Ontario welcomes new research center focused on honey bees.

The former cramped bungalow has been replaced by a modern 15,000-square-foot facility for the University of Guelph’s Luckevich Pinchin Honey Bee Research Centre (HBRC), which focuses on training future beekeepers. Officially opened this summer, the new centre is a significant upgrade for one of the world’s oldest and most respected honey bee research institutions. John Cranfield, dean of the Ontario Agricultural College, noted that researchers globally come to Guelph due to its extensive collection of honey bee colonies, the largest in North America. This new facility opens at a crucial time for Canadian honey bee populations, which are essential for pollination. Last year, Canada experienced record-high overwinter colony losses, even as the total number of honey bee colonies reached 854,653.