Category Archives: Hives and Combs

Flow(TM) Hive Wins Design Award

Posted on June 6, 2016 by Ron Miksha

Our favourite Surfer Dude and his Retired Dad are the folks who invented the 21st-Century honey-on-tap bee hive. They have now won artistic recognition. You know their hive – it’s the revolutionary, earth-shaking innovation that has inspired thousands of lazy … Continue reading →

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Hive Materials

Posted on April 20, 2016 by Ron Miksha

Yesterday an e-mail arrived from a European beekeeper. He is new at bees and wanted my opinion about bee things (hive types, honey plants, eco-tourism). One of his questions particularly stood out.  He had found an ad for “honeycomb material” … Continue reading →

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Another Revolutionary Beehive

Posted on December 29, 2015 by Ron Miksha

Ah, yet another revolutionary beehive. You know, it’s more suited to the needs of the bees, yet better for the beekeeper. In this case, an Edmonton (Alberta, Canada) designer has come up with a beehive that holds 8 frames instead … Continue reading →

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Bees Do the Darndest Things

Posted on November 8, 2015 by Ron Miksha

Janne, a bee-club friend, called one afternoon and described something weird that was going on in one of her hives. She told me that her queen and all the brood had somehow ended up in the tiny space below the … Continue reading →

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The Ultimate Valentine

Posted on February 14, 2015 by Ron Miksha

I know, beekeepers usually are not sentimental. For most of us, Saint Valentine was some mythical character built upon Lupercalia, an occasion observed by the Romans for three days (February 13–15) each year, and intimately connected to fertility. Like many … Continue reading →

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Rustic Hive

Posted on January 28, 2015 by Ron Miksha

Furniture catalogs may have to add a new line – Rustic Hive. If you are like most commercial beekeepers, you’ve used bee boxes for desks, boot organizers, and book shelves. When I was a child, we kept bees on the … Continue reading →

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Cold Bees

Posted on January 10, 2015 by Ron Miksha

It’s not the cold, it’s the humidity. We hear people say this a lot. That’s one reason 20º Fahrenheit (-7º C) in the eastern US can feel a lot colder than -20º in Montana. Generally, it’s the humidity that makes … Continue reading →

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Beehives vs Drunken Elephants

Posted on December 10, 2014 by Ron Miksha

Drunken elephants have been a problem for as long as I can remember. Elephants are known to booze-up, get rowdy, and attack farmers – sometimes even entire villages. A herd of elephants got drunk on rice beer in Assam, India, … Continue reading →

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Hives as Art

Posted on October 1, 2014 by Ron Miksha

North Americans are missing a great canvas. The beehive. Solid, often white and publicly visible, it should be used by artists more often. I’ve been lucky enough to work hives in the USA, Canada, Mexico, Europe, and South America. Surprisingly, … Continue reading →

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Hives for Humans

Posted on July 19, 2014 by Ron Miksha

I had not heard of “Hives for Humanity” until yesterday when I stumbled upon an article that talked about a garden in Vancouver where an outfit calling itself “Hives for Humanity” has placed bees. The article goes on to say … Continue reading →

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