Category Archives: Honey Plants

Almonds, Water, and Bees

Posted on February 26, 2016 by Ron Miksha

February is almond pollination month in California. A couple of nights ago, the CBC aired a story about almonds, water, and bees. They try to cover everyone involved – the consumer who loves the heart-friendly food, the almond grower who … Continue reading →

Posted in Bee Yards, Beekeeping, Commercial Beekeeping, Ecology, Honey Plants, Pollination | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Ozone and the Bees

Posted on January 27, 2016 by Ron Miksha

Sitting in traffic, smelling everyone else’s exhaust (you know yours doesn’t stink), you begin to worry about the bees out there. They smell the fumes, too.  But if you look closely, you won’t see them gasping or coughing. That’s only … Continue reading →

Posted in Bee Biology, Ecology, Honey Plants | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Bees on a Caffeine Buzz

Posted on October 23, 2015 by Ron Miksha

     Video:  Dr Couvillon shows that caffeine tricks honeybees into working harder. It seems bees may suffer from the same drowsy morning moods and weary fatigued afternoons as their human cousins. And it may be similarly cured with a … Continue reading →

Posted in Bee Biology, Ecology, Honey Plants, Pollination | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Thistle Bumblebees

Posted on August 21, 2015 by Ron Miksha

Although I have mentioned many times that honey bees are not going extinct (there are actually more kept hives of honey bees today than 10 years ago), I am concerned about wild and native species of bees. Loss of habitat, … Continue reading →

Posted in Ecology, Honey Plants, Save the Bees | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Honey Bee Highways

Posted on August 13, 2015 by Ron Miksha

Norway – the 2nd most liveable country in the world* – has yet another feather in its woolly cap. Or super on its hive, if you will. The Norwegians have a Honey Bee Highway.  That’s a trail of flower pots … Continue reading →

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

Dandy Season

Posted on May 25, 2015 by Ron Miksha

A few weeks ago, I wrote that spring had arrived and pollen (plus a little nectar) was coming into the hives – mostly from willow and crocus. I also wrote that the main spring flow here in western Canada (along … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate, Ecology, Honey Plants | Tagged , | Leave a comment

May Flowers and May Frosts

Posted on May 13, 2015 by Ron Miksha

My kids picked these flowers as a Mother’s Day gift for my wife. All the blossoms were collected from the yard around our house. Nice bouquet, eh? There is not much in the vase that a honey bee would find … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate, Genetics, Honey Plants | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Searching for Flowers

Posted on April 25, 2015 by Ron Miksha

I had a road trip earlier this week and was struck by the paucity of natural bling-bling. It’s almost May. Where are the flowers? I ask this lachrymose question every spring, especially after we’ve had a pleasant string plus 20 … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate, Honey Plants | Tagged , | Leave a comment

What’s wrong with this picture?

Posted on March 20, 2015 by Ron Miksha

To celebrate spring, Google’s Doodle uses an artsy little bumblebee disturbing some pretty flowers. As a beekeeper I am always happy to see bee thingies, but I wish that such artists would consider a wee dab of natural science in … Continue reading →

Posted in Ecology, Honey Plants | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Buzzing Out-of-Sync

Posted on November 22, 2014 by Ron Miksha

If flowers bloom a month earlier than usual – as they reportedly did last year in Maryland – what does that mean for bees? According to Will Plants and Pollinators Get Out of Sync? it could mean trouble. The story … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate, Ecology, Genetics, Honey Plants, Pollination | Tagged | Leave a comment