About Bees, Culture & Curiosity

Ron Miksha

Bees of all sorts are the engines of agriculture and the glue of ecology. Join us as we explore everything About Bees, Culture, and Curiosity.

  1. Jun 5

    Scotland through a Beekeeper's Eyes

    Season 8 Episode 9: About Bees, Culture & Curiosity Podcast – Scotland through a Beekeeper's Eyes  Join me on a journey through Scotland as I explore Edinburgh, Inverness, the Highlands, Loch Ness, and the famous Scottish heather moors. What began as a visit with my daughter, who studies at the University of Edinburgh, quickly became an opportunity to see Scotland through the eyes of a beekeeper. Along the way, I discover why Scotland's landscapes are so different from those of western Canada, learn about the country's history and culture, sample authentic heather honey, travel by train through the Highlands, and reflect on the people, language, food, and scenery that make Scotland unique. We'll talk about heather, honey bees, canola, bramble, Gaelic place names, Dolly the cloned sheep, haggis, and even a surprising Scottish heat wave. Whether you're interested in bees, travel, history, or simply curious about Scotland, I think you'll enjoy coming along for the ride. Recorded in Scotland, May 2026 Please subscribe, like, love, and follow. We live or die by your adulation.   Podcast website: https://sites.libsyn.com/540327/site About Ron Miksha: https://about-bees.org/about-ron/ Finally: email your questions, comments, and angst:  miksha@gmail.com

    32 min

  2. May 24

    Black Locust: Appalachia's Gift to World Beekeeping

    Season 8 Episode 8: About Bees, Culture & Curiosity Podcast – Black Locust: Appalachia's Gift to World Beekeeping  One of Europe's most famous honey trees actually came from the Appalachian Mountains of North America. In this episode of About Bees, Culture, and Curiosity, we follow the remarkable story of Robinia pseudoacacia, black locust, also known across Europe as "acacia." Originally a minor honey plant of disturbed Appalachian forests, this fast-growing legume escaped its native range and became one of the most widely planted trees on Earth. We explore how black locust spread through France, Hungary, Korea, Japan, and beyond; why beekeepers prize its short but spectacular nectar flow; and how its pale, mild, slow-crystallizing honey became one of Europe's best-known honey types. Along the way, we look at:      the confusion between true acacias and false acacia      why black locust often performs better outside North America      its use for fence posts, mine reclamation, and erosion control      the tree's role in carbon capture, and      the controversy over how this bee tree is also an invasive ecological threat Recorded in Calgary, May 2026 Please subscribe, like, love, and follow. We live or die by your adulation.   Podcast website: https://sites.libsyn.com/540327/site About Ron Miksha: https://about-bees.org/about-ron/ Finally: email your questions, comments, and angst:  miksha@gmail.com

    35 min

  3. May 18

    World Bee Day, No Mow May, and Do Bees Dream?

    Season 8 Episode 7: About Bees, Culture & Curiosity Podcast – World Bee Day, No Mow May, and Do Bees Dream?   It's No Mow May, World Bee Day is coming up, so, of course, I was wondering if bees dream. Recorded in Calgary, May 2026 Please subscribe, like, love, and follow. We live or die by your adulation.   Podcast website: https://sites.libsyn.com/540327/site About Ron Miksha: https://about-bees.org/about-ron/ Finally: email your questions, comments, and angst:  miksha@gmail.com

    47 min

  4. May 14

    Tupelo Honey: Swamps, Bees, and Southern Taste

    Season 8 Episode 6: About Bees, Culture & Curiosity Podcast – Tupelo Honey: Swamps, Bees, and Southern Taste   In this episode of About Bees, Culture, and Curiosity, we travel into the flooded river forests of Florida and Georgia to explore the remarkable story of tupelo honey - one of the rarest and most celebrated honeys in North America. Produced mainly from the blossoms of the Ogeechee tupelo tree, Nyssa ogeche, tupelo honey has fascinated beekeepers, scientists, musicians, and food lovers for generations. We examine the ecology of the tupelo swamps along the Apalachicola River, the brief spring nectar flow, and the unusual chemistry that gives tupelo honey its legendary sweetness and resistance to crystallization. The episode explores the early history of tupelo beekeeping, including the era when bees and honey were moved through flooded forests by boats and barges. We also examine modern pressures on the tupelo industry, including environmental change, river management, overcrowding of bee yards, and authenticity concerns in premium honey markets. Along the way, we connect the science and folklore of tupelo honey to Van Morrison's classic song "Tupelo Honey" and the film Ulee's Gold, starring Peter Fonda. From native pollinators that visited tupelo trees long before honey bees arrived in North America, to the modern commercial honey harvest, this is the story of a landscape, a tree, and one of the most distinctive honeys ever produced. Recorded in Calgary, May 2026 Please subscribe, like, love, and follow. We live or die by your adulation.   Podcast website: https://sites.libsyn.com/540327/site About Ron Miksha: https://about-bees.org/about-ron/ Finally: email your questions, comments, and angst:  miksha@gmail.com

    43 min

  5. May 8

    Wild Bee Care in the Spring

    Season 8 Episode 5: About Bees, Culture & Curiosity Podcast – Wild Bee Care in the Spring  This podcast episode featured Ilan Domnich, the native bee stewardship specialist with the Alberta Native Bee Council, discussing how to support native bees in spring.   Ilan explained that Alberta has 370 species of native bees, with 70% overwintering underground and 30% in plant stems or elsewhere, emphasizing the importance of leaving leaf litter ("Leave the leaves.") until temperatures consistently reach 10 degrees Celsius (50F) and preserving hollow plant stems. We chatted about dandelions and their dubious benefit for bees, clarifying that while they provide early season nectar, dandelions lack essential nutrients and can divert bees from higher-quality food sources.   Ilan recommended three key actions for homeowners:  - delaying spring cleanup,  - planting native early-blooming flowers like Saskatoon berries and crocuses, and  - creating bare soil patches for ground-nesting bees. The episode concluded with information about the Alberta Native Bee Council's bumblebee box monitoring program, where people can create habitats and contribute to scientific research.   Alberta Native Bee Council:  https://www.albertanativebeecouncil.ca/ Recorded in Calgary, May 2026 Please subscribe, like, love, and follow. We live or die by your adulation.   Podcast website: https://sites.libsyn.com/540327/site About Ron Miksha: https://about-bees.org/about-ron/ Finally: email your questions, comments, and angst:  miksha@gmail.com

    43 min

  6. May 2

    Can Magnets Help Honey Bees Survive Winter?

    Season 8 Episode 4: About Bees, Culture & Curiosity Podcast – Can Magnets Help Honey Bees