First case of Zombie fly parasite confirmed in Nanaimo honey bees
NANAIMO — A beekeeper in Nanaimo is the first to document what could be a devastating parasite in Canadian honey bees.
Sarah Wallbank says she noticed bees from her hive were flying erratically at night, persistently circling lights and then dying.
An online check led her to ZomBee Watch and its director, biology professor John Hafernik at San Francisco State University, who tracks the Zombie fly and its parasitic attack on honey bees across North America.
Hafernik says Wallbank’s bees are the first in Canada to be confirmed as infected, although hives are being checked in Victoria and Kelowna.