Reverend William F. Clarke, founder of the Ontario Agricultural College (OAC), was a beekeeper himself. He recognized the need for an agricultural school in Ontario and thus, the OAC was established in 1874. Just 20 years later, the first apiculture classes were taught—marking this year as our 130th anniversary!
Since then, our operations have greatly expanded. Our research is primarily focused on honey bee health. In particular, our team has been working hard to investigate the effects of the Varroa destructor and Nosema spp., and methods of treatment. We also conduct research on methods for sustainable beekeeping, including overwintering techniques and our isolated Buckfast breeding programs out on Lake Simcoe.
In addition, we provide over 300 tours, presentations, and demonstrations each year to varied audiences; from school groups to professional beekeepers. Our YouTube Beekeeping series has over 20 million views and we currently offer two courses, one through the University on apiculture and honey bee biology, as well as an Introductory Beekeeping course involving lectures, demonstrations, and hands-on experiences.
With this growth, we will soon be moving to a state-of-the-art facility. This year, we celebrate our 130-year anniversary, and with this new building, we look forward to many more years of apiculture research and education!
