Category Archives: Beekeeping

The Man Who Made Killer Bees

Posted on September 9, 2016 by Ron Miksha

Today (September 9) is the 94th birthday of Warwick Estevam Kerr, the man who made the Killer Bees. Just like his bees, Kerr comes from hot, tropical Brazil. And just like his bees, Dr Kerr has been much maligned and … Continue reading →

Posted in Bee Biology, Beekeeping, Culture, or lack thereof, Genetics, People, Science | Tagged , , , , , | 22 Comments

Does the FDA Think Honey has ‘Added Sugar’?

Posted on September 5, 2016 by Ron Miksha

I just got off the phone. I was chatting with a buddy who lives in the USA. (I am in western Canada.) He tells me that the FDA is completely revising US label laws. In the near future, Calories will … Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping, Culture, or lack thereof, Honey | Tagged , , , , | 16 Comments

Millions Dead

Posted on September 2, 2016 by Ron Miksha

Millions of bees are dead following aerial spray of the neurotoxin Naled. The spray was released Sunday morning between 6:30 and 8:30 by a South Carolina county trying to control mosquitoes which may or may not spread Zika and West … Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping, Commercial Beekeeping, Pesticides | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Good News: No Killer Bees at the Olympics

Posted on August 21, 2016 by Ron Miksha

Whatever happened to the Killer Bees? Killer Bees – more accurately, hybrids of European and African honey bees – were supposed to destroy the world, or at least kill a lot of people trying. They started out in Brazil, not … Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping, Culture, or lack thereof, Diseases and Pests, History, Humour, Killer Bees, Movies, Stings, Swarms | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Saturday at the Hive

Posted on August 19, 2016 by Ron Miksha

I live in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It’s a remarkable city. Economist magazine ranks us as the world’s fifth-best city (they place Vancouver and Toronto as 3rd and 4th) while the international agency the Mercer Group says Calgary has the cleanest … Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping, Commercial Beekeeping, Friends | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Bee Vandals

Posted on August 10, 2016 by Ron Miksha

I’ll never understand vandalism. Theft I understand. I don’t like it, I don’t condone it, I’ve been victimized by it. But I can understand how it might sometimes happen. Vandalism, however, is strange. And stupid. Vandalism is nothing new. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Bee Yards, Beekeeping, Commercial Beekeeping, Diseases and Pests | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Dead bee, in the middle of the ‘shield…

Posted on August 4, 2016 by Ron Miksha

A few days ago, I had a road trip that took me two hours from my home in Calgary. Flying low at 130 kph, I expected to whack a lot of bees on the forehead of my van, but I … Continue reading →

Posted in Bee Yards, Beekeeping, Culture, or lack thereof, Humour, Strange, Odd Stuff | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Can’t Get it out of the Comb?

Posted on August 2, 2016 by Ron Miksha

The American Bee Journal  published a timely piece in their August issue. It just hit my mailbox. The article is about avoiding granulated honey in your extracting frames. It’s written by your favourite bee-blogger. Me. I’m not going to repeat … Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping, Climate, Commercial Beekeeping, Honey | Tagged , , , , , | 10 Comments

Bees Do Do-Do

Posted on July 23, 2016 by Ron Miksha

Diapers for bees?  Some folks stopped me when I was leaving an apiary that I once had in a Florida orange grove. They didn’t own the grove, but their house was within fifty yards. They told me that my bees … Continue reading →

Posted in Bee Yards, Beekeeping, Commercial Beekeeping, Humour, Strange, Odd Stuff | Tagged , | 15 Comments

Falling Honey Price Makes National News

Posted on July 20, 2016 by Ron Miksha

Something in the news caught my attention. The falling price of honey is now a national news item.  We noticed that prices began falling a year ago, when wholesale prices started their tumble from $2.25 to $1.25.  Now even the … Continue reading →

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