Category Archives: Honey Plants

Arizona was Swarming – in January!

Posted on February 5, 2026 by Ron Miksha

I don’t know a lot about Arizona, but my niece, Monica Miksa King, has been living there for a while and professionally rescues honey bees. So, when my curiosity peaked about bee conditions in the desert during January, I invited … Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping, Honey Plants, Pesticides, Podcasts, Swarms | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

What’s Blooming in January?

Posted on January 28, 2026 by Ron Miksha

Metrosideros polymorpha, known in Hawaii as ʻŌhiʻa lehua It sometimes fills a heavy super with light honey in January. I’d really like to have this in my back yard because that would mean I would be living in Hawaii. photo … Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping, Honey Plants, Podcasts | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Podcast: Chilean Beekeeping with Francisco Rey

Posted on September 8, 2025 by Ron Miksha

Francisco Rey, left, with Ron Miksha. This photo, from 2012, was taken at one of my apiaries in Alberta, Canada, while Francisco was visiting here. Today’s podcast episode – Chile for Avocado Pollination, Queen Production, and Adventure – talks about … Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping, Commercial Beekeeping, Friends, Honey, Honey Plants, Podcasts, Pollination, Queens, Travels | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Podcast: A Beekeeper’s Journey – Cameroon to Calgary

Posted on September 18, 2024 by Ron Miksha

Season 1 Episode 7: About Bees, Culture & Curiosity Podcast – Cameroon to Canada – Patrick’s Bee Journey In this episode of About Bees, we are joined by Patrick Tefouet Tonlio, who was an agriculture community organizer and teacher in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping, Commercial Beekeeping, Ecology, Friends, History, Hives and Combs, Honey Plants, Podcasts | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Podcast: America’s other weed

Posted on September 3, 2024 by Ron Miksha

Season 1 Episode 6: About Bees, Culture & Curiosity Podcast – Sweet Clover: America’s other weed Legal. Illegal. Legal. Illegal again. Sweet clover has quite a history. Introduced into North America from Europe about 300 years ago, farmers were once … Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping, Commercial Beekeeping, Ecology, History, Honey Plants, Podcasts | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Bees flying high

Posted on January 13, 2024 by Ron Miksha

Almost every time I teach a beginning beekeeping course, a student or two comes forward to whisper: “If I move my bees to a patch of cannabis, will I get weedy honey?” I tell them that cannabis buds don’t secrete … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Culture, or lack thereof, Ecology, History, Honey, Honey Plants, People, Personal, Podcasts, Strange, Odd Stuff | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Early Pollen?

Posted on March 25, 2022 by Ron Miksha

A couple of days ago, on March 22, we had sunlight and heat. Honey bees were gathering pollen. I don’t remember such a rush of pre-season pollen in this area. It’s a lot earlier than expected. I figured their goodies … Continue reading →

Posted in Bee Biology, Honey Plants | Tagged , , , , , | 14 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 , , , , | 4 Comments

Should you feed pollen supplement?

Posted on April 3, 2021 by Ron Miksha

In mid-March, Stevo Sun, a Calgary resident, sent some gorgeous pictures of honey bees foraging on silver maple. Maple is an ornamental here, at our elevation and latitude. But for less than $250, you can pick up a young tree … Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping, Honey Plants, Native Bees | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

A rare seed guy

Posted on February 1, 2021 by Ron Miksha

You know how the mention of a name from long ago can bring back memories that you thought had slipped away forever? I had that experience recently. Browsing American Bee Journal, this ad caught my eye. It was from the … Continue reading →

Posted in Ecology, Honey Plants, People, Personal, Pollination | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments