Author Archives: Ron Miksha
Bee Meetings
Best Bee Club in the World? Attended the Calgary & District Beekeepers Association monthly meeting last night, and as I drove home in the ten o’clock twilight, my mind recycled some of what I had learned. There was an absolutely … Continue reading
A Web Site Question
I have a question for my geeky friends. I have been approached by the Chinese government regarding this website – http://www.badbeekeeping.com. A company inside China wants to register the domain name http://www.badbeekeeping.com.cn – I asked the Chinese government (actually, a … Continue reading
Same Planet?
Living in cold Canada, it’s easy to forget some people have it hot. Especially right after we’ve had a big snowstorm – half a metre (over a foot) of white wet stuff in the past couple of days. So I … Continue reading
Rise of the Bee Thieves
Hive theft has been around ever since there were beehives and beekeepers. For example, the classic watercolour of Cupid, the Honey Thief, by Dürer was painted in 1514. Jumping ahead just a little, during the early 1980s, when I bee-kept … Continue reading
The Empty Beekeeper
At first it felt a bit creepy when my wife texted this picture of an empty beekeeper holding my book. Then I was flattered. My wife was attending the Calgary Science Fair where our son’s entry (a behavioural-science study) was … Continue reading
Dead and Dying
California almond pollination season is finished. And so are many of the bees which made the trip to the west coast to participate in the largest honey bee mosh pit ever in the history of beekeeping. (For those of you … Continue reading
Posted in Beekeeping, Ecology, Pesticides, Pollination
Tagged almond pollination, EPA, lawsuits, migratory beekeeping, neonicotinoids
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The Royal Bee?
English royalty dropped by for tea in New Zealand. You know how hard it is to find that special gift for out-of-town visitors? Well, try entertaining a prince and his family. The Royals probably have everything they need. Probably. So … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, or lack thereof, Strange, Odd Stuff
Tagged British Royals, Buzzy Bee, New Zealand
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World Apitherapy Day
March 30 is World Apitherapy Day. It is celebrated on this day because it’s the birthdate of one of the most important early promoters of happy bee stings – a chap named Filip Terč, whom you see glaring at you … Continue reading
Posted in Apitherapy, Culture, or lack thereof, History, Stings
Tagged Filip Terč, rheumatism, Slovenia
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Ecological Boldness
“Corporate profits trumping ecological needs,” according to the National Farmers Union’s own website. That rather provocative statement is from the NFU’s Vice President of Policy, Ann Slater. Remembering the days when much of the NFU’s musings were simply echoes of … Continue reading
What we don’t know
Sometimes I am surprised by what we don’t know about bees. You would think we’d have it all figured out by now. I’m not talking about knowing when to wrap or unwrap hives; start grafting queen cells; split hives; or … Continue reading
Bad Beekeeping Blog 