Canadian honey is recognized worldwide to be of the highest quality. Vast expanses of canola, clover and alfalfa provide foraging for bees and results in a mild, white honey that is sold at premium prices to more than 30 countries. The outlook for honey production in Canada is promising with large increases in canola production adding to the foraging area for bees. The Canadian honeybee industry is almost totally self-sufficient, however, it imports, under permit, about 100,000 to 150,000 queen bees each year from Hawaii, New Zealand and Australia. The Canadian border has been closed to honeybee imports from the continental United States since 1987, when a pest called the varroa parasitic mite was first detected.
Some provinces also regulate transport of honeybees to prevent the spread of the mite.
Canada is monitoring the Africanized honeybee found in Central and South America, and now entering the United States. This breed is known to be very aggressive and potentially harmful for beekeepers and the public. CFIA regulates the production and packing of domestic and exported honey, through the Honey Regulations of the Canada Agricultural Products Act. Producers and packagers must conform to very specific regulations about labels they put on their products. CFIA inspectors check to see that labels are honest and accurate.