Category Archives: Culture, or lack thereof

Steve Vai, Beekeeper

Posted on October 18, 2016 by Ron Miksha

Steve Vai, guitar wizard extraordinaire, performs in Calgary tomorrow night at the Jack Singer Hall. I won’t be there. I respect his talent immensely and as an ex-guitar guy myself (albeit, three or four orders of magnitude below Mr Vai), … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, or lack thereof, Outreach, People | Tagged , | 4 Comments

The Golden Bee Award

Posted on October 16, 2016 by Ron Miksha

Years ago, an American senator began handing out prizes that he called the Golden Fleece Award. Started in the 70s by Wisconsin Democrat senator Bill Proxmire, the Golden Fleece was an anti-science thing, intended to highlight how wasteful it is … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, or lack thereof, Science, Strange, Odd Stuff | Tagged , , , , , , | 10 Comments

A Penny for my Thoughts

Posted on October 11, 2016 by Ron Miksha

I began blogging in October, 1995 – 21 years ago this fall. In those days, it wasn’t called blogging. It was called “spilling your guts in public.” Of course it was a much smaller public back in the days of … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, or lack thereof, History | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Morgan Freeman’s Bees

Posted on September 30, 2016 by Ron Miksha

By now, most beekeepers have heard that Morgan Freeman is a beekeeper. Morgan Freeman is incredible. Whether you enjoyed him driving over Miss Daisy or just gaining redemption after Shawshank, you likely admired the way the man can perform. I’ve … Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping, Culture, or lack thereof, Outreach, People | Tagged | 8 Comments

No bees, no honey, no Rosh Hashanah

Posted on September 25, 2016 by Ron Miksha

No bees, no honey, no Rosh Hashanah. Sweet. The Calgary Jewish Community Centre (JCC) is hosting a “beeswax and sweetness marketplace” this week, Tuesday, September 27th from 3 to 7 pm. Rosh Hashanah – Jewish New Year – begins at … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, or lack thereof, Honey, Outreach | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Noxious Milkweed?

Posted on September 16, 2016 by Ron Miksha

The Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Gazette had a story yesterday about a fellow in Monticello who ran afoul of the law for something he’s growing in his back yard. His crime? Cultivating (Milk)weed. Bee and butterfly enthusiasts know milkweed. So do … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, or lack thereof, Ecology, Honey Plants, Humour, Save the Bees | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

It Depends

Posted on September 15, 2016 by Ron Miksha

Last night we had another meeting of our local bee club, the Calgary and District Beekeepers. These are becoming legendary events with over 150 bee people, sipping coffee and doing bee-talk.  Although it’s great fun mixing with so many nice … Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping, Culture, or lack thereof, Friends, Outreach | Tagged | 10 Comments

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 , , , , , | 18 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

Climb Every Mountain; Raise Every Dollar

Posted on September 4, 2016 by Ron Miksha

It seems that Saving the Bees has turned into quite a nice little cottage industry. Although honey bees are more numerous today than any time in history, some people seem intent on telling other people that the honey bees are … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, or lack thereof, Outreach, Save the Bees | Tagged , , , , | 9 Comments