Author Archives: Ron Miksha
Burt’s Bee Buzz
Arguably, the most famous beekeeper in all history was an unlikely hippie living off the land in Maine’s remote woodlands. Burt Shavitz died this weekend. He was living the good life, a reclusive member of the back-to-nature, granola-chewing crowd. In … Continue reading
Posted in Hive Products, Movies, People
Tagged Burt Shavitz, Burt's Bees, lip balm, Maine, Roxanne Quimby
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Some Mountain Beekeeping
A month ago, friends invited me to see some bees at a ranch up in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies. Beekeeper Stephen, a fellow geophysicist, guided us as we meandered the secondary roads west of Calgary. We gradually gained … Continue reading
Posted in Bee Yards, Beekeeping, Friends
Tagged Alberta, Calgary, foothills beekeeping, package bees
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How Fast is your Honey?
We don’t usually think of honey in terms of speed. One of the coolest things about beekeeping is that the craft encourages the crafty to learn about everything. Honey, pollination, wax, social behaviour of insects, ecology, and much more is … Continue reading
Science Writers Writing Science
My ultimate destination on the weekend was the place you see above, Marquis Hall at the University of Saskatchewan. In three days, I spent twenty hours in this room, absorbing much-needed writing skills. And eating, for it is in this … Continue reading
Saskatchewan’s University
Today, I am at the University of Saskatchewan. I am here to attend the 44th annual conference of the Canadian Science Writer’s Association. I hope to learn to be a better writer (maybe this Bad Beekeeping Blog will become less … Continue reading
The Long Road to Saskatoon
I am heading off to Saskatoon today. It has been 20 years since I was last there. Rather shameful delay, actually, since I earned my geophysics badge in Saskatoon and was treated really well by all the professors at the … Continue reading
Pure Sweet Honey and the ALS Run
Left, my son Daniel and my wife Eszter – Daniel is giving Calgary Mayor Nenshi his runner’s T-Shirt. Right, Co-ordinator Jane tries to defend the mayor from an apparent Star Wars attacker. Once again, our friends at Pure Sweet Honey … Continue reading
Your Dead Bees are in the Mail
Well, this is pretty sad. Canada Post killed some bees. Queen bees are in short supply in Canada. Because of our late springs and short seasons, most queen bees are imported from warmer climates – Hawaii, New Zealand, and … Continue reading
Teaching the Bees to Speak
“I keep the Welsh language alive through bees,” Welsh beekeeper Wil Griffiths told a Financial Times reporter. This could be a huge scientific break-through. Around the world, linguists have been alarmed with the rapid loss of many of the world’s … Continue reading
The Ultimate Bee Beard
Perhaps “National Cover Yourself in Bees Day” is underway in China. This 55-year-old beekeeper (seen smoking, center of the pictures) from Shandong Province was assisted in growing the ultimate bee beard by a team wearing army camouflage fatigues. His … Continue reading
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