Invoking a regulation prohibiting the breeding of animals, the municipality of Sainte-Brigitte-de-Laval forced a citizen to urgently get rid of his hive of bees while this same city promotes to save them with the Dandelion challenge.
Jean-Raphaël Fournier-Simoneau bought his first hive last year. He was hit hard by the evil that is decimating the bees and had to buy a new hive for this season.
In mid-May, he received a notice from the municipality giving him only 10 days to get rid of his hive.
Contradiction
“On its website, the municipality wrote that for World Bee Day on May 20, it was very important to let the dandelions grow. But it does not say that we are not allowed to have bees. It’s total nonsense,” plagues Mr. Fournier-Simoneau.
“In Limoilou, you can have beehives on the roof. There are chickens everywhere here. It didn’t bother anyone, I have a large lot, I don’t see my neighbours, ”adds the man who claimed to respect provincial regulations.
The amateur beekeeper finally found a friend in Montmagny to take care of his bees, thus avoiding having to kill them.
It was dressed in his protective gear and with the hive in the trunk of his car that he transported them.
“It’s even more heartbreaking because it was an incomparable honey. In the middle of the mountains, the bees collected the forest flowers. The production was less important, but particular in terms of the super floral taste. It’s sad for a long time, ”he regrets.
The municipality wants to adapt
The 33-year-old man nevertheless perceived that the municipality became aware of the problem after the reactions aroused by his message on Facebook. He was advised that the issue should be resolved in the fall.
The municipality explained to Log that the development plan of the MRC de La Jacques-Cartier considers beekeeping as agriculture with breeding, a use prohibited on the territory.
But the municipality held a public consultation on the first revision of planning regulations in more than 10 years.
“This regulation is of course subject to modifications in order to better adapt to today’s realities surrounding the enthusiasm for the preservation of bees and the keeping of urban hives”, explained Michael Boutin, director of the ‘territory Development.
Jean-Raphaël Fournier-Simoneau fervently hopes that new regulations will be adopted.
“It’s heartbreaking to have lost a season, but at least next year, no beekeeper in Sainte-Brigitte will be put in the way,” he concludes.
Much more than honey producers
The president of the Apiculteurs et Apicultrices du Québec (AADQ), Raphaël Vacher, believes that municipalities with regulations like those of Sainte-Brigitte-de-Laval remain rare, but he regularly receives calls from citizens disappointed at not being able to have hives. .
Are several municipalities closed to beehives?
They are very rare, but that bothers me. I can understand that we must not lose control, but we must also accommodate people. There is nothing more normal than wanting to make a 60-70 pounds of honey behind your house. People started with one hive and now have 200 and have changed jobs. I started with one in 2005 and now have 2000!
How important are bees?
Honey bees are not the only pollinators, but they are the only ones that can be moved. They can have an effect over several kilometres, whereas native bees often have a localized effect over around 200 m and cannot be sufficient for large productions. 35-40% of our food plate depends on pollination and the honey bee is the main pollinator.
Winter mortality should be less than 15%, it was 21% in the last 5 years and 60% this year. Why ?
The Varroa parasite has been in Quebec for 30 years, but last year it had an exponential development with the heat and the early spring. Unlike other years, mortality affects professionals more than amateurs. Large farms, which also lack manpower, may have used the same recipe as usual against Varroa while the latter was more aggressive. It is also estimated that pesticides are responsible for 10% of losses, concentrated during sowing in May.
Is it a good idea to have a beehive behind your house?
I welcome the presence of small producers. But someone who doesn’t know how to take care of their hive can be a Varroa spreader. It’s not by having a hive that you save the bees. You have to start with a course and find someone who has experience to support you.
Bee production in 2021 in Quebec
- 1700 producers, 90% for pleasure
- 1200 amateur producers have 10 hives or less
- 65,000 hives count from 15,000 at 80,000 bees each
- Between 1 and 5 billion bees depending on the time of the season
Source: Quebec beekeepers (AADQ)
Reference-www.journaldequebec.com