Author Archives: Ron Miksha
Our Hottest Day
My home town, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, just set a record for heat. In all the past decades of weather-watching here, we’ve never been as hot as it was today. Ever. (In recorded history.) Officially, it reached 37C, which is over … Continue reading
Bee Art Exhibit
Beginning Saturday, August 11, four Vancouver Island artists will exhibit Bee Art at the Leighton Art Centre just south of Calgary. I don’t know if I’ll make it out there for the opening reception (Saturday, 2-4pm) but the exhibit continues … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, or lack thereof, Outreach
Tagged bee art, Calgary, Leighton Art Centre
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Bears and Bees: Not the story you’re expecting
I live in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. A few weeks ago, a family of pandas moved to our city. They are staying at the zoo. If you live anywhere within a thousand kilometres, drop by and meet the bears. If they … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, or lack thereof, Outreach, Pollination, Save the Bees
Tagged Calgary, Calgary Zoo, Native Bees, panda
2 Comments
A Bee ID Expert
How well do you know bees? Not just honey bees, but all the other ones – masons, carpenters, diggers, sweat, cutters, bumblers, and the other many thousands of species. If you are like most of us, not so well. There’s … Continue reading
Posted in Bee Biology, Outreach, Save the Bees, Science
Tagged Andony Melathopoulos, Native Bees, podcast, Sam Droege
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Expecting the unexpected
For the past two days, I described how we might predict a future honey flow. I mentioned how difficult soothsaying can be yet I went on to say that experience and a tool like a scale hive can help us … Continue reading
Posted in Bee Yards, Beekeeping, Climate, Commercial Beekeeping
Tagged Bee Yards, extreme weather
14 Comments
How to predict the honey flow
This post will be disappointing to anyone hoping for a quick and easy way to predict what the honey flow will bring. There is no substitute for experience. It may take years to gain the knowledge you’ll need because every … Continue reading
Posted in Beekeeping, Climate, Commercial Beekeeping, History, People
Tagged Alberta, August, dearth, Don Peer, nectar flow, scale hive, statistics, UBAC
10 Comments
What will August bring?
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
Lighten up – it’s mid-week
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 advertising, Honey Nut Cheerios, honey products
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Prolonging the sweet taste
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
A Taste of Honey
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
Bad Beekeeping Blog 