Overview

Any person who owns or is in possession of honey bees or used beekeeping equipment in Ontario is legally required to have a valid certificate of registration. Certificates are issued by the Ontario government’s Apiary Program.

You must regularly renew your certificate of registration before it expires to ensure that it remains valid for as long as you keep bees or possess used beekeeping equipment.

Proof of registration also allows you to apply for permits or funding programs and to receive honey bee inspection services from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness (OMAFA).

Regulatory requirements under the Ontario Bees Act

The Bees Act is the legislation that regulates beekeeping in Ontario.

The main purpose of the Act is to protect the health of honey bees and it includes requirements for obtaining a certificate of registration from the Provincial Apiarist.

Certificate of registration

A registration certificate will display:

  • beekeeper ID number (unique to each registered beekeeper)
  • beekeeper or business name
  • beekeeper or business address
  • total number of registered honey bee colonies
  • total number of registered bee yards
  • registration certificate expiry date

Beekeeper ID number

Every registered beekeeper is issued a beekeeper ID number that is unique to them.

Beekeeper ID numbers cannot be duplicated, shared or passed on. If beekeeping operations are transferred to a new owner/beekeeper (for example, when sold or inherited), the new owner must register and have their own beekeeper ID number assigned.

Who needs to register

A beekeeper is any person who owns or is in possession of honey bees (Apis mellifera) or used beekeeping equipment in Ontario.

You must register if you are a:

  • legal owner or possessor of honey bees or used beekeeping equipment
  • corporate entity that maintains ownership of honey bee colonies and rents them out to businesses or individuals
  • corporate entity that possesses honey bees to redistribute or sell to customers

Who does not need to register

You do not need to register if you are:

  • an individual who rents honey bees
  • an individual who is in possession of new beekeeping equipment for the purpose of transportation, distribution or sale
  • a manufacturer of new beekeeping equipment

When to register

New beekeepers (those registering with OMAFA for the first-time) can register just prior to purchasing or obtaining honey bee colonies at anytime of the year.

If you have obtained honey bees, and are not registered, you must apply for a certificate of registration as soon as possible.

Required information for registration

You must provide your contact information and bee yard information. This allows the Apiary Program to contact you and, if required, to locate the bee yard(s) for inspection.

Beekeeper contact information

You must provide the following contact information:

  • your first and last name
  • phone number
  • mailing address
  • email address (optional, but recommended)
  • business name for your beekeeping operation (if applicable)
  • CRA business number (if registering a beekeeping business)

Multiple beekeeping operations

If you choose to provide your email address for registration and you need to register multiple beekeeping operations, you must provide a different email address for each of your registrations.

Bee yard information

You must provide the following information for each bee yard containing honey bees or used beekeeping equipment:

  • number of honey bee colonies in the yard
  • physical address of the yard
  • landowner name
  • landowner phone number or email address

GPS coordinates are useful, but they are not required. If you provide coordinates, ensure they are formatted in decimal degrees (for example, 45.7811111° N; 108.5038888° W).

AgMaps

AgMaps is an interactive online mapping tool that provides location information, such as GPS coordinates, lot and concession, roll number and more.

It can be useful to help you identify the physical address and other location details of your bee yard.

To identify the location of your bee yard in AgMaps:

  1. Launch AgMaps in your internet browser.
  2. Navigate to the "Markup & Printing” tab near the top of the page.
  3. Select the "Create Map" button.
  4. Choose "Bee Yard Registration Sketch" under the "Select Type of Map" list.
  5. Select the "Pin" icon found in the left-hand column. This will allow you to click a point on the map to auto-populate information about the chosen location.
  6. Locate your bee yard on the map and select the location. Various fields of information, such as Lot and Concession, will automatically populate into the left-hand column. By this point, you should see all the location information that is required to register your bee yard. Proceed to the next step if you wish to export the location information and the map for your records.
  7. Fill in any missing information about the bee yard in the left-hand column. Once all the information is entered click "Export Map."
  8. The system will create a printable map. When the file is ready, click "Open File." The map will open in a new window.
  9. In the new window, you can select to print or save your map.

