Author Archives: Ron Miksha
Madonna and Bee?
Andy Warhol proved that the mundane soup can qualifies as art. In some people’s eyes. A friend sent to me a link to an E-Bay art sale: Madonna and Bee. I suspect the less I say about this, the more … Continue reading
Great Reception
Tasmania, respected as the last strong-hold for the Devil and as Australia’s main apple-picking state, has something new to boast about. Scientists are outfitting 5,000 bees with electronic tracking devices. The glued-on sensors are RFIDs (Radio Frequency Identification Devices) which … Continue reading
Posted in Bee Biology, Science, Strange, Odd Stuff, Tools and Gadgets
Tagged GPS, RFID tags, Tasmania
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Ground Hog Day
Pork burgers, anyone? Today is Groundhog Day, which makes me think of ground beef, hamburger helper, and ground hog. And the weather. We, of course, are far too sophisticated to depend on a rodent for our long-range forecast, even if … Continue reading
Bees Drink Wine, Live Long, Stay Slim
Bees enjoy a bit of red wine. That’s something you don’t think about everyday. Do insects (specifically bees) enjoy a bit of the grape juice? Researchers in Arizona aren’t telling us that honey bees like wine, but they do say … Continue reading
Start the New Year with Miksha (the Norwegian Band!)
Yikes! If you listen to the clip above, you are braver than I. The video is from the metal band Miksha, which claims it named itself for me. Perhaps. Their website said “Miksha is named after the Bad Beekeeper who … Continue reading
Candid Camera
We live close to the Rocky Mountains. One of our friends, Liz Goldie of Calgary, keeps some of her bees in an apiary in the foothills. As you can see in these pictures, our area is flush with interesting large … Continue reading
Posted in Bee Yards, Diseases and Pests
Tagged animals in the bees, bears, grizzly bears, mountain lions, Truth Cam
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What are these bees thinking?!?
A beekeeper in Winnipeg sent some photos of her hives. Her bees are misbeehaving. They broke cluster at minus 8 degrees (around 20 F), masses of bees are hanging out at the entrance, and she wants to know why. Sadly, … Continue reading
Posted in Beekeeping, Climate, Strange, Odd Stuff
Tagged bad beehaviour, Winnipeg, wintering
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Can Bees Smell Cancer?
This is an intriguing idea. A Portuguese designer has invented a novel system that might detect various illnesses, including tuberculosis, diabetes, and lung cancer. Susana Soares has built a lovely contraption – a glass bubble inside another bubble which holds … Continue reading
Posted in Apitherapy, Bee Biology, Science, Tools and Gadgets
Tagged bee senses, cancer, odors
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Deadly Truck Crash
One of the thousands of loads of bees heading south after the summer harvest didn’t make it. On Sunday morning, November 3, a tire blow-out on a tractor-trailer caused this crash in Georgia that killed millions. Of bees, that is. … Continue reading
Bees Delivering Pesticides
This sounds so bizarre. At first. Canadian researchers have found an odd way to potentially deliver benevolent viruses, fungi, and bacteria to greenhouse vegetables. Before some lucky bees are allowed to fly inside glasshouses to pollinate peppers and cukes, they … Continue reading
Posted in Ecology, Pesticides, Pollination, Science, Strange, Odd Stuff
Tagged Beauveria bassiana, bee vectors, genetic modification
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Bad Beekeeping Blog 