Mites decimating W. Canadian honeybees

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 9 (UPI) -- Canadian commercial beekeepers on Vancouver Island say a pesticide-resistant mite has nearly obliterated the number of cultivated honeybee hives.

Among beekeepers interviewed by The (Vancouver) Province, one reported being down to 15 colonies from 275 three years ago and another reduced to one colony from 18 last year.

The source of the problem is the varroa mite, which attacks the bees and weakens their immune systems, causing deformed wings, the report said. The mites have become resistant to several pesticides.

Apart from drastic reductions in honey production, there's concern about how crops will be pollinated, the newspaper said.

Since the early 1990s, Vancouver Island has been prohibited from importing bees from other parts of Canada and keepers have been using bees from South America to bolster their colonies.

However, beekeeper Sol Nowitz told the newspaper it's time to reconsider the quarantine, as bees from elsewhere in Canada are better able to adapt to British Columbia's climate.

"The amount of bees that have been lost is just phenomenal," Nowitz said. "It's the biggest catastrophe to kill bees on the Island ever."