Category Archives: Culture, or lack thereof

L.L.L. – The Christmas Gift

Posted on December 25, 2015 by Ron Miksha

He invented modern beekeeping, yet the early life of Lorenzo Lorraine Langstroth was challenging, his mid-life was depressingly difficult, and his end life had just a bit of redemption mixed into an anguished mental landscape. However, he changed beekeeping to … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Culture, or lack thereof, History, People | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

How the Honey Bee Got its Stinger

Posted on December 14, 2015 by Ron Miksha

This will sound like a Rudyard Kipling  Just So Tale. But it goes back a lot further than the early 1900s. The Bee and Jupiter is credited to Aesop, of Aesop’s Fables Plus Punchline fame – and he lived 2,400 … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, or lack thereof, History, Humour, Killer Bees, Stings | Tagged | 5 Comments

Beekeeping Promo Flashback

Posted on December 11, 2015 by Ron Miksha

This video goes back about 15 years, but a friend asked me about the 6 minutes of local fame I experienced on the Dave Kelly morning show, so I looked up the film. The quality of the tape (and my … Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping, Comb Honey, Culture, or lack thereof, Honey, Movies, Outreach | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Honey with Vibes

Posted on December 9, 2015 by Ron Miksha

True story. In a small town along Brazil’s Amazon, there is a warehouse with barrels of honey stacked on pallets. It’s organic honey, certified chemical-free, and it was produced by Africanized bees – the so-called killers of the bee world. … Continue reading →

Posted in Apitherapy, Culture, or lack thereof, Hive Products | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Time and Time, Again

Posted on November 1, 2015 by Ron Miksha

Most North Americans moved clock hands back last night.  Others in the northern hemisphere did this a week earlier. Meanwhile, some folks in the southern hemisphere did the deed in the opposite direction. Others never changed to Daylight Saving Time, … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, or lack thereof, Friends, History, Humour | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Halloween Trick and Treat

Posted on October 30, 2015 by Ron Miksha

If you grew up in the British Isles or North America, you probably dressed as a ghoul or a super-hero each year on Halloween. For those of you outside the sphere of Celtic autumn rituals, you might not know that … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, or lack thereof, Diseases and Pests, Strange, Odd Stuff | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Bee Time, for the Third Time!

Posted on October 29, 2015 by Ron Miksha

Well, this is the third time that I’ve written about Mark Winston’s latest book, Bee Time: Lessons from the Hive. I don’t usually do three reviews on the same book – so I am not going to review it at … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Culture, or lack thereof, People | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Naturally Imperfect

Posted on October 28, 2015 by Ron Miksha

This might be old stuff to you, but our local grocer has started selling imperfect apples. It’s about time. My kids, who are properly brain-washed, love the smallish bruised apples and understand that these specially priced (Cheaper!) fruits are better … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, or lack thereof, Ecology, Pesticides, Save the Bees | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Staying the Course

Posted on October 26, 2015 by Ron Miksha

I had a great time helping teach Beginning Beekeeping to 40 new beekeepers this weekend. Our local bee club, Calgary and District Beekeepers, organized the 2-day event. I was invited to speak for three hours about Spring and Summer Hive … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, or lack thereof, Outreach | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

The Kentucky Bee Man

Posted on September 28, 2015 by Ron Miksha

When you are the 8-year-old child of beekeepers and you’re helping stick foundation into frames, your pay is the soft translucent paper that keeps the wax sheets from sticking together. It was the closest thing to tracing paper that I’d … Continue reading →

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