Author Archives: Ron Miksha
Peak Dandelion
For a lot of temperate-climate beekeepers, dandelions are the peak of the spring season. Their bloom marks the point where hives are finally getting much stronger, nectar is pouring in, and the dandelions’ massive gifts are giving a fine boost … Continue reading
Posted in Bee Biology, Climate, Ecology, Honey Plants
Tagged bee nutrition, dandelions, pollen, Saskatchewan
3 Comments
World Bee Day: May 20, 2018
Time to party like it’s 1734 all over again! May 20th should be a big date on the beekeeper’s social calendar. It’s World Bee Day. Why did I mention 1734? That’s the year Anton Janša was born. He was baptized … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, or lack thereof, History, Outreach, Save the Bees
Tagged Anton Jansa, honey bees, Slovenia, World Bee Day
1 Comment
Package Hive Update
Three weeks ago, we installed two packages in our backyard. We started with mostly new equipment, though we had six drawn, white-comb, deep frames for the bees to nest in right away. I considered using 100% foundation and letting the … Continue reading
Beekeepers becoming wary of pollination
Compared to almonds in California, blueberry pollination in British Columbia is small potatoes. But there are some similarities. Commercial beekeepers migrate long distances from cold northern prairies to the mild coast with thousands of colonies. They are paid for … Continue reading
Mothers’ Day Honey
Today is Mother’s Day in North America (I think it was celebrated last week in Europe). My kids wanted to make something special for their mum. You see it in the picture above. It was pretty nice. We have two … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, or lack thereof, Hive Products, Honey
Tagged bee art, beeswax, burr comb
4 Comments
Kicked out of a farmers market
It can be hard to sell honey. Farmers markets help. Customers looking for good local produce can buy directly from farmers and beekeepers. So farmers markets are a win-win for sellers and buyers. But what if you are a beekeeper … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, or lack thereof, Honey, Strange, Odd Stuff
Tagged farmers markets, marketing honey, Ontario
13 Comments
Babysitting the queen
A friend left town for a few days. She had two queens, in cages, which she’d acquired for her hives. As it turned out, she used one of them but her second hive wasn’t strong enough to split. That meant … Continue reading
Psst. Wanna make some money?
Most hobby beekeepers keep bees for fun, not profit. But almost every beekeeper whom I’ve ever met tells me that, well, it would be nice to hear the cash register jingle once in a while. Bird-watchers or golfers rarely expect … Continue reading
Posted in Beekeeping, Books, Commercial Beekeeping
Tagged bee course, economics, Money from Honey, teaching beekeeping
20 Comments
First day with the bees
On Friday evening, just after the sun had set, we installed two packages of bees. Earlier in the day, we arranged six drawn-out deep brood frames (purchased from Scandia Honey, a very reputable bee farm in our area), two new … Continue reading
Posted in Beekeeping, Commercial Beekeeping
Tagged beginning beekeeping, Calgary, packages, pollen, urban beekeeping
7 Comments
Welcoming some new friends
The bees arrived. It was getting late. I was getting anxious. But just after the sun settled for the night, my friend Mark arrived with our two packages. He brought us 13,637 worker bees and two queens. We counted them. … Continue reading
Posted in Beekeeping, Tools and Gadgets
Tagged Calgary, hive equipment, package bees, urban beekeeping
12 Comments
Bad Beekeeping Blog 