Category Archives: Beekeeping
Dropping into Sunshine Valley
My hometown – Calgary, Alberta, Canada – is having a much needed wet spell. In fact, there has been some ghastly local flooding which I’ll cover in a future blog. Lucky for me, I am a few hundred kilometres farther … Continue reading
Posted in Bee Yards, Beekeeping, Ecology, Friends, Save the Bees
Tagged Arlo's Honey, British Columbia, Kelowna, marketing honey, Okanagan
5 Comments
Bad Beekeeping Competition
I came across a blog posting titled “Bad beekeeping” over at ScienceBlogs.com. I was concerned that someone had picked up on my nomen – not that I have universal rights on the bad beekeeping phrase. But I wrote the book … Continue reading
Posted in Beekeeping, Hives and Combs, Humour, Save the Bees
Tagged Bad Beekeeping, science blogs
4 Comments
African Beekeeping May “Save the Trees”
Rather than “Save the Bees”, it’s “Save the Trees” in central Africa. A story from Zimbabwe reminds us that beekeeping can be very, very good for ecology. Bees (and beekeepers) are saving Zimbabwe’s forests. The country of Zimbabwe, lest we … Continue reading
Posted in Beekeeping, Ecology, Save the Bees
Tagged Africa, bees, trees, Zimbabwe beekeeping
3 Comments
The Price of Honey
The price of honey has been falling for over a year. Honey is such a strange commodity. It’s agricultural. It’s ubiquitous (produced on all but one continent). It’s easily transported. Doesn’t need refrigerated. Doesn’t spoil (though quality may diminish with … Continue reading
Flow(TM) Hive Wins Design Award
Our favourite Surfer Dude and his Retired Dad are the folks who invented the 21st-Century honey-on-tap bee hive. They have now won artistic recognition. You know their hive – it’s the revolutionary, earth-shaking innovation that has inspired thousands of lazy … Continue reading
Posted in Beekeeping, Culture, or lack thereof, Hives and Combs, Humour, Save the Bees, Tools and Gadgets
Tagged bee hives, crowd-funding, Flow Hive
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Honey Times in Oz
I’ve not yet travelled to Australia – Oz, as some here in Canada call it. We who have never seen Oz can only picture the place with the same sense of awe that the scarecrow had for the Emerald City. … Continue reading
Posted in Beekeeping, Commercial Beekeeping, History
Tagged Australia, eucalyptus, record honey crop, Rob Smith
12 Comments
Packages Arrive in Calgary!
Calgary has a hyper-active bee club. Members help members with all manner of thing. Equipment exchanges, educational programs, disease control. The latest big event was the arrival of 160 packages of bees from New Zealand. By the way, 160 packages … Continue reading
Weird Spring
We are having weird, weird weather here in Alberta. It’s dry as a desert and almost as hot as one. Since January, our temperature has stayed well-above normal. Ten degrees above normal, in fact. And that’s embarrassing. It’s embarrassing because … Continue reading
Posted in Beekeeping, Climate
Tagged Alberta, Calgary, climate change, dandelions, nectar flow
2 Comments
Location, Location, Vocation
My last two blog posts (Alberta is Beekeeping and Canada’s Hive Beetles) were unseemly braggadocious pitches. I wrote about how great beekeeping is on Canada’s western prairies. Alberta, Canada, has not had CCD, but instead has increasing numbers of kept … Continue reading
Posted in Beekeeping, Commercial Beekeeping, Honey, Honey Plants
Tagged Alberta, Bad Beekeeping, bee locations
5 Comments
Canada’s Hive Beetles
A couple of nights ago, Alberta’s chief apiculturist spoke at our local (Calgary) bee club meeting. Close to 150 people turned out to hear Dr Medhat Nasr give us a recap on the status of Alberta beekeeping and the status … Continue reading
Posted in Beekeeping, Diseases and Pests
Tagged Alberta, Calgary Bee Club, Florida, Medhat Nasr, migratory beekeeping, small hive beetles
2 Comments
Bad Beekeeping Blog 