Category Archives: Bee Biology

Every bee has a job: a short National Geographic video

Posted on March 23, 2019 by Ron Miksha

National Geographic, the society of nature, geography, and the occasional bewildering cause, posted this short clip today. It explains the stages of ‘bee jobs’ that change with a honey bee’s age. Among its rabbit-hole nuggets, the film mentions that the … Continue reading →

Posted in Bee Biology, Movies, Outreach | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Turner’s (belated) Birthday

Posted on February 4, 2019 by Ron Miksha

I can’t believe that I missed reminding you yesterday that it was Charles Turner’s birthday. Here’s the story of the man who figured out that honey bees can think. 🐝 🐝 🐝 🐝 You probably know that Karl von Frisch … Continue reading →

Posted in Bee Biology, Books, Culture, or lack thereof, History, People, Science | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Dr Warwick Kerr, the “Man Who Created Killer Bees”, has died

Posted on September 15, 2018 by Ron Miksha

It is with regret that we report that the humanitarian, geneticist, and scientist, Professor Warwick Kerr, passed away this morning, September 15, 2018. He was six days past his 96th birthday.  Dr Kerr, a Brazilian bee scientist, had one of … Continue reading →

Posted in Bee Biology, Culture, or lack thereof, Genetics, People, Queens, Science | Tagged , , , , | 32 Comments

A Bee ID Expert

Posted on August 4, 2018 by Ron Miksha

How well do you know bees? Not just honey bees, but all the other ones – masons, carpenters, diggers, sweat, cutters, bumblers, and the other many thousands of species. If you are like most of us, not so well. There’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Bee Biology, Outreach, Save the Bees, Science | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Prolonging the sweet taste

Posted on July 23, 2018 by Ron Miksha

Most nectar-supping insects land on a flower, take a bit of nectar, then fly off. But bees are different. They hang around the flower, sometimes gorging for ten seconds or more, if there’s enough nectar. Why the difference? Scientists think … Continue reading →

Posted in Bee Biology, Science | Tagged , , | 10 Comments

A Depleted Home

Posted on June 2, 2018 by Ron Miksha

A few days ago, a friend invited me to visit her bees.  In one part of her apiary, there were three hives, neatly lined, single-storey. These hives had started the season as packages five weeks earlier. Two were excellent. They … Continue reading →

Posted in Bee Biology, Beekeeping, Queens | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

Peak Dandelion

Posted on May 26, 2018 by Ron Miksha

For a lot of temperate-climate beekeepers, dandelions are the peak of the spring season.  Their bloom marks the point where hives are finally getting much stronger, nectar is pouring in, and the dandelions’ massive gifts are giving a fine boost … Continue reading →

Posted in Bee Biology, Climate, Ecology, Honey Plants | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Package Hive Update

Posted on May 18, 2018 by Ron Miksha

Three weeks ago, we installed two packages in our backyard.  We started with mostly new equipment, though we had six drawn, white-comb, deep frames for the bees to nest in right away. I considered using 100% foundation and letting the … Continue reading →

Posted in Bee Biology, Beekeeping | Tagged , | 8 Comments

Babysitting the queen

Posted on May 2, 2018 by Ron Miksha

A friend left town for a few days. She had two queens, in cages, which she’d acquired for her hives. As it turned out, she used one of them but her second hive wasn’t strong enough to split. That meant … Continue reading →

Posted in Bee Biology, Queens | Tagged | 3 Comments

Oh dear, a virus ‘jumps’ from plants to bees

Posted on February 18, 2018 by Ron Miksha

The bane of the bee is varroa. We warn new beekeepers that varroa will kill their bees faster than they can say “varroosis“ five times.  Varroa kills. Thirty years ago, the mites weren’t as bad as they are now. In … Continue reading →

Posted in Bee Biology, Diseases and Pests, Ecology, Science | Tagged , , | 3 Comments