Category Archives: Climate

Ducks in a row

Posted on October 8, 2022 by Ron Miksha

We’ve had unusually mild weather for September and October in Calgary. The heat gave us a chance to clean up some odd bits of beeswax – and turn them into ducks. I bought this melter, built by Uncle Lee’s Bees … Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping, Climate, Tools and Gadgets | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Riot police battle beekeepers

Posted on January 5, 2022 by Ron Miksha

These Chilean beekeepers chose the wrong place to set 60 colonies of bees. Or maybe the right place, as their plight drew national attention. Four beekeepers were arrested, seven riot police were hospitalized due to bee stings, and at least … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate, Culture, or lack thereof, Save the Bees, Stings, Strange, Odd Stuff | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Northern Spring

Posted on April 28, 2021 by Ron Miksha

When will spring start? I’m in western Canada, near the Rockies. We have long, cold winters. Spring comes late. So, I’ve always kept honey bee hives wrapped late into the spring. That used to be a real chore 20 years … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate, Ecology, History, Honey Plants, Science, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Bees and the Australian Fires

Posted on January 5, 2020 by Ron Miksha

Australia is on fire. When I heard about the thousands of people who were fleeing – some being rescued from beaches by the navy – and then saw photos of black smoke, red skies, and stampeding kangaroos, I worried about … Continue reading →

Posted in Bee Yards, Climate, Commercial Beekeeping, Ecology | Tagged , , , | 14 Comments

How did your bees do?

Posted on August 24, 2019 by Ron Miksha

You hear the question every time beekeepers meet. “How did your bees do?” The answer is usually in pounds, barrels, or dollars in the bank. The question came up recently here within Calgary’s bee club. We have an extremely well-run … Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping, Climate, Culture, or lack thereof | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

The reason we don’t raise April queens in Alberta

Posted on April 28, 2019 by Ron Miksha

It snowed again. After weeks of sweet weather, balmy enough for T-shirts, the bees quit hauling pollen and focused on hibernation.  This is the reason so few queens are bred in Canada.  We can do it, but freaky weather gets … Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping, Climate | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Polar Vortex Insurance: Extended to Beekeepers!

Posted on April 1, 2019 by Ron Miksha

Our local Auto Club (Alberta Motor Association) is offering Polar Vortex Insurance. This is a great new feature (for members only) – if the temperature stays at -25C, or colder, for any 14 consecutive days, each paid-up member gets to … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate, Humour, Save the Bees, Strange, Odd Stuff | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Bees on Ice

Posted on October 14, 2018 by Ron Miksha

So much has happened in the weeks since my last post: I started an MSc (in bee ecology); my son and I pulled our honey crop;  I presented a talk at the first-ever United Beekeepers of Alberta conference; I began … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate, Ecology, Travels | Tagged , , , | 19 Comments

More on High Temperatures and Bees

Posted on August 13, 2018 by Ron Miksha

A couple of days ago, I posted about our all-time record high temperature. It was 37 ºC (98.6 ºF) – a temp that’s not too extravagant for many beekeepers, but the city of Calgary had never seen such a hot … Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping, Books, Climate, Commercial Beekeeping | Tagged , | 8 Comments

Our Hottest Day

Posted on August 10, 2018 by Ron Miksha

My home town, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, just set a record for heat. In all the past decades of weather-watching here, we’ve never been as hot as it was today. Ever. (In recorded history.) Officially, it reached 37C, which is over … Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping, Climate | Tagged , | 35 Comments