Category Archives: Beekeeping

Smokers, beware: Playing with Fire

Posted on July 1, 2018 by Ron Miksha

Today, I will end this mini-series of blog posts about smokers with some safety tips. Smokers can be dangerous and yada, yada, yada – some readers have already tuned out. But here’s the cost.  I know a South Dakota beekeeper … Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping, Tools and Gadgets | Tagged , , , | 12 Comments

Smokers, beware: Bee Smoker 101

Posted on June 30, 2018 by Ron Miksha

If you’re somewhat new at beekeeping, you haven’t been using a smoker for long. You might not know some of the peculiarities of the hot little machine. I’ll give some basics here. Tomorrow, we’ll look at smoker safety, aka, how … Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping, Tools and Gadgets | Tagged | 5 Comments

Smokers, beware: Stuff I’ve Smoked

Posted on June 29, 2018 by Ron Miksha

Yesterday, I started a discussion about whether beekeepers should use a smoker. (Smoke or no smoke?)  I think you should use one, but you’ve got to be smart about it. I’ll write more about smart smoking tomorrow, in a piece … Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping, Books, Tools and Gadgets | Tagged , , , , , | 17 Comments

Smokers, beware: Smoke or no smoke?

Posted on June 28, 2018 by Ron Miksha

Smoke or no smoke?  Good question. It surprises me that there are beekeepers who have completely forsworn smokers. Such quixotic folks ply their trade without smoke, believing (perhaps correctly) that a bee smoker invalidates the organic status of their honey. … Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping, Tools and Gadgets | Tagged , | 32 Comments

Minding the June Gap

Posted on June 23, 2018 by Ron Miksha

I ran this piece last year, but it’s worth repeating. After the natural spring bouquet has begun to fade, honey bees may become hungry. The hives are (usually) strong with lots of brood. If there is a long gap between … Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping, Ecology, Honey Plants | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Package Bee Population

Posted on June 3, 2018 by Ron Miksha

Yesterday, I wrote about bee populations in a hive that starts as a package.  The original bees slowly die while the number of new bees, arising from eggs laid by the package’s queen, rapidly increases. In yesterday’s example, the immigrant … Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping, Queens, 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

Ron on PolliNation!

Posted on May 28, 2018 by Ron Miksha

I’m so excited to share a link to PolliNation, the fantastic podcast about . . . Pollination!  This podcast episode features the show’s host in conversation with me! Dr Andony Melathopoulos, the bee scientist running The PolliNation Podcast, invited me … Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping, Culture, or lack thereof, Friends, Outreach, Pollination | Tagged , , | 2 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

Psst. Wanna make some money?

Posted on May 1, 2018 by Ron Miksha

Most hobby beekeepers keep bees for fun, not profit.  But almost every beekeeper whom I’ve ever met tells me that, well, it would be nice to hear the cash register jingle once in a while. Bird-watchers or golfers rarely expect … Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping, Books, Commercial Beekeeping | Tagged , , , | 20 Comments