A New Iconic HBRC Facility

We are creating a new, iconic facility for honey bee education, research, advocacy and outreach. It will be a destination; a place of excellence in design, function and research. All in support of the future of honey bees.

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University Of Guelph Honey Bee Research Centre

A Leader In Apiculture, Research And Education

Honey bees play a key role in agricultural productivity and ecosystem sustainability by providing pollination services to crops and wild plants. Our mandate is to help honey bees continue this vital work.

Featured Articles

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  Staff Spotlight – Serena CaustonMarch 29, 2023
  Serena Causton, a second-year Environmental Science student at the University of Guelph, worked full-time with us this past summer. Now working part-time through her study semesters, Serena has proven to be a fantastic addition to the HBRC team.  In first year, she decided to focus on pollinators for one of her research projects. “That project […]
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  Donor Spotlight – Rich Wieske, the MBA, and SEMBAMarch 29, 2023
  Just south of the border, our friends at the Michigan Beekeepers Association (MBA) and the Southeastern Michigan Beekeepers Association (SEMBA) have been hard at work raising funds in support of the HBRC.   Rich Wieske, President of the MBA and Director of SEMBA’s Bee School program, runs the 9-month interactive and educational bee course with 16 […]
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  Our Thorah Island VolunteersMarch 29, 2023
  In addition to the bee yards in and around Guelph, the HBRC also has hives on Thorah and Georgina Island on Lake Simcoe. The island environment is a perfect place for isolated breeding which is essential to our Buckfast breeding program. The HBRC would not be able to keep and maintain these hives without the […]
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  Product Feature – Thorah Island HoneyMarch 29, 2023
  We manage bees on Thorah island for the isolated mating of our Buckfast queens. The drone colonies on the islands are very productive as the conditions on the islands are perfect for bees. The land was once farmed but is now grown over with many different nectar plants. Some years we get lots of honey […]
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  Research Update Winter 2023March 29, 2023
  Effect of diet amendments on health of honey bees (Apis mellifera)  Tests to evaluate the effect of diet amendments on health parameters of honey bees were conducted last Summer and Fall of 2022. We screened several doses of potential beneficial compounds in artificial protein diets provided to caged honey bees as follows: omega 3, 6, […]
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  Hive UpdateMarch 28, 2023
  As of March 22nd, we have not disturbed our bees yet! They were fed and medicated in the Fall, and we are keeping our fingers crossed as the chilly weather continues. We have concerns, however, as many colonies were weaker than what we hoped for in late fall. We moved all the weaker hives inside. […]

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