Monthly Archives: August 2015

Smoky Bees

Posted on August 26, 2015 by Ron Miksha

My home town – Calgary – is under a smoke advisory. The sky is hazy with smelly gray smoke from the trees, grass, and homes that are on fire down in Washington state. Those fires are about 700 kilometres (500 … Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping, Honey | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

Thistle Bumblebees

Posted on August 21, 2015 by Ron Miksha

Although I have mentioned many times that honey bees are not going extinct (there are actually more kept hives of honey bees today than 10 years ago), I am concerned about wild and native species of bees. Loss of habitat, … Continue reading →

Posted in Ecology, Honey Plants, Save the Bees | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Fair Honey

Posted on August 17, 2015 by Ron Miksha

As a beekeeper, I have always been troubled with the disposal of honey. Invariably, we produced more than we could eat, especially since I ran as many as 2,000 hives. We had to get rid of the excess. Some went … Continue reading →

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Honey Bee Highways

Posted on August 13, 2015 by Ron Miksha

Norway – the 2nd most liveable country in the world* – has yet another feather in its woolly cap. Or super on its hive, if you will. The Norwegians have a Honey Bee Highway.  That’s a trail of flower pots … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, or lack thereof, Ecology, Friends, Honey Plants, Humour, Save the Bees | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

How Honey Bees Discovered Vaccines

Posted on August 8, 2015 by Ron Miksha

Last week, the popular press was claiming that honey bees discovered vaccines millions of years before humans did. It makes great lead paragraphs for news stories, but the tale is slightly off the mark. Honey bees don’t have scientists. They … Continue reading →

Posted in Bee Biology, Diseases and Pests | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Uncommon Ancestory

Posted on August 6, 2015 by Ron Miksha

Creatures change with time. You might believe that God controls, guides, or designs those changes or you may have the opinion that random acts in the environment create mutations which change a species. The former idea is accepted by the … Continue reading →

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Mr Holme’s Bees

Posted on August 2, 2015 by Ron Miksha

Sherlock Holmes is more than an ordinary beekeeper – as you’ll find out in this summer’s new movie, Mr Holmes. I watched it at a Calgary theatre with my wife this evening. I’m glad we went. We don’t get out … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, or lack thereof, Movies, People | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Bees Prey at Church

Posted on August 1, 2015 by Ron Miksha

In one of the most clever news headlines I have ever seen, editor Darcy Cheek of Ontario’s Recorder.ca writes: Honey bees go to Lyn church to prey. Any editor/reporter who can come up with a lede-line like that deserves mention. … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, or lack thereof, Humour, Save the Bees, Strange, Odd Stuff | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment