Tag Archives: wasps

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

If it looks like a bee, it’s a wasp

Posted on March 22, 2019 by Ron Miksha

A few of us got together last night for coffee to discuss something about the United Beekeepers of Alberta. After that, one of the folks mentioned that she was preparing to meet a group in a couple of weeks to … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, or lack thereof, Outreach | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

A Year of Backyard Beekeeping

Posted on December 28, 2018 by Ron Miksha

Regular readers of this blog know that I once kept hundreds of hives in Florida and Saskatchewan. That was a long time ago. Now that I’m all grown up, I’ve got just two colonies in my Calgary backyard. Much more … Continue reading →

Posted in Bee Yards, Beekeeping, Honey | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

My Failure as a Beekeeper: Part III

Posted on September 5, 2017 by Ron Miksha

Over the past few days, I’ve been writing about the misadventures of a small queenless hive which we placed in our back yard this summer. It dutifully raised several nice queen cells. At the time, I worried about the greedy … Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments

Moving the Bees

Posted on June 30, 2017 by Ron Miksha

Yesterday, I wrote about nuking the bees. Today, it’s moving the bees. My nuc started out on my daughter’s farm, 130 kilometres east of my home in Calgary. That’s over an hour’s drive, out on the prairie, away from the … Continue reading →

Posted in Bee Biology, Beekeeping, Commercial Beekeeping, Hives and Combs, Tools and Gadgets | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

Bee Virus with a Cute Name

Posted on December 4, 2016 by Ron Miksha

It will never end. But at least this one has a cute name: The Moku virus. Science Daily had a piece, A New Threat to Bees Worldwide, which gives us yet another bee story that may go viral. The Moku … Continue reading →

Posted in Diseases and Pests, Ecology | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

How Can I Stop Wasp Attacks?

Posted on September 17, 2016 by Ron Miksha

A few days ago,  I wrote about the way new beekeepers are generally sure about the right way to keep bees while oldtimers are reticent when it comes to answering questions. Sometimes there are a dozen ways to solve a … Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping, Diseases and Pests, Stings | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

A Bee Won’t Hurt You If . . .

Posted on July 16, 2015 by Ron Miksha

The city of Edmonton, Alberta, is telling its citizens that bees are good. People sometimes forget. Not long ago, Obama was trying to calm screaming kids on the White House lawn when one child spotted a bee and dozens panicked. … Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping, Ecology, Outreach, Stings | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment