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.

What will August bring?

Posted on August 1, 2018 by Ron Miksha

I had an email last week with a question about beekeeping. I couldn’t answer it. The reader asked, “What can I expect my bees to do in August?” It depends, of course, on where you are keeping bees. In the … Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Lighten up – it’s mid-week

Posted on July 25, 2018 by Ron Miksha

It’s Wednesday. We’re halfway through a July work week.  For those of you putting in hours while the rest of the world is at the cabin, this is for you. I blundered across a cigarette commercial (please don’t smoke) from … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, or lack thereof, Honey, Humour, Outreach, Strange, Odd Stuff | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Prolonging the sweet taste

Posted on July 23, 2018 by Ron Miksha

Most nectar-supping insects land on a flower, take a bit of nectar, then fly off. But bees are different. They hang around the flower, sometimes gorging for ten seconds or more, if there’s enough nectar. Why the difference? Scientists think … Continue reading →

Posted in Bee Biology, Science | Tagged , , | 10 Comments

A Taste of Honey

Posted on July 17, 2018 by Ron Miksha

I checked the bees this morning. They started as packages on foundation but are all grown up now and starting to fill honey supers. The main flow has been going well for a couple of weeks, though interrupted by a … Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping, Honey | Tagged , | 8 Comments

Don’t Step on a Bee Day

Posted on July 10, 2018 by Ron Miksha

There’s a day for everything. Today is Don’t Step on a Bee Day. See if you can keep it up all week!

Posted in Culture, or lack thereof, Humour, Save the Bees | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Honey for the house

Posted on July 8, 2018 by Ron Miksha

We had a late spring. Our main flow hasn’t quite started. In another week, the bees will be gathering ten pounds of clover and alfalfa honey each day here in Calgary. There’s a nice flight today but five days ago, … Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping, Honey, Tools and Gadgets | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Should you feed a tired bee?

Posted on July 5, 2018 by Ron Miksha

Feeding bumblebees that are resting in a garden has become a thing. I’ve seen some twitter tweets with concerned citizens gallantly virtue signalling their good deed – giving a bee a drink of sugar water. Here’s a sample: You can … Continue reading →

Posted in Ecology, Save the Bees, Strange, Odd Stuff | Tagged , , | 8 Comments

Smokers, beware: Playing with Fire

Posted on July 1, 2018 by Ron Miksha

Today, I will end this mini-series of blog posts about smokers with some safety tips. Smokers can be dangerous and yada, yada, yada – some readers have already tuned out. But here’s the cost.  I know a South Dakota beekeeper … Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping, Tools and Gadgets | Tagged , , , | 13 Comments

Smokers, beware: Bee Smoker 101

Posted on June 30, 2018 by Ron Miksha

If you’re somewhat new at beekeeping, you haven’t been using a smoker for long. You might not know some of the peculiarities of the hot little machine. I’ll give some basics here. Tomorrow, we’ll look at smoker safety, aka, how … Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping, Tools and Gadgets | Tagged | 5 Comments

Smokers, beware: Stuff I’ve Smoked

Posted on June 29, 2018 by Ron Miksha

Yesterday, I started a discussion about whether beekeepers should use a smoker. (Smoke or no smoke?)  I think you should use one, but you’ve got to be smart about it. I’ll write more about smart smoking tomorrow, in a piece … Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping, Books, Tools and Gadgets | Tagged , , , , , | 17 Comments