Category Archives: Bee Biology

Podcast: Bees by the Number

Posted on October 15, 2024 by Ron Miksha

Season 1 Episode 12:  About Bees, Culture & Curiosity Podcast – Bees by the Number Check out our latest podcast! In this episode, we manage to jump around the bee world by using the numbers 1, 2, 2-3, 26, 500, … Continue reading →

Posted in Bee Biology, Beekeeping, Commercial Beekeeping, Culture, or lack thereof, Ecology, Podcasts, Queens, Science | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Podcast: Dogs that smell bees

Posted on September 22, 2024 by Ron Miksha

Season 1 Episode 8: About Bees, Culture & Curiosity Podcast – Dogs That Smell Bees We talk to Rose-Anne Bouffard, a bee enthusiast who trains dogs to find and rescue wayward bumblebee nests and to locate colonies with American Foulbrood (AFB).  … Continue reading →

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Podcast: from Beyonce to bee forage and beyond

Posted on August 26, 2024 by Ron Miksha

Season 1 Episode 5: About Bees, Culture & Curiosity Podcast – Some Bee Buzz In today’s podcast episode, we jump from moving bees between Alberta and British Columbia to examining a recent paper about the ecology of disappearing bee species. … Continue reading →

Posted in Bee Biology, Culture, or lack thereof, Ecology, Native Bees, Personal, Podcasts, Strange, Odd Stuff | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Podcast: The Bees’ Ears

Posted on August 13, 2024 by Ron Miksha

Our latest podcast rambles around the bees’ ears. Available everywhere you grab your podcasts. Enjoy. Season 1 Episode 4: About Bees, Culture & Curiosity Podcast – The Bees’ Ears In this episode, we discover that insects, including bees, can hear. They … Continue reading →

Posted in Bee Biology, Culture, or lack thereof, History, Podcasts, Pollination, Science, Strange, Odd Stuff | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

April 7: Day in the bees

Posted on April 7, 2022 by Ron Miksha

April 7. Our backyard hives are collecting real pollen! Last week, I showed you some fake pollen coming into the colonies. Nothing beats the real stuff. Although desperate honey bees will carry worthless sawdust as a pollen supplement, nothing inspires … Continue reading →

Posted in Bee Biology, Beekeeping, Ecology, Native Bees, Personal | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

Early Pollen?

Posted on March 25, 2022 by Ron Miksha

A couple of days ago, on March 22, we had sunlight and heat. Honey bees were gathering pollen. I don’t remember such a rush of pre-season pollen in this area. It’s a lot earlier than expected. I figured their goodies … Continue reading →

Posted in Bee Biology, Honey Plants | Tagged , , , , , | 14 Comments

EO Wilson, 92, has left the lab

Posted on December 30, 2021 by Ron Miksha

The entire Earth was Ed Wilson’s lab. When his death was announced on Monday, I knew that I wanted to write a few words words in his honour, but I also knew that this would be a difficult task. One … Continue reading →

Posted in Bee Biology, Books, Culture, or lack thereof, Ecology, History, People, Science | Tagged , , | 8 Comments

A Guide to Controlling Varroa

Posted on February 15, 2020 by Ron Miksha

Spring is arriving in the north, and a young man’s mind thinks about romance. And varroa. There’s a nice new single-page guide that offers a quick look at integrated pest management (IPM) for the varroa beast. You can read some … Continue reading →

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Apimondia 2019: Thursday (some presentations)

Posted on September 16, 2019 by Ron Miksha

On Thursday at the Montreal Apimondia, I gave a presentation about the average distance bees fly while foraging. The full title was Foraging distances of commercially-deployed bees: a meta-analysis.  When I find some time, I’ll do a voice-over and create … Continue reading →

Posted in Bee Biology, Beekeeping, Commercial Beekeeping, Ecology, Native Bees, Pollination, Science | Tagged , | 1 Comment

You thought bees were vegetarians?

Posted on August 25, 2019 by Ron Miksha

Well, looks like another sacred truth has been shattered. Bees eat beefy little microbes as part of their regular diet. Never again will I stand in front of a class of new beekeepers and implore them to marvel at the … Continue reading →

Posted in Bee Biology, Diseases and Pests, Ecology, Pesticides, Save the Bees, Science | Tagged , , | 3 Comments