Author Archives: Ron Miksha
The Perfect Place for Bees
An easy way to intimidate a new beekeeper is to read the list of requirements for a perfect apiary. Here’s my list. It’s not comprehensive. But even as a starter, it’s menacing: Your bees should be: In partial shade: avoid … Continue reading
Pollen Specks
Yesterday, I saw the first pollen of the year carried by bees in our area. It’s almost May! Local bees have been without fresh pollen for over six months. The pollen specks which I saw were pitifully specky. If you … Continue reading
Posted in Beekeeping, Climate, Ecology, Honey Plants
Tagged Andony Melathopoulos, crocus, pollen, Spring, willow
6 Comments
The Fragile Earth Egg
I try to stay on topic. This is a bee blog. But it’s hard to think about bees when our weather is so crummy. It has been extremely cold! Winter is officially over, but only on the calendar. A few … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, or lack thereof, Humour, Strange, Odd Stuff
Tagged Alberta, Calgary, Easter, winter
14 Comments
World Apitherapy Day: Bee Carefully!
Today is World Apitherapy Day. Apitherapy, which means using bee stuff for health, can include eating pollen, propolis, wax, royal jelly, bee larvae, and the like – or rubbing them on your face. But for many, apitherapy is bee sting … Continue reading
Posted in Apitherapy, Culture, or lack thereof, Outreach, People
Tagged anaphylactic shock, Apitherapy, Apitherapy Day, bee stings, Filip Terč, rheumatism
10 Comments
Ask Three ‘Experts’ (and get six answers)
A few days ago, three long-time beekeepers were asked to sit on a panel and take bee-management questions from a large audience of (mostly) younger, newer beekeepers. The three beekeepers were all commercial beekeepers or had run commercial outfits. Altogether, … Continue reading
Posted in Beekeeping, Friends, Outreach
Tagged Allen Dick, beginning beekeeping, Calgary Bee Club, Neil Bertram
10 Comments
Hobby Beekeepers Get an Extra Hour
Most folks I know reset their clocks last night. This is great for hobby beekeepers who race home after work to don gaudy bee suits and ignite smoker fuel, hoping to beat the setting sun. Not so fast, Beekeepster. You … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, or lack thereof, Friends, History, Humour, Reblogs
Tagged Arizona, Ben Franklin, Hutterites, Saskatchewan, Savings Time
5 Comments
Nuisance-free beekeeping
Tired of irritating your neighbours with your pesky bees? Help is on the way. A very bright professor at Oregon State, Andony Melathopoulos, has co-authored a guide which you should read: Residential Beekeeping: Best-practice guidelines for nuisance-free beekeeping in Oregon. … Continue reading
Posted in Bee Yards, Beekeeping, Books, Outreach
Tagged Andony Melathopoulos, bee safety, urban beekeeping
5 Comments
Causes of Winter Losses
Spring teased us today. It looked good for a few minutes. The sun was shining and we could imagine that someday it could be Cancun-warm here. But we will get another layer of snow tonight here in western Canada. Nevertheless, … Continue reading
Presidential Bees
In the USA – and probably no place else on Earth – today is Presidents Day. When I was a kid, we called it Washington’s Birthday and got the day off from school, though Lincoln’s birthday seemed to be somehow … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, or lack thereof, History, People
Tagged famous beekeepers, Jefferson, Obama, White House
4 Comments
Oh dear, a virus ‘jumps’ from plants to bees
The bane of the bee is varroa. We warn new beekeepers that varroa will kill their bees faster than they can say “varroosis“ five times. Varroa kills. Thirty years ago, the mites weren’t as bad as they are now. In … Continue reading
Posted in Bee Biology, Diseases and Pests, Ecology, Science
Tagged bee viruses, tobacco, varroa mites
3 Comments
Bad Beekeeping Blog 