Author Archives: Ron Miksha
Dead Swiss Bees
Something odd was killing bees in Switzerland. It was sudden. It was peculiar. It was devastating. This past spring – in April, 2014 – beekeepers in the Zäziwil and Möschberg region found almost 200 colonies dying. They quickly recognized signs … Continue reading
A New Origin for the Bee?
Years ago, we learned that honey bees developed in Africa, then spread north and evolved into different subspecies. It is not surprising that the bee could adapt to the much colder northern climates – you don’t even need to accept … Continue reading
Posted in Genetics
Tagged "Tree of Life", Africa, bee races, CCD, colony collapse disorder, evolution
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A Long Time Bloggin’
Web logs – blogs – have been around for about 20 years this month. That is according to this piece from (where else?) someone’s blog. I have been writing this bee blog – these pages about the politics and science … Continue reading
The Tired Honey Man
Friends just back from Uzbekistan shared this photo with me. The gentleman is selling honey and he doesn’t seem too happy about it. We’ll get to that in a moment. First, what is Uzbekistan? It’s a place on the other … Continue reading
Who is the Saint?
On this day in 1970, Norman Borlaug accepted his Nobel Peace Prize. You probably never heard of him. A few days ago, I read an interesting piece in an old New York Times column, written by author/philosopher Steven Pinker. He … Continue reading
Posted in Ecology, Genetics, History, Strange, Odd Stuff
Tagged genetic modification, Norman Borlaug
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No longer almost free
At a get together with a small group of beekeepers, we all started bugging one of the fellows about the price of his honey. At $10/kilo (less than $5/pound) one lady figured we could do well buying his entire crop … Continue reading
Caught in the middle
Are they staying or are they going? The Globe and Mail, “Canada’s newspaper,” has an editorial written by Margaret Wente. She calls her piece “Caught in the Middle of the Bee War” and it is about the vanishing honey bees. … Continue reading
Posted in Pesticides, Save the Bees
Tagged Bayer, colony collapse disorder, Margaret Wente, neonicotinoids
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Educating the Humans
Killer bees used to be big news. Enough people are nervous around bees (even the pleasant, nearly harmless, garden bees) that the idea of massive stings is terrifying. “Bee venom is a cocktail of biologically active components that are designed … Continue reading
Posted in Killer Bees, Stings, Strange, Odd Stuff, Swarms
Tagged Arizona, dumb newspapers
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Bees as a Small Business
A lot of North American beekeepers operate huge operations. These days, 2,000 colonies is about average for a commercial operation. Help is usually imported seasonally and the beekeeper/owner is sometimes a bookkeeper/trucker who has more than a veil and gloves … Continue reading
Hives as Art
North Americans are missing a great canvas. The beehive. Solid, often white and publicly visible, it should be used by artists more often. I’ve been lucky enough to work hives in the USA, Canada, Mexico, Europe, and South America. Surprisingly, … Continue reading
Posted in Hives and Combs, Strange, Odd Stuff
Tagged Alberta, Chile, Haagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven, Slovenia
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Bad Beekeeping Blog 