The Bee BC program will continue for another three years, with funding announced by the province.
The extension is coming through $225,000 to support community-based projects that promote bee health in the province.
Bee BC program has supported nearly 90 community-led projects since 2018. The application intake for new projects opens today. Organizations can receive up to $7,000 towards projects that promote bee health in the province.
The province says honey bees and native pollinators have a crucial role in B.C.’s sustainable food system and contribute about $250 million to $300 million per year to the provincial economy.
Funding has benefitted beekeepers on the island, including Country Bee Honey Farm. Owner and beekeeper Lindsay Dault says the funding helped them increase knowledge at their farm.
“Country Bee Honey Farm graciously accepted the Bee BC grant in 2021, and this funding was used to purchase plants and seeds to plant a massive variety of flowers to help all sorts of pollinators on the Saanich Peninsula,” said Dault. “It also allowed us to create educational signage and pamphlets to educate guests on our farm for years to come.”
In 2021, 4,300 B.C. beekeepers managed around 62,000 colonies in the province that produced almost two million kilograms of honey.
The province also recently named May 29 as the Day of the Honey Bee in B.C.
