Alberta offering Bee Overwintering Insurance Program

Alberta’s commercial beekeepers have a June 20 deadline to sign on to the province’s Overwintering Insurance Program.The program provides coverage for the loss of bees in excess of normal losses resulting from naturally occurring perils beyond management control. Eligible perils include adverse weather, disease and pest infestations.Commercial beekeepers with more than 100 hives and registered under the Bee Act are eligible for the insurance program. This includes both honey and pollination producers. The hives must be overwintered within the province.The program is being offered through the Agriculture Financial Services Corporation (AFSC), a provincial crown corporation.