Author Archives: Ron Miksha
Riot police battle beekeepers
These Chilean beekeepers chose the wrong place to set 60 colonies of bees. Or maybe the right place, as their plight drew national attention. Four beekeepers were arrested, seven riot police were hospitalized due to bee stings, and at least … Continue reading
Posted in Climate, Culture, or lack thereof, Save the Bees, Stings, Strange, Odd Stuff
Tagged Chile, climate change, drought, Protests
3 Comments
Bye ’21: Don’t let the door hit you. . .
This was the year that my motor neuron (ALS variant) advanced more than anyone would like, but I’ll especially remember 2021 as the year I had an unexpected heart attack! (Three, actually, but who’s counting?) I am still plodding along … Continue reading
EO Wilson, 92, has left the lab
The entire Earth was Ed Wilson’s lab. When his death was announced on Monday, I knew that I wanted to write a few words words in his honour, but I also knew that this would be a difficult task. One … Continue reading
Posted in Bee Biology, Books, Culture, or lack thereof, Ecology, History, People, Science
Tagged bees, biodiversity, EO Wilson
8 Comments
Langstroth’s Christmas Present
I’ve been posting this piece every Christmas for a while. If you’ve read it before, read it again. Or not. Christmas Day is L.L. Langstroth’s birthday. He’d be 211 years old, if he hadn’t been struck down in his 85th … Continue reading
Posted in Beekeeping, Books, History, Hives and Combs, People, Tools and Gadgets
Tagged Langstroth, The Hive and the Honey-Bee
2 Comments
Bees in the Snow
New beekeepers (and some of us old ones) worry when we see ‘lots’ of bees in the snow during winter. The black dots (above) are frozen stiffs – bees that left their hive and didn’t make it back. To me, … Continue reading
The Bees are Fine
My favourite line from one of my favourite movies was spoken by Peter Fonda, playing Ulee Jackson in a film about a Florida beekeeper. When Ulee visits his son, who is in prison for robbery, the son asks about the … Continue reading
Posted in Beekeeping, Commercial Beekeeping, Honey, Movies
Tagged Canadian honey, Commercial Beekeeping, statistics, Ulee's Gold
7 Comments
Look at me! I’m green!
A Calgary oil company’s office tower has a bee just around the corner. This beautiful wall-poster points the way to the bee. Yes, ‘the bee’ according to the sign. I would be quite embarrassed if I had allowed such a … Continue reading
Bees Kill Endangered Penguins
Well, this isn’t a nice story. Apparently 63 endangered African penguins were stung to death by honey bees last week. My first thought, of course, was that the culprit was one of the more vicious African honey bees – Apis … Continue reading
Posted in Ecology, Killer Bees, Stings, Strange, Odd Stuff
Tagged bee stings, Cape bees, penguins
1 Comment
Free International Symposium
Global Trends in Beekeeping. This two-day symposium is being held in Moscow. Registration is free, but if you are in the western hemisphere, be prepared for a couple of very early mornings. (The Congress begins at 10am, Moscow; 3am in … Continue reading
Posted in Apitherapy, Beekeeping, Culture, or lack thereof
Tagged Apimondia, bee conference, Moscow, Russia
1 Comment
Waxing in the Waning Days of Summer
Our summer is drawing to a close. After record-breaking heat, we’re now getting seasonal temperatures (though no frost yet, which is unusual). Fortunately, we are having some much-needed rain. In the heat of summer, I set up our solar wax … Continue reading
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