Research Projects

List of Club Data Collection Initiatives:

Yukon Bloom Calendar Data Collection - Field Report Link
Share your hive inspection reports - Inspection Report Link
Annual Winter Survival Survey - Survey Link

YBC - Yukon Beekeeping Club Research Focus Areas:

Encourage Yukon College/University to start offering a couple of entomology courses. It would be nice to have a grad or two focused on pollinators.

Here are some projects that we would like to initiate over the next few years (by YBC members or in collaboration with other researchers/institutions):

Here is Randy Oliver's guide to conducting Citizen Science research - Scientific Beekeeping

Yukon Disease and Pest Management Program

Basic disease testing, monitoring and tracking
Native pollinator and honey bee interactions
Education program (high school biology projects, grad student pollinator health)
AFB/EFB test kits
Propolis envelop inserts for polystyrene hives

Yukon Forage enhancement Program

Northern Bee Nutrition (Northern pollen nutritional values, probiotics)
Analyze, predict and measure various Yukon landscape honey potentials
Develop native seed bank
Roadside forage improvement program
Land owner forage enhancement initiatives
Recognize bee/pollinator forage as a commercial crop for Ag land transfer agreements
Measure landscape limitations
Yukon Honeydew Honey (Spruce/deciduous tree aphid population dynamics)

Hive Management enhancement program

Wintering standards / improve participation on Wintering Survey
Increase honey yields
Northern queen rearing strategy (shared drone/mating yards) (traits: Pollen, honey, Varroa resistance, hygienic behaviour, docile and wintering)
Single hive management

Technology

Honey bees as sentinel insects - monitor, measure residual and current environmental impacts of industrial activities (Mining, Quarries, Urban) - metals and pollutants - https://science.sciencemag.org/content/227/4687/632
Improve hive monitoring approach for data capture and hive management improvements

Citizen Science

Native Pollinator Surveys/Counts (similar to current bird surveys)
Develop Citizen Science Education Program

Scoring System Used to Rank Proposals example:

(https://www.projectapism.org/request-funding.html)

Funding Options:

Self funded
Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Open to all Yukon Residents - need to be a "producer")
Canadian Bee Research Fund

Citizen Science / Hive Monitoring