In Canada, the cold weather can be challenging for beekeepers, as a recent report highlighted that more than 41% of honeybee colonies in Alberta failed in the winter of 2025. To tackle this issue, Beekeeping Innovations Ltd., based in the Calgary area, has introduced a unique solution known as the Bee Cube. This innovative apiary features a fully climate-controlled environment that can accommodate multiple honeybee colonies and was developed in Okotoks.
The primary objective of the Bee Cube, according to Herman Van Reekum, the company’s founder and CEO, is to ensure bees can survive the winter comfortably. Additionally, the Bee Cube offers a promising opportunity to revolutionize Canada’s beekeeping industry by focusing on queen bee production.
Van Reekum emphasized the significance of producing queens in large numbers within a secure and cost-effective system to reduce the reliance on importing foreign queen bees. Currently, Canadian beekeepers heavily depend on importing approximately 300,000 queen bees annually from regions like Australia, New Zealand, California, and Hawaii. Importing foreign bees not only poses challenges in adapting to new environments but also raises the risk of introducing harmful pests such as varroa mites, which have caused significant damage to honeybee populations globally.
Van Reekum pointed out the potential threat of the Tropilaelaps mite, a highly destructive pest that, although not yet established in North America, has been detected in honeybee colonies across Asia, Europe, and Africa. To mitigate such risks, the focus is on breeding local queens to enhance resilience against mite infections and develop bees with genetic traits for surviving harsh Canadian winters.
The process of creating queens involves selecting a larva and feeding it royal jelly to trigger its development into a queen bee. Each hive typically has one queen bee responsible for laying eggs and maintaining the colony. To produce more queens, beekeepers transfer queen cells from one hive to a queenless colony, monitor the acceptance of larvae by the bees, and ensure the emergence of new queens without conflict.
By breeding resilient queens that can withstand Canadian winters, Beekeeping Innovations Ltd. aims to enhance the genetic strength of honeybee colonies. The company produced around 800 queens last year and has set a goal of producing 5,000 queens this year.
Alberta stands out as Canada’s leading honey producer, with nearly 40% of the country’s bee colonies located in the province. The honey industry in Alberta plays a vital role in the national economy, with the 2025 honey harvest valued at $241 million. In addition to honey production, Canadian beekeeping significantly contributes to agricultural pollination services, supporting various crops and generating substantial economic impact for farmers.
Overall, the efforts to promote local queen bee production not only aim to safeguard honeybee populations but also underscore the crucial role of bees in sustaining agricultural productivity through pollination services.
