Category Archives: Native Bees

Repost: Bumblebees of Iceland.

Posted on October 15, 2025 by Ron Miksha
Posted in Native Bees, Reblogs | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Podcast: from Beyonce to bee forage and beyond

Posted on August 26, 2024 by Ron Miksha

Season 1 Episode 5: About Bees, Culture & Curiosity Podcast – Some Bee Buzz In today’s podcast episode, we jump from moving bees between Alberta and British Columbia to examining a recent paper about the ecology of disappearing bee species. … Continue reading →

Posted in Bee Biology, Culture, or lack thereof, Ecology, Native Bees, Personal, Podcasts, Strange, Odd Stuff | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Bees and frequencies

Posted on January 26, 2024 by Ron Miksha

Hi, Everyone! Chief Lee Crowchild and I have been asked to present at the Calgary Science Centre for an upcoming Indigenous Science Night. Attendance will be up to about 1700 people and the event is just a few weeks away, … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, or lack thereof, Friends, Native Bees, Science | Tagged , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

The Native and Non-Native Bee Debate

Posted on November 29, 2023 by Ron Miksha

A few days ago, I sat down with the folks at Beekeeping Today Podcast to talk about how our non-native honey bees may affect native bees. Jeff Ott and Becky Masterman were informed, sympathetic interviewers. I had a great time … Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping, Culture, or lack thereof, Ecology, Native Bees, Outreach, Personal, Podcasts, Save the Bees | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Support the Students

Posted on April 18, 2022 by Ron Miksha

I don’t usually ask readers to help (even with good causes), but you will feel great about this one. The University of Calgary, where I am looking at the interaction between honey bees and native bees, has a smart group … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Ecology, Native Bees, Outreach, Save the Bees | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

April 7: Day in the bees

Posted on April 7, 2022 by Ron Miksha

April 7. Our backyard hives are collecting real pollen! Last week, I showed you some fake pollen coming into the colonies. Nothing beats the real stuff. Although desperate honey bees will carry worthless sawdust as a pollen supplement, nothing inspires … Continue reading →

Posted in Bee Biology, Beekeeping, Ecology, Native Bees, Personal | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

Not the only bees in town

Posted on August 10, 2021 by Ron Miksha

Although my life has centred on honey bees, I realize that they are not the only bee species in town. Here in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, we have about 200 species of bees – from giant bumble bees to rather petite … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Ecology, Friends, Native Bees, Outreach | Tagged , , | 8 Comments

World Bee Day 2021

Posted on May 20, 2021 by Ron Miksha

World Bee Day, 2021: World Bee Day is on May 20 of each year. It’s not just about honey bees. Although the idea arose in Slovenia, a little country that’s really big on honey-bee keeping, it’s also a celebration of … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, or lack thereof, History, Native Bees, Outreach, People, Save the Bees | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Icelandic Bees

Posted on April 24, 2021 by Ron Miksha

Iceland is more than spectacular volcanoes, ground quakes and rupturing continents. It has bees, too. Some say that the first founder bumble bee blew in with the wind. Others think that Iceland’s first bumble bee hitched a ride aboard a … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Native Bees, Travels | Tagged , | 6 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