This past winter gave everyone a beating. With its extended stay and constant cold snaps it was annoyance for some, but a liability for others. Beekeepers in the province suffered huge losses this year, whether it be on trend with the average of 35 to 40 per cent losses, or higher than last years.

The Saskatchewan Beekeepers Development Commission is even calling 2017 the worst year in the history of beekeeping in the province.

Staggering losses make it sound like all beekeepers were affected, but one local farm says their losses are below the national average.

Vicky Derkson, Co-Owner of Grandpa's Garden in Caron, said their losses were up to 15 percent compared to 0 percent last year.

Derkson uses their bees to pollinate their garden and also collects their honey, and so far they have had a good year.

"You can say things are actually looking not too bad, right? We had, you know, the bees coming out for lots of good pollination early on, when the first flowers came out. We're thinking its going to be at least and average year."

Another thing attributed to not only losses to beekeepers but the bee population as a whole has been pesticides. Health Canada and many scientists want to phase out pesticides from crops, but Derkson said they're already ahead of the game.

"We've never used pesticides ever since we got [bees], we don't use pesticides that are harmful, we never had," Derkson said. "I think that pesticides cause a great deal of harm and I welcome seeing pesticides being phased out."

While Derkson wasn't too affected by her bee losses, some other Saskatchewan beekeepers expect their operations to return to normal in 2 to 3 years.