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.

You, me, the bee, and the wind

Posted on March 15, 2015 by Ron Miksha

Saturday was Windsday here. The forecast claimed we would see record high temperatures and some wind. They were almost right with the temps – it was close to a record and continued the trend of the past two months: warm … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate, Science | Tagged | 2 Comments

Knowing Nothing

Posted on March 8, 2015 by Ron Miksha

When I wrote my book Bad Beekeeping, the title came to me as a response to meeting a pompous, self-absorbed beekeeper. You know the sort – the person with a year or two experience who has an undeservedly inflated ego. … Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping, Humour | Tagged | Leave a comment

Airport Honey

Posted on February 22, 2015 by Ron Miksha

Looking for a noisy place to keep some bees? Urban beekeepers struggle to find spots to set landing boards for their hives. Most towns and cities have limits on the number of hives that can be kept in the backyard. … Continue reading →

Posted in Bee Yards, Beekeeping | Tagged | Leave a comment

Thermo-Zapper-Gun

Posted on February 20, 2015 by Ron Miksha

My 12-year-old ordered a laser gun from Amazon. Apparently it could burn your eyes out, but we are hoping not to test that. It’s a thermometer. The laser part is just a pointer, the laser actually has nothing to do … Continue reading →

Posted in Tools and Gadgets | Tagged | 1 Comment

Honey on tap?

Posted on February 17, 2015 by Ron Miksha

In the past, I’ve written rather cynically about the various kickstarter projects aimed at people who care about bees. Entrepreneurs have been sucking up cash to “Save the Bees” and to sponsor new beehive designs for quite a few years. … Continue reading →

Posted in Strange, Odd Stuff, Tools and Gadgets | Tagged , | 1 Comment

The Ultimate Valentine

Posted on February 14, 2015 by Ron Miksha

I know, beekeepers usually are not sentimental. For most of us, Saint Valentine was some mythical character built upon Lupercalia, an occasion observed by the Romans for three days (February 13–15) each year, and intimately connected to fertility. Like many … Continue reading →

Posted in Comb Honey, History, Hives and Combs | Tagged | Leave a comment

Journeys in Books

Posted on February 5, 2015 by Ron Miksha

A reader of this blog asked if I would add his two books to the ones you see floating around the left edge of this page. I like beekeeping books and own several. Several hundred. A few are ancient classics, … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, History | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Rustic Hive

Posted on January 28, 2015 by Ron Miksha

Furniture catalogs may have to add a new line – Rustic Hive. If you are like most commercial beekeepers, you’ve used bee boxes for desks, boot organizers, and book shelves. When I was a child, we kept bees on the … Continue reading →

Posted in Friends, Hives and Combs | Tagged | Leave a comment

Is Grocery-Store Honey Safe?

Posted on January 22, 2015 by Ron Miksha

A school chum sent me this: “With everything we hear about honey these days, how do we know how to pick out real honey at the grocery store?” I answered his question and thought I’d share some of my thoughts … Continue reading →

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Cold Bees

Posted on January 10, 2015 by Ron Miksha

It’s not the cold, it’s the humidity. We hear people say this a lot. That’s one reason 20º Fahrenheit (-7º C) in the eastern US can feel a lot colder than -20º in Montana. Generally, it’s the humidity that makes … Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping, Climate, Hives and Combs, Tools and Gadgets | Tagged , | Leave a comment