02/13/2026
Don Paul started keeping bees in 1984 with 4 Hives in Thrums BC, this grew to 20 in 4 different apiaries around the Castlegar Nelson area of the West Kootenays. He also took hives into the forests where fireweed grows. For 20 years his bees thrived avereging 500lbs of honey a year. A sweet hobby that paid for itself. In 1998 the Varoa mite came up the Columbia river Valley from overwintered hives in the State of Washington. The tracheal mite had already been weakening honey bees in the Kootenays. He lost all his hives three times over the next six years. Eventually selling all his equipment to another local beekeeper who had managed to keep his bees with Varroa.
When he discovered Newfoundland had clean bees (NO VARROA). After retiring from the Pulp Mill in Castlegar he moved to Fogo Island in 2015. Then with some new equipment from Trever Tuck and after a few years on the NUC waiting lists before he got his first bees from Newfoundland Beekeeping Company and brought them to Fogo. In 2019 he joined the NLBKA and attended the AGM and workshops that led to the Varroa Action Plan. He has been acquiring bees from all over Newfoundland and breeding Queens and NUCs for himself and a few choice locals so far. Having six apiaries around Change and Fogo Island with 20 hives its about right for the Fogo Island Beekeeper. A small time operation that is focusing on the Bake apple honey that is out of this world wonderful.🐝
