Sting operation: N.L. beekeeper sounds alarm after queen bee illegally imported by mail

A St. John's beekeeper is sharing the dangers of importing bees through the mail into Newfoundland and Labrador, as the provincial government launches an investigation into a queen bee being imported through Canada Post.

Paul Dinn, beekeeper and co-owner of Adelaide's Newfoundland Honey, said that while importing bees through the mail is common elsewhere in Canada, the practice is illegal in Newfoundland and Labrador in an effortto keep the province's bee populations healthy.

"Here in our province we have a very healthy bee population. We don't want to bring in any unwanted diseases or pests by accident," Dinn said.

"We don't have the rural miteor tracheal mite or greater wax moth, and we also don't have a whole slew of different diseases. We want to be very careful."

WATCH| Beekeeper Paul Dinn speaks with the CBC's Anthony Germain:

Who imported a rogue bee into N.L.?

3 years ago

Duration 3:29

Anthony Germain speaks with Paul Dinn about the illegal importation of a queen bee into Newfoundland and Labrador

The comments come after a report from the Department ofFisheries, Forestry and Agriculture that says a queen bee was recently imported into the province through the mail. In a statement to CBC News on Wednesday, the department said an investigation into the matteris underway.

"Preventative measures for bee keepersis to always be monitoring the health of their colonies.They should also report to FFA any suspected illegal importations," reads the statement.

While Dinn said he believes the importation could be the result of a lack of understanding about the province's bees, N.L. residents who want to keep bees have options.

"We have lots of bees for sale if people want to get into bees. So if they can buy them locally, avoid bringing in something from outside the province, we'd really appreciate it," he said.

"Don't import bees. Don't bring them into the province, it could cause us to lose something very valuable and beautiful that we don't want to see gone."

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