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.

Smokers, beware: Smoke or no smoke?

Posted on June 28, 2018 by Ron Miksha

Smoke or no smoke?  Good question. It surprises me that there are beekeepers who have completely forsworn smokers. Such quixotic folks ply their trade without smoke, believing (perhaps correctly) that a bee smoker invalidates the organic status of their honey. … Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping, Tools and Gadgets | Tagged , | 32 Comments

Fish Cooked in Beeswax

Posted on June 24, 2018 by Ron Miksha

Why not?  I’d love this!

Posted in Culture, or lack thereof, Hive Products, Strange, Odd Stuff | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Minding the June Gap

Posted on June 23, 2018 by Ron Miksha

I ran this piece last year, but it’s worth repeating. After the natural spring bouquet has begun to fade, honey bees may become hungry. The hives are (usually) strong with lots of brood. If there is a long gap between … Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping, Ecology, Honey Plants | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

William Woodley – An Introduction

Posted on June 20, 2018 by Ron Miksha

This is the first in a series of videos about a Victorian-era beekeeper who had the largest honey farm in England at the end of the 19th century. You can learn more about William Woodley on the Beehive Yourself blog … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Movies, People, Reblogs | Tagged , | 1 Comment

National Pollinator Week

Posted on June 18, 2018 by Ron Miksha

National Pollinator Week has arrived: June 18-24! Today, I’m re-running part of a blog I posted last week.  It had some ideas on what you might do to celebrate Pollinator Week. Pollinator Partnership tells us, “National Pollinator Week is a … Continue reading →

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

What if my pet gets stung?

Posted on June 17, 2018 by Ron Miksha

Calgary has a dry climate. After it rains, some of our bees celebrate by sucking cedar water from our deck. I’m not sure what the attraction is, but a few bees always sit on the wet deck and lap up … Continue reading →

Posted in Stings, Strange, Odd Stuff | Tagged , | 10 Comments

Eva Crane: Nuclear Physicist, Beekeeper

Posted on June 11, 2018 by Ron Miksha

June 12th.  I have an excuse to write a bit about the amazing Ethel Eva Widdowson, born in London on June 12th, 1912. By age 30, she had defended her doctorate in nuclear physics, begun to teach at Sheffield University, … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, History, People | Tagged | 5 Comments

My Annual ALS Post

Posted on June 10, 2018 by Ron Miksha

I have a type of motor neuron disease, similar to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, which most people call ALS or Lou Gehrig’s Disease because that’s easier to say. Every year I do a post about the disease in order to thank, … Continue reading →

Posted in Apitherapy, Culture, or lack thereof, Friends, Outreach | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Celebrating Pollination Week

Posted on June 6, 2018 by Ron Miksha

National Pollinator Week is coming, June 18-24. You have less than two weeks to get your affairs in order.  I’m not always sure what a person is supposed to do when National (fill-in-the-blank) Day/Week/Month is celebrated. Well, it’s pretty obvious … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, or lack thereof, Ecology, Outreach, Save the Bees | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Package Bee Population

Posted on June 3, 2018 by Ron Miksha

Yesterday, I wrote about bee populations in a hive that starts as a package.  The original bees slowly die while the number of new bees, arising from eggs laid by the package’s queen, rapidly increases. In yesterday’s example, the immigrant … Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping, Queens, Science | Tagged , , , | 10 Comments