Honeybees like northern Ontario
About 45 minutes south of North Bay in Restoule, you will find Board's Honey Farm and it goes all the way back to the 1970s.
The six-acre farm has grown into a well-known retailer.
"As soon as people knew that we had honey, it just took off from there. People were wanting us to sell them honey," said owner Jaimie Board.
"It started small, and now we've added many, many products ... We have over 350 different skews on our website. It's quite a large business."
The farm has 12 bee 'yards' where thousands of bees produce honey for most of the year. Each yard has 20-25 hives.
"They have electric fencing for bear protection, and they're all at different farms," Board said.
"We have great partnerships with landowners all the way to the far end of Chisholm, all the way in to Powassan, Restoule, Nipissing and Golden Valley. And now I have new yards in Commanda."
While Board's Honey is known as a commercial bee keeper, there are also small bee keepers in the region like Kathy Hogan, who has a bee yard in Powassan.
"As to the success of being a bee keeper, it's just perseverance," said Hogan.
"You will have good years and you will have bad years and just have to learn, and persevere. It's always a learning game, there's always new things happening and new things to talk about."
Hogan said there are pros and cons to bee farming in the north but said honeybees thrive living in the open fields.
"It's a clean environment," she said. "You don't have the large amounts of monoculture like you do down south, so that's important to the bees."
"They like a whole bunch of variety," Hogan added.
"They like a really nice hay field and Powassan and the north have lots of those available."
Bees live for six weeks in the summer and can survive the whole winter in their hives and underground.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
What to know about avian influenza in dairy cows and the risk to humans
Why is H5N1, or bird flu, a concern, how does it spread, and is there a vaccine? Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions about avian influenza.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
opinion The special relationship between King Charles and the Princess of Wales
Royal commentator Afua Hagan writes that when King Charles recently admitted Catherine to the Order of the Companions of Honour, it not only made history, but it reinforced the strong bond between the King and his beloved daughter-in-law.
New Norad commander calls Canada's defence policy update 'very encouraging'
American troops will be spending more time training in the Far North, the new commander of Norad says, a strategy that fits 'hand-in-glove' with Canada's renewed focus on Arctic defence.
$70M Lotto Max winners kept prize a secret from family for 2 months
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Are Canadians getting sick from expired food?
A new survey by Dalhousie University's Agri-Food Analytics Lab asked Canadians about their food consumption habits amid rising prices.
Documents reveal Ottawa's efforts to get Loblaw, Walmart on board with grocery code
It was evident to the federal government as early as last fall that Loblaw and Walmart might be holdouts to the grocery code of conduct, jeopardizing the project's success.
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
Improve balance and build core strength with this exercise
When it comes to cardiovascular fitness, you may tend to focus on activities that move you forward, such as walking, running and cycling.