CFIA says there’s no need to restrict honey bee imports to ward off deadly mite

In this image made from video, bees gather on the frame of a hive box at Michigan State University's Pollinator Performance Center on Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2025, in East Lansing, Mich. (AP Photo/Mike Householder)

OTTAWA — The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says there’s no scientific evidence to suggest Canada should ban imports of honey bees from outside North America.

The CFIA says it’s closely monitoring the tropilaelaps mite, a parasite that has been found in a number of countries across Asia but not in Australia, New Zealand, Italy or Chile.

The agency was responding to a call from the head of the Alberta Beekeepers Commission, who said earlier this week that Canada should stop all imports to keep the pests out.

Canada currently imports worker bees from only four places and the CFIA says exporting countries must certify they’re free of the mite.

It says it will reassess those rules if things change, as it did in 2024 when it determined it couldn’t be sure that Ukraine was completely mite-free and banned imports from that country.

Alberta Conservative MP Arnold Viersen is also calling on the federal government to allow imports of honey bees from the United States, something that has been restricted since 1987.

The CFIA says it has conducted a comprehensive risk analysis of those import restrictions and determined that the risk of bringing in pests and diseases from American worker bees is too high.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 27, 2025.

Sarah Ritchie, The Canadian Press