Category Archives: Pesticides

You thought bees were vegetarians?

Posted on August 25, 2019 by Ron Miksha

Well, looks like another sacred truth has been shattered. Bees eat beefy little microbes as part of their regular diet. Never again will I stand in front of a class of new beekeepers and implore them to marvel at the … Continue reading →

Posted in Bee Biology, Diseases and Pests, Ecology, Pesticides, Save the Bees, Science | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Beekeepers becoming wary of pollination

Posted on May 15, 2018 by Ron Miksha

  Compared to almonds in California, blueberry pollination in British Columbia is small potatoes. But there are some similarities. Commercial beekeepers migrate long distances from cold northern prairies to the mild coast with thousands of colonies. They are paid for … Continue reading →

Posted in Commercial Beekeeping, Pesticides, Pollination | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments

2017: The Year in Bee Review

Posted on December 31, 2017 by Ron Miksha

As 2017 draws to a close, let’s look back at the year’s best beekeeping stories. With lower honey prices in 2017, some beekeepers left the business and colony counts fell a little.  Back in 2016, I reported that honey bees … Continue reading →

Posted in Apitherapy, Bee Biology, Beekeeping, Culture, or lack thereof, Diseases and Pests, Friends, History, Hive Products, Honey, Honey Plants, Killer Bees, Movies, Outreach, People, Pesticides, Pollination, Queens, Save the Bees, Science | Tagged | 6 Comments

Brood in Front of the Hive?!?

Posted on September 24, 2016 by Ron Miksha

I’m continuing with the series of questions which I overheard at a bee meeting a few days ago. Today, it’s dead brood. Here are those questions: My honey isn’t capped. What should I do with it? (I heard that one … Continue reading →

Posted in Bee Biology, Bee Yards, Beekeeping, Diseases and Pests, Pesticides, Strange, Odd Stuff | Tagged , , , , | 10 Comments

Millions Dead

Posted on September 2, 2016 by Ron Miksha

Millions of bees are dead following aerial spray of the neurotoxin Naled. The spray was released Sunday morning between 6:30 and 8:30 by a South Carolina county trying to control mosquitoes which may or may not spread Zika and West … Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping, Commercial Beekeeping, Pesticides | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Malathion and Pesky Bugs

Posted on July 8, 2016 by Ron Miksha

There’s a pesticide causing grief among some hobby beekeepers. No, not the neonicotinoids again (though they’re not without blame). This is an “older” poison. If you are a new beekeeper, you might not have heard of malathion. Malathion is deadly … Continue reading →

Posted in Ecology, Pesticides, Save the Bees | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Investigating the Crime Scene

Posted on June 8, 2016 by Ron Miksha

A few days ago, I read an interesting American Bee Journal article by Tammy Horn (et al.) and it made me think differently about something. Although I know that poisoned bees represent a real crime, I never really thought of … Continue reading →

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

Herbicides, Bacteria Killers, and Honey Bees

Posted on April 28, 2016 by Ron Miksha

Recently, I learned that herbicides such as Roundup and 2-4-D kill bacteria. Not only do they do a fine job of killing broadleaf pollen producers, they also kill some microbes. This information didn’t come from the tin-hat doom-sayer who lives … Continue reading →

Posted in Ecology, Pesticides, Save the Bees | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Cuba’s Organic Honey

Posted on February 24, 2016 by Ron Miksha

Long before the embargo and before the Castro brothers, Cuba was a beekeeper’s paradise North American gringos operating Cuban honey farms. Spain ruled Cuba for almost 400 years, but the United States took it as a trophy after the Spanish-American … Continue reading →

Posted in Commercial Beekeeping, Ecology, History, Honey, Pesticides, Save the Bees | Tagged , , | 12 Comments

Putin Likes Organic Food

Posted on January 19, 2016 by Ron Miksha

Russia’s Vladimir Putin has suggested that anyone who sells or grows genetically modified foods on his turf should face a few years farming in Siberia.  He has proclaimed Russia will be GMO-free and he’d like to see his farmers raise … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, or lack thereof, Ecology, Genetics, History, Pesticides, Save the Bees, Strange, Odd Stuff | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments