Author Archives: Ron Miksha

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About Ron Miksha

Ron Miksha is a bee ecologist working at the University of Calgary. He is also a geophysicist and does a bit of science writing and blogging. Ron has worked as a radio broadcaster, a beekeeper, and Earth scientist. (Ask him about seismic waves.) He's based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

Photographs of readers

Posted on August 21, 2019 by Ron Miksha

Evolutionary biologist Jerry Coyne (U of Chicago) has posted a piece on my research on his own website. This will help catch up the followers of my blog who have been wondering how I’ve been spending my summer!   – Ron … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments

National Honey Bee Day

Posted on August 17, 2019 by Ron Miksha

I haven’t quite recovered from World Bee Day (May 20th) and here it is, World Honey Bee Day, which coincides with National Honey Bee Day, as it’s practiced in the USA. Clever that they both fall on the same third … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, or lack thereof, Humour, Save the Bees, Strange, Odd Stuff | Tagged , | 5 Comments

Ulee Jackson has died

Posted on August 16, 2019 by Ron Miksha

Peter Fonda died today. Most accolades will mention his starring role in 1969’s Easy Rider. I won’t. Instead, I’ll talk about his performance in Ulee’s Gold. That movie gave Fonda his only Oscar nomination (he lost to his friend Jack … Continue reading →

Posted in Commercial Beekeeping, Culture, or lack thereof, History, Movies, People | Tagged , , | 8 Comments

Coconut Monkeys

Posted on July 30, 2019 by Ron Miksha

Some years ago, I had a job that I didn’t like. The money was good, but the work was bad. I was stuck in “Coconut Monkey” syndrome. Farmers in south India are sometimes plagued by monkeys stealing their crops. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, or lack thereof, Ecology, Strange, Odd Stuff | Tagged | 4 Comments

Bees in Space

Posted on July 21, 2019 by Ron Miksha

Fifty years ago, I was a kid, glued to the TV, fascinated by man’s first frolic on the moon. Grainy black and white images from the moon filled our grainy black and white television. It was a signal from the … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Queens, Science, Strange, Odd Stuff | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Saturday at the Hive

Posted on July 7, 2019 by Ron Miksha

A new beekeeper learns best by clinging to the leg of an experienced beekeeper. That’s how I learned, but I was four years old at the time. For you older folks, you need a mentor, someone who’s actually a better … Continue reading →

Posted in Bee Yards, Beekeeping, Friends | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Apimondia: Will you be there?

Posted on July 3, 2019 by Ron Miksha

This year’s 46th Apimondia International Apicultural Congress – APIMONDIA 2019 MONTRÉAL – begins September 8 in Montréal, Canada. This is the big bi-annual beekeepers’ and bee researchers’ bash. I’m hoping that many of the readers of this blog will be able … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, or lack thereof, Outreach, Travels | Tagged , | 6 Comments

It’s Canada Day

Posted on July 1, 2019 by Ron Miksha

It’s Canada Day. I moved to Canada in the 70s to keep bees. It was a good move for me. Yesterday, I noticed that the conservative news magazine, US News and World Report, has placed Canada as number one (for … Continue reading →

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

A good day in the bees

Posted on June 30, 2019 by Ron Miksha

Friends at Tsuut’ina Nation Apiaries, just outside Calgary, invited me to visit their main apiary today. The indigenous bee project was started by Chief Lee Crowchild two years ago. While I visited, the Tsuut’ina beekeepers worked 35 hives at this … Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping, Friends | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Have you ever seen a queen like this?

Posted on June 27, 2019 by Ron Miksha

A friend of mine, Jessie, who works the bees at Chinook Honey near Calgary, spotted this unusual queen. Jessie took the pictures on this page. As you can see, the queen has very little colour. What might cause this apparent … Continue reading →

Posted in Genetics, Queens, Strange, Odd Stuff | Tagged , | 14 Comments