Tag Archives: Alberta

The reason we don’t raise April queens in Alberta

Posted on April 28, 2019 by Ron Miksha

It snowed again. After weeks of sweet weather, balmy enough for T-shirts, the bees quit hauling pollen and focused on hibernation.  This is the reason so few queens are bred in Canada.  We can do it, but freaky weather gets … Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping, Climate | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Polar Vortex Insurance: Extended to Beekeepers!

Posted on April 1, 2019 by Ron Miksha

Our local Auto Club (Alberta Motor Association) is offering Polar Vortex Insurance. This is a great new feature (for members only) – if the temperature stays at -25C, or colder, for any 14 consecutive days, each paid-up member gets to … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate, Humour, Save the Bees, Strange, Odd Stuff | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Smoky Bees

Posted on August 16, 2018 by Ron Miksha

Originally posted on Bad Beekeeping Blog:
Calgary – a smoker’s haven. My home town – Calgary – is under a smoke advisory. The sky is hazy with smelly gray smoke from the trees, grass, and homes that are on fire…

Posted in Beekeeping, Ecology, Honey, Reblogs, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

How to predict the honey flow

Posted on August 2, 2018 by Ron Miksha

This post will be disappointing to anyone hoping for a quick and easy way to predict what the honey flow will bring. There is no substitute for experience. It may take years to gain the knowledge you’ll need because every … Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping, Climate, Commercial Beekeeping, History, People | Tagged , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Honey for the house

Posted on July 8, 2018 by Ron Miksha

We had a late spring. Our main flow hasn’t quite started. In another week, the bees will be gathering ten pounds of clover and alfalfa honey each day here in Calgary. There’s a nice flight today but five days ago, … Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping, Honey, Tools and Gadgets | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Smokers, beware: Playing with Fire

Posted on July 1, 2018 by Ron Miksha

Today, I will end this mini-series of blog posts about smokers with some safety tips. Smokers can be dangerous and yada, yada, yada – some readers have already tuned out. But here’s the cost.  I know a South Dakota beekeeper … Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping, Tools and Gadgets | Tagged , , , | 12 Comments

Minding the June Gap

Posted on June 23, 2018 by Ron Miksha

I ran this piece last year, but it’s worth repeating. After the natural spring bouquet has begun to fade, honey bees may become hungry. The hives are (usually) strong with lots of brood. If there is a long gap between … Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping, Ecology, Honey Plants | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

A Depleted Home

Posted on June 2, 2018 by Ron Miksha

A few days ago, a friend invited me to visit her bees.  In one part of her apiary, there were three hives, neatly lined, single-storey. These hives had started the season as packages five weeks earlier. Two were excellent. They … Continue reading →

Posted in Bee Biology, Beekeeping, Queens | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

The Fragile Earth Egg

Posted on April 7, 2018 by Ron Miksha

I try to stay on topic. This is a bee blog.  But it’s hard to think about bees when our weather is so crummy. It has been extremely cold!  Winter is officially over, but only on the calendar. A few … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, or lack thereof, Humour, Strange, Odd Stuff | Tagged , , , | 14 Comments

Winterprep: What’s the neighbour doing?

Posted on October 2, 2017 by Ron Miksha

Fall has arrived and you’re preparing your bees for winter. If you are new to beekeeping, this should make you nervous. You might lose every colony you have in the next few months. What you do now  has a huge … Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping | Tagged , , | 10 Comments