Category Archives: Friends

Finally, Iceland

Posted on September 11, 2018 by

In late August, I returned to Canada after a few days in Iceland. I’ve wanted to travel there ever since I was a kid and I quit being a kid decades ago. So, it was about time that I’d made … Continue reading →

Posted in Friends, Honey Plants, Travels | Tagged , | 11 Comments

My Annual ALS Post

Posted on June 10, 2018 by

I have a type of motor neuron disease, similar to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, which most people call ALS or Lou Gehrig’s Disease because that’s easier to say. Every year I do a post about the disease in order to thank, … Continue reading →

Posted in Apitherapy, Culture, or lack thereof, Friends, Outreach | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Ron on PolliNation!

Posted on May 28, 2018 by

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

Ask Three ‘Experts’ (and get six answers)

Posted on March 18, 2018 by

A few days ago, three long-time beekeepers were asked to sit on a panel and take bee-management questions from a large audience of (mostly) younger, newer beekeepers. The three beekeepers were all commercial beekeepers or had run commercial outfits. Altogether, … Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping, Friends, Outreach | Tagged , , , | 10 Comments

Hobby Beekeepers Get an Extra Hour

Posted on March 11, 2018 by

Most folks I know reset their clocks last night. This is great for hobby beekeepers who race home after work to don gaudy bee suits and ignite smoker fuel, hoping to beat the setting sun. Not so fast, Beekeepster. You … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, or lack thereof, Friends, History, Humour, Reblogs | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

2017: The Year in Bee Review

Posted on December 31, 2017 by

As 2017 draws to a close, let’s look back at the year’s best beekeeping stories. With lower honey prices in 2017, some beekeepers left the business and colony counts fell a little.  Back in 2016, I reported that honey bees … Continue reading →

Posted in Apitherapy, Bee Biology, Beekeeping, Culture, or lack thereof, Diseases and Pests, Friends, History, Hive Products, Honey, Honey Plants, Killer Bees, Movies, Outreach, People, Pesticides, Pollination, Queens, Save the Bees, Science | Tagged | 6 Comments

Solstice

Posted on December 21, 2017 by

My friend Nichol sent this picture of her backyard hive. It’s beautiful, isn’t it? A quintessential image of winter in Canada. Besides being a great photographer, Nichol is a woodworking artisan. She handcrafted the hive equipment in her workshop. It’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping, Friends | Tagged , | 6 Comments

Creamed Honey

Posted on October 17, 2017 by

I’ve written about ‘creamed’ honey before, but I think it’s time to mention it again. I don’t know what you call smooth honey – some folks call it creamed (though no dairy products are involved), spun (though no spinning is … Continue reading →

Posted in Friends, History, Honey, Tools and Gadgets | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

My Failure as a Beekeeper: Part II

Posted on September 4, 2017 by

Yesterday, I started to describe my rather lousy year as a beekeeper. It began with an intentionally weak queenless hive. I picked it up at my daughter’s farm and brought it into my back yard, here in the city of … Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping, Friends | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

My Failure as a Beekeeper: Part I

Posted on September 3, 2017 by

I’ve worked with bees for almost fifty years, raising queens, pollinating crops, making oodles of honey.  I grew up in a beekeeping family (so my 50 years started really early). Over that long time period, I worked for some really … Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping, Friends | Tagged , , , , | 9 Comments