Category Archives: Honey
Bees on the Rocks
Combs clinging to rock ledges and human foragers climbing to harvest part of the sticky sweet honey gathered by wild bees on the edge of the Himalayas conjures up images of a way of life few of us will ever … Continue reading
Posted in Beekeeping, Ecology, Honey, Honey Plants, Native Bees, Save the Bees, Travels
Tagged honey bees, beekeeping, Nepal, mad honey, Himalayas
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Dandelion: The Bee Plant That Doesn’t Need Bees
Some things I didn’t know about dandelions until today: Dandelions don’t need bees. Or any other pollinators – not even wind or gravity to move their pollen. Each dandelion flower is made up of a hundred florets, each an individual … Continue reading
Posted in Beekeeping, Ecology, Honey, Honey Plants, Native Bees, Save the Bees
Tagged beekeeping, dandelions, honey bees
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Serving the Perfect Cup of Tea
The perfect cup of tea starts with honey. At least, that’s how the royals do it. It’s hard to argue that anyone else would know better. They’ve got history, experience, connections and money. And tea is important in their part … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, or lack thereof, Honey
Tagged English royalty, food, honey, tea, Umi
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Podcast: Is All Manuka Honey Fake?
In this podcast episode, I explore whether all mānuka honey is “fake,” tracing its unusual rise from an obscure (and unpopular) New Zealand honey to a globally coveted, heavily counterfeited product. The story begins with a look at the antibacterial … Continue reading
Posted in Beekeeping, Commercial Beekeeping, Culture, or lack thereof, Honey, Podcasts
Tagged adulteration, beekeeping, bees, manuka, New Zealand
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Podcast: Philosopher-Beekeeper Richard Taylor
Each November, I like to remind myself that one of my favourite beekeepers has had another birthday anniversary. The beekeeper is Dr. Richard Taylor and he would have been 106 years old on November 5th. But the great philosopher-beekeeper died … Continue reading
Posted in Beekeeping, Commercial Beekeeping, Honey, People, Podcasts
Tagged beekeeping, bees, Chile, honey
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Podcast: Chilean Beekeeping with Francisco Rey
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 Avocados, beekeeping, bees, Chile, honey, pollinators, Queen production
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Podcast: Honey Harvest Time
Season 1 Episode 9: About Bees, Culture & Curiosity Podcast – Honey Harvest Time After a few minutes pondering how some carpenter ants in Florida choose the profession of surgeon (sawing off sick comrades wounded legs), Bidzina and Ron settle into … Continue reading
Posted in Beekeeping, Commercial Beekeeping, Hive Products, Honey, Podcasts, Tools and Gadgets
Tagged Alberta, beekeeping, bees, honey, honey bees, honeybees, Saskatchewan
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Stack ’em High
Long ago (about 1975), there was an amazing beekeeper, now a legend, in northeast Saskatchewan. He consistently had 300-pound/hive crops. This was Dr. Don Peer (PhD, 1955, U Wisconsin). Peer once told us “If I were king of the world, … Continue reading
Bees flying high
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 Books, cannabis, Charles Butler, Eva Crane, hallucinogenic honey, honey, Joe Rogan, mad honey, Michael Pollen, Nepal, psychedelics, rhododendrons
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The Bees are Fine
My favourite line from one of my favourite movies was spoken by Peter Fonda, playing Ulee Jackson in a film about a Florida beekeeper. When Ulee visits his son, who is in prison for robbery, the son asks about the … Continue reading
Posted in Beekeeping, Commercial Beekeeping, Honey, Movies
Tagged Canadian honey, Commercial Beekeeping, statistics, Ulee's Gold
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Bad Beekeeping Blog 