Apply for a certificate of registration (first-time registration)

To apply for a certificate of registration, the beekeeper registration form needs to be completed and submitted to the Apiary Program. You may apply by submitting the beekeeper registration form in 1 of the following manners:

  • online
  • in PDF or paper format through email, fax or mail

Online

  1. Go to the Beekeeper Registration web form.
  2. Complete the form by inputting the required information.
  3. Submit the form.

PDF or paper form

If you prefer to download and fill out a PDF or paper form, you may submit it by email, fax or mail.

  1. Download the Beekeeper Registration form (PDF) or contact the Apiary Program to request a paper form.
  2. Complete the form by inputting the required information.
  3. Submit the form through 1 of the following:
    • email: BeekeeperRegistration@ontario.ca
    • fax: 226-314-0983
    • mail:

      Apiary Program
      Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness
      Animal Health and Welfare Branch
      1 Stone Road West, 5th Floor NW
      Guelph, ON N1G 4Y2

After you apply

If your registration form is missing any required information, we will send it back to you to make revisions.

If you provided an email on your registration form, the Apiary Program will email you an electronic copy of your certificate of registration.

If you did not provide an email on your registration form, the Apiary Program will mail you a physical copy of your certificate of registration.

Certificate of registration expiry

An expiration date is printed on each certificate of registration issued by the Apiary Program.

The length of time for which a registration certificate is valid depends on the total number of colonies operated by the beekeeper at the time of registering:

  • beekeepers with 50 or more colonies at the time of registration are issued a registration certificate that is valid for 1 calendar year
  • beekeepers with fewer than 50 colonies at the time of registration are issued a registration certificate that is valid for 3 calendar years

If your colony count increases

If you have a valid three-year registration, and your colony count increases to 50 or more hives, the Apiary Program will issue you a revised certificate of registration which expires at the end of the calendar year in which the colony count increased to 50 or more.

Renewal reminders

Every year, between the last week of October and the first week of November, the Apiary Program sends out renewal reminders to beekeepers whose registrations are expiring at the end of the calendar year.

Renewal reminders are sent by mail, or email if you provided an email address on your registration form.

Renew a certificate of registration

Plan ahead and renew your registration early to avoid potential disruptions to your operation. Registrations can be renewed up to 60 days before the expiry of your certificate.

Renewing your certificate of registration before it expires will:

  • increase the likelihood that your certificate will be issued before the start of the following beekeeping season
  • allow you to view active yards if using the Beekeeper Portal for updating information for registration purposes

You may renew your registration either:

  • through the Beekeeper Portal (shortest processing time)
  • online
  • submitting a PDF or paper form through email, fax or mail

Beekeeper portal

Registration renewals submitted through the Beekeeper Portal have the shortest processing time.

The Beekeeper Portal will only allow you to renew your registration on or after November 1, and only if your registration is scheduled to expire.

  1. Sign into the Beekeeper Portal.
  2. Select “Renew My Registration” in the navigation bar.
  3. Follow the instructions to review and input the required information.
  4. Submit the form.

Watch a video tutorial on how to renew your beekeeper registration using the Beekeeper Portal.

Online

  1. Go to the Beekeeper Registration web form.
  2. Complete the form by inputting the required information.
  3. Submit the form.

PDF or paper form

  1. Download the Beekeeper Registration form (PDF) or contact the Apiary Program to request a paper form.
  2. Complete the form by inputting the required information.
  3. Submit the form through 1 of the following:
    • email: BeekeeperRegistration@ontario.ca
    • fax: 226-314-0983
    • mail:

      Apiary Program
      Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness
      Animal Health and Welfare Branch
      1 Stone Road West, 5th Floor NW
      Guelph, ON N1G 4Y2

After you renew

If you provided an email in your application, the Apiary Program will email you an electronic copy of your certificate of registration.

