Author Archives: Ron Miksha
Humungus Bee Meeting
I thought that there can’t possibly be so many people curious about beekeeping. But there are. It’s great to see lots of folks interested in bees, ecology, the environment, and the sport of beekeeping. But the numbers amaze me. New … Continue reading
Posted in Diseases and Pests, Friends, Outreach
Tagged American Foulbrood, bee medications, Calgary Bee Club, Medhat Nasr, New Zealand, varroa mites
7 Comments
Judgement Day for Aggie Days
Calgary (Alberta, Canada) has an annual “Aggie Days” with goat-milking, sheep-shearing, rope-making, corn-mazing, and bee-keeping on display. As our city becomes larger (about 1.2 million now) and less connected with its farming and ranching roots, it becomes almost a novelty … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, or lack thereof, Friends, Honey, Outreach
Tagged Aggie Days, Calgary Bee Club, honey judging
6 Comments
Wildflowers and Bees
My friend Liz Goldie was in the news again. This time it was a good thing. She had dropped by a local greenhouse to set up delivery for July for some bee-friendly wildflower seeds to distribute at Calgary’s Stampede. Before … Continue reading
Posted in Ecology, Friends, Honey Plants, Outreach, Save the Bees
Tagged Calgary, planting for bees
1 Comment
Daffodils in December?
Cherry trees in Washington bloom around April March first. Things are changing. Erik, a beekeeper/writer/blogger in northern Virginia keeps a nice online calendar showing flowering dates in his neighbourhood. It’s only a couple of years old so it just gives … Continue reading
Posted in Beekeeping, Climate, Honey Plants
Tagged Calgary, cherry, climate change, daffodils, dandelions
7 Comments
World Apitherapy Day
On March 30, we usually celebrate World Apitherapy Day at our house by eating fried drone brood seasoned with dandelion pollen and buckwheat honey while receiving a few intentional bee stings on our finger tips. What a fun day! I … Continue reading
Posted in Apitherapy, History, Hive Products, People, Stings
Tagged Apitherapy, Apitherapy Day, bee stings, Filip Terč
6 Comments
Beekeepers Come; Beekeepers Go
Between 45% and 75% of British beekeepers are newbies – in their first four years. Only 10% have been at it for more than ten years. I guess it’s similar in Canada, Australia, and the USA. I saw the UK … Continue reading
Posted in Beekeeping, Culture, or lack thereof, Humour, Outreach, Save the Bees
Tagged beekeeping, learning
14 Comments
Black ‘Pollen’ in March
A friend sent this great picture of a honey bee trucking home some very dark pollen today. Since flowers are not yet blooming here in Calgary, I’m pretty sure that the ‘pollen’ is coffee. Bees have been known to gather … Continue reading
Posted in Beekeeping, Strange, Odd Stuff
Tagged Calgary, coffee, pollen, pollen substitutes
14 Comments
A Cold Canadian Wedding
I’ve been preoccupied. My oldest son’s wedding was on the weekend. I’m sharing a couple of pictures. The bride’s family came from Colombia. Because of work, they were only able to visit for a week. I was disappointed that we … Continue reading
Eating the Vomit of Slaves?
Bees are slaves, and you’re eating their vomit. This headline showed up in my beekeeping news feed this morning. It’s a disgrace to the cause of fighting against the abuse of animals and it shows total stupidity of the subject … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, or lack thereof, Outreach, Save the Bees
Tagged animal abuse, PETA, slavery
7 Comments
International (Bee-)Women’s Day
Today (Wednesday, March 8) is International Women’s Day. Women have always played an important role in beekeeping. In developing parts of the world, it is usually women who tend hives and produce honey for their families’ food and cash. In … Continue reading
Posted in Beekeeping, Culture, or lack thereof, History, Outreach
Tagged bee blogs, Calgary Bee Club, Eva Crane, women in beekeeping
9 Comments
