Sask. beekeepers hope to avoid sting of killer parasite, tariffs on honey production [Video]

Simon Lalonde warns the guests touring his apiary that the yellowish goo his bees are depositing on their clothes isn’t honey.

It’s basically bee poop, Lalonde says.

It’s a sunny spring day at From Hives to Honey, an apiary a short drive from Clavet, Sask., and the bees are leaving their hives for the first time since hibernation.

“They’re doing their cleansing flights, which is … they haven’t been able to go to the bathroom since November of last year,” Lalonde said.

“They’re stretching their wings again. They’ll start drinking some water, they’ll start working different protein sources just to get the hive up and running. So these first few days are going to be huge to get the hive working to increase their population.”