If you did not provide an email in your application, the Apiary Program will mail you a physical copy of your certificate of registration.

Fees

There is no fee for registration or renewal.

Processing times

The Apiary Program processes registration applications on a first-come, first-served basis. It may take several weeks before your application is processed due to high volume.

Applications submitted before October 1

If you submit a beekeeper registration form by email, fax or mail before October 1 of a given year, your application will be processed for that calendar year.

Applications submitted after October 1

If you submit a beekeeper registration form by email, fax or mail on or after October 1 of a given year, your application will be held until November 1 and processed for the following beekeeping season.

If you need your form processed immediately, contact the Apiary Program to provide a reason.

Ask OMAFRA Beekeeper Portal

Login to the My Ontario website to access the Beekeeper Portal.

In October 2017, OMAFA launched the Ask OMAFRA Beekeeper Portal, an online platform which provides beekeepers with 24/7 access to bee-related services. Since the launch of the Beekeeper Portal, numerous updates and improvements have been made. The Portal allows beekeepers to:

  • apply for beekeeper registration renewal
  • add new bee yards to a registration or update previously registered bee yards and beekeeper contact information at any time
  • apply for Queen and Nuc Permits
  • view the status of permit and registration applications
  • view and download current inspection reports, Queen and Nuc Permits and registration certificates

How to enroll in the Beekeeper Portal

For previously registered beekeepers only (not first-time registrants or new beekeepers), enrolling in the Beekeeper Portal is a two-step process:

  1. Visit the Beekeeper Portal login page to begin the process of creating your My Ontario account. My Ontario is the Ontario government's online access point for a variety of online services. For detailed instructions on how to create a My Ontario account, please refer to the Ask OMAFRA Beekeeper Portal user guide.
  2. Use your one-time account set-up number from OMAFA to access the Beekeeper Portal for the first time. Refer to the Ask OMAFRA Beekeeper Portal user guide for information how to get an account number.

For help with My Ontario account set-up or the Beekeeper Portal, contact the Ask OMAFRA Beekeeper Portal support team by emailing Ask.OMAFRA.Portal@ontario.ca.

Update your registration information

Beekeepers who have been issued a registration certificate should provide the Apiary Program with updated information on their bee yard locations, colony numbers and contact information, should they change at any point prior to the expiry of the registration certificate.

OMAFA apiary inspectors will not attend a bee yard for a requested inspection (such as an inspection for a permit or a pest/disease concern) if the beekeeper does not hold a valid registration or if the necessary information (such as the bee yard address) is absent or incomplete. It is the beekeeper’s responsibility to keep their registration information accurate and up to date with OMAFA.

Examples and guidance for maintaining accurate registration information

Bee yards: When a registered beekeeper places colonies in a new or unregistered bee yard, the beekeeper must add this yard to their registration immediately by communicating this change in writing (mail or email) to the Apiary Program or by submitting the new yard details via the Beekeeper Portal.

Honey bee colonies: The number of colonies operated by beekeepers may fluctuate throughout the season. Beekeepers are required to provide accurate colony counts for each of their bee yards when renewing their registration. Beekeepers may also update OMAFA at any time with information they deem important for their records or activities.

Here are some examples of parameters where a beekeeper should look to update the Apiary Program immediately with regards to their colony counts:

  • for a commercial beekeeper (those beekeepers operating 50 or more colonies):
    • an increase or decrease of 30% or more of the colonies within their operation
  • for a non-commercial beekeeper (those beekeepers operating 49 or fewer colonies):
    • an increase or decrease of 70% or more of the colonies within their operation if already under 10 colonies
    • 50% or more of the colonies within their operation if already at 10 colonies or more
    • an increase to 50 or more colonies within their operation

Ownership changes

If there are changes to the legal ownership of the bees (for example, a divorced couple), you must update the registry and the certificate of registration.

If you need to remove an owner from the record, you must provide confirmation from all parties and/or some form of written proof to the Apiary Program.

Contact us

If you have questions or need help, contact the Apiary Program: