Spring OBA Conference 2024

What does this picture have to do with the spring conference? Nothing, except that I left my husband home to do all of the work.

Spring OBA Conference 2024

I was very excited after last fall’s conference. I am sure I was one of the first 10 people to sign up for the spring conference. I also chose to stay in a hotel even though the conference was only 2 hours away. These events are tiring and you do not want to be too tired to talk to people and learn. The people from the Hamilton area are more willing to chat with us and discuss methods. They were also more willing to say ‘I do not know’ instead of trying to talk about what they do.

They did talk briefly about going commercial, but the presentation was lacking. At least, from 30 years as a systems analyst I found it talked about WHAT to do, but not HOW to do it. (edit fall 2024: I came back to add that if you want to jump from 30 – 100 hives in one year you better have about 30k to invest. You will need a lot more sugar than you expected, and you will need at least 300 boxes, 100 lids, and 30000 frames. Your bees are not going to build 30000 frames this year, but you will need them. )

I spent a lot of time chatting with Erica Shelly from Best for Bees, who invented ProtectabEE entrance. We had a great chat with both of us taking notes on new ideas we want to research. It’s hard to find someone who is focused on data, the numbers, and the long term outcomes.

I will admit that I came away from my chats with Erica with a paradigm shift in my research focus. Now I do not listen to any research or beekeeper who doesn’t talk about their survival rates, the outcomes of their methods, increases or decreases in pathogens and hive populations. I haven’t been listening to the ‘general concensous’ theories for years because the ‘My good enough is good enough’ personal belief is overwhelming in the bee industry.

One lecture/product I didn’t like was the discussion about DNA manipulation to kill varroa mites. It brings up the line from Jurassic Park which states that people shouldn’t focus on ‘can we do it’ but ‘should we do it.’ Just think about GMOs, Teflon, bleach, margarine as examples of times when science believed the product was safe, only to find out after the damage was irreversible that the impact was devastating.

There is no Normal in beekeeping because people are all making decisions based on emotions, and what they want, not what is best for the bees. Today people make decisions based on how they feel, not facts and proof. As long as this continues we will continue to see 50% winter losses, absconding, and bees that mysteriously die, or vanish.

I applaud the OBA’s attempt to create a new Normal. Their dedication to finding solutions that work in Ontario, and work in alignment with nature as we see it in Ontario. If we believe that it is possible to overwinter 100% of our hives, and to keep bees healthy, then we will work towards that goal. ‘Failure to plan is a plan to fail.’ Or, ‘Success is a habit.’

I believe that if Ontario beekeepers keep moving from one success to the next, then our goals of healthy hive colonies will be achieved.

If I can pass on one piece of advice to all beekeepers with only one to five hives, join the OBA. Take the time to learn. You are part of the agricultural system, which I must admit is currently broken. You can be the solution. You have an integral role to play.

All in all, the conference was a success. I love the set up, and the comfortable surroundings. The food was amazing. I left, exhausted, with over 50 pages of notes, and new theories to research and try out.

Edit October 2024 – I was reading through this and it hit me how the bee industry just repeats bad practices. When you follow dozens of conferences world wide, yes, I spend a lot of time watching YouTube, you start to see trends. For example, The US beekeepers talk about packages and the fact that they don’t live long.

They buy a package, build it up, and are happy if it lives through one pollination season. They are always requeening from local stock because they take it for granted that purchased queens are poorly bred, etc. But, the Canadian government is thinking about opening the borders despite tracheal mite and new virus loads. Why? Support the local growers and breeders who have worked for 10 years. Yes they are expensive now because they need to cover costs, but if we normalize buying local then the price will come down. I have seen that work in several industries over the last 35 years.