A look inside the hive: celebrating honey bee research at two Canadian universities

There, researchers dedicate their work to helping honey bees fulfil their role as key pollinators.  Without their foraging — which involves the cross-pollination of flowering plants and fruit blossoms — most of the pollination from flowering plants would not take place; thus, resulting in an overall decline of necessary human-reliant crops.  

With a long history of apiculture research and education, the University of Guelph has become widely renowned for its beekeeping practices.  Mr. Kelly — who has spent 40 years as manager of the honey bee research centre at the University of Guelph — says his career in the beekeeping industry has been truly rewarding. “The highlight of my career is the people that I’ve had the privilege of working with… So many young students and interns getting their first exposure to bees, volunteering with us to learn more, becoming employees, and then establishing careers as beekeepers, bee researchers or using the skills learned here at the HBRC in other fields.” 

Bee Fact

While worker bees—the females—only live up to 40 days, a colony of honey bees in early spring can house up to 15,000 bees and reach between 50,000 and 80,000 by the peak of the summer. At MacEwan University, where they manage eight hives, Troy Donovan, Head Beekeeper, remarked “when all the hives are full and they’re just producing honey and going full speed, then it could be closer to a million bees.”

With an increase in abnormal weather patterns, the problem has only been exacerbated. [As for climate change] “It’s not warm temperatures that are much of a problem for us, but it’s wonky weather—like when it’s really dry and the plants dry up…there’s no nutrition for bees. And, if we have a really early spring, that can be great for our bees, but it also means it’s great for the parasite that thrives on them,” explained Mr. Kelly.

To tackle the parasite, researchers at the centre have been busy investigating a variety of naturally occurring treatments. “Right now, we’re working on essential plant oils and their effect against parasitic mites—and that’s been going on for about fifteen years,” remarked Mr. Kelly. “We’re using the oils from the plant thyme, oregano, [and] (to some extent) clove, but we’re also using organic acids, formic acid, and oxyacid.” Their primary goal is to find natural materials that can kill the mite but pose no threat to the bee.  

Did You Know?

Honey Bee beekeeping has existed in North America since it was first introduced by early settlers to tackle the limited and expensive supply of sugar. Today, the many advances in honey bee agriculture have allowed the practice to grow exponentially across Canada.

The initiative began modestly. As Mr. Donovan recalls, “we kicked off the process very small—just four hives at the start—and then when the first honey harvest came, of course everyone was like “I want some, I want some”.”  

The honey was an instant hit and “for the first three, four, five years, it sold out within seconds!” With the help of collaborators, they were able to sell a variety of things, from lip balms, to candles, and even honey beer. Beer, he says “has been the most consistent for the last couple of years.”  

With a growing demand for honey, the project started to expand with the help of students and faculty volunteers. “[We’re] typically a team of three or four [but] we’ve expanded it to a team of six now with some good tools around organization,” says Mr. Donovan.

Today, it has developed from four to eight hives; last year alone, the university harvested a record of over 70 kilograms of honey.  

For Mr. Donovan, however, the work extends well beyond harvesting. “My job is to keep the bees alive all summer, stop them from swarming, and then put them safely into winter—because they stay [in their hives] on the roof all winter long.”  

While beekeeping is not offered as a course at MacEwan, the project has increasingly attracted the attention of students and faculties for research and development purposes. As some scholars analyze the scientific properties of honey, others use the project as an opportunity to educate younger generations of children about what it means to care for our environment. 

Beekeeping in Canada

Although the majority of honey bee colonies are kept in the prairie provinces, the highest proportion of beekeepers operate in Ontario and British Columbia—“managing 24% of the national total of colonies” (2025). In Alberta—home MacEwan University—the total number of beekeepers in 2025 was 1,630; in Ontario—where the University of Guelph can be found—the final count totaled 5,195.

Inside the Hive

Not every bee in a hive has the same role. In a single colony, the bees with the most responsibility are the female worker bees; they collect food and water, build combs, raise larvae, protect the hive, and care for the queen. Male honey bees, on the other hand, serve one purpose: to mate with queen’s from outside their colony. During breeding season, drones can travel up to five kilometres to areas known as “drone congregation sites,” where they come together in search of a new queen.