Category Archives: Honey Plants

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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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Neonicotinoids and western Canada

Posted on September 16, 2014 by Ron Miksha

I am still trying to understand why neonic-otinoids have not been a problem in western Canada. 40% of all seeded crops in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta are canola. And 100% of the seed is treated with neonics. So, at least … Continue reading →

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

Canola – a tasteful upgrade

Posted on July 23, 2014 by Ron Miksha

Canola is in peak bloom here this week. The cultivated oil-seed crop is a phenomenal honey producer. Canadian farmers plant just over 20 million acres of the crop each year. It yields about 100 pounds of honey per acre. If … Continue reading →

Posted in Comb Honey, Culture, or lack thereof, Honey Plants, Strange, Odd Stuff | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Dandy Days Indeed

Posted on June 7, 2014 by Ron Miksha

For three weeks, my 7-year-old daughter has been counting dandelions nearly every day. There is a large field behind our house, a city meadow of sorts. From mid-May to early June, our meadow likes to show a bit of yellow. … Continue reading →

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Bud Burst

Posted on May 1, 2013 by Ron Miksha

Enjoying spring?. Soon you may have even more of a good thing. According to a detailed study published by a group of geophysicists associated with the American Geophysical Union, spring will start arriving 17 days earlier in the north, if … Continue reading →

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