Category Archives: Strange, Odd Stuff

Face-off

Posted on January 3, 2021 by Ron Miksha

I was one of the first Facebook users on my block. I’m not usually an “early adapter” – I let others struggle with beta versions, then I move in when the system is actually working. But I heard about Facebook … Continue reading →

Posted in Outreach, Personal, Strange, Odd Stuff | 21 Comments

2020 Rewind

Posted on December 31, 2020 by Ron Miksha

Like an unruly house guest staying far past midnight (and still visiting the liquor cabinet), 2020 should have left long ago.  It’s a year we won’t forget.  A hurricane in an earthquake, delivering volcanic pyroclasts. Our 14-year-old will forever remember … Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping, Strange, Odd Stuff | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Covid: Do your bees have the cure?

Posted on June 29, 2020 by Ron Miksha

Well, I hope you enjoyed your break away from my blog. I did. Sometimes its nice to hit that big fat reset button in the middle of the desk. I hit it when my head fell on my desk one … Continue reading →

Posted in Apitherapy, Science, Stings, Strange, Odd Stuff | Tagged , , | 19 Comments

Big Bee Meet

Posted on March 1, 2020 by Ron Miksha

This is sort of a public service announcement for Alberta beekeepers. Alberta is a place in Canada, population 4 million, north of Montana, home to the Calgary Stampede, some NHL teams, and the best honey in the world. Deer and … Continue reading →

Posted in Outreach, Personal, Strange, Odd Stuff | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Apimondia 2019: Wednesday (And a scandal)

Posted on September 14, 2019 by Ron Miksha

Wednesday at Apimondia was a more relaxed day for me. I ran into several more friends, looked around the city of Montreal, sat at several talks, viewed more posters, tasted more honey in the exhibition hall, and shared an afternoon … Continue reading →

Posted in Honey, Science, Strange, Odd Stuff | Tagged , , | 8 Comments

Arrested for importing three bottles of honey

Posted on August 23, 2019 by Ron Miksha

This gripes me.  Here’s a guy, holding down two jobs (construction and cleaning) who had his life destroyed by US Customs because he brought three jars of honey home from Jamaica while returning from holidays.  He declared the honey in … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, or lack thereof, Honey, Strange, Odd Stuff | 3 Comments

National Honey Bee Day

Posted on August 17, 2019 by Ron Miksha

I haven’t quite recovered from World Bee Day (May 20th) and here it is, World Honey Bee Day, which coincides with National Honey Bee Day, as it’s practiced in the USA. Clever that they both fall on the same third … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, or lack thereof, Humour, Save the Bees, Strange, Odd Stuff | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Coconut Monkeys

Posted on July 30, 2019 by Ron Miksha

Some years ago, I had a job that I didn’t like. The money was good, but the work was bad. I was stuck in “Coconut Monkey” syndrome. Farmers in south India are sometimes plagued by monkeys stealing their crops. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, or lack thereof, Ecology, Strange, Odd Stuff | Tagged | 4 Comments

Bees in Space

Posted on July 21, 2019 by Ron Miksha

Fifty years ago, I was a kid, glued to the TV, fascinated by man’s first frolic on the moon. Grainy black and white images from the moon filled our grainy black and white television. It was a signal from the … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Queens, Science, Strange, Odd Stuff | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Have you ever seen a queen like this?

Posted on June 27, 2019 by Ron Miksha

A friend of mine, Jessie, who works the bees at Chinook Honey near Calgary, spotted this unusual queen. Jessie took the pictures on this page. As you can see, the queen has very little colour. What might cause this apparent … Continue reading →

Posted in Genetics, Queens, Strange, Odd Stuff | Tagged , | 14 Comments