinces (79.0%). However, Saskatchewan (-33.7%), Manitoba (-21.9%) and Alberta (-9.5%) all reported substantial declines from a year earlier.

Value of honey sold falls to lowest level since 2020

The value of honey sold fell for the second time in three years, falling by one-quarter (-24.5%) year over year to $214,132 million in 2024, the lowest level of sales since 2020.