Tag Archives: Spring

Northern Spring

Posted on April 28, 2021 by Ron Miksha

When will spring start? I’m in western Canada, near the Rockies. We have long, cold winters. Spring comes late. So, I’ve always kept honey bee hives wrapped late into the spring. That used to be a real chore 20 years … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate, Ecology, History, Honey Plants, Science, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

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 →

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A bit of pollen

Posted on April 3, 2019 by Ron Miksha

Today’s high was only 12 ºC (53F), but the bees had discovered pollen. It’s surprising how small the pollen pelts are, and doubly surprising that nearly every bee is carrying some. Both of our backyard colonies are weak, but coming … Continue reading →

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Our backyard bees get a make-over

Posted on March 24, 2019 by Ron Miksha

First the good news:  They survived.  Then, the reality: Kinda weak. For the past few days, it’s been mild (15C, or 50F), so my 16-year-old and I did a complete backyard bees make-over. Mind you, looks aren’t everything, but this … Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

Pollen Specks

Posted on April 26, 2018 by Ron Miksha

Yesterday, I saw the first pollen of the year carried by bees in our area.  It’s almost May! Local bees have been without fresh pollen for over six months.  The pollen specks which I saw were pitifully specky. If you … Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping, Climate, Ecology, Honey Plants | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

Searching for Flowers

Posted on April 25, 2015 by Ron Miksha

I had a road trip earlier this week and was struck by the paucity of natural bling-bling. It’s almost May. Where are the flowers? I ask this lachrymose question every spring, especially after we’ve had a pleasant string plus 20 … Continue reading →

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Bud Burst

Posted on May 1, 2013 by Ron Miksha

Enjoying spring?. Soon you may have even more of a good thing. According to a detailed study published by a group of geophysicists associated with the American Geophysical Union, spring will start arriving 17 days earlier in the north, if … Continue reading →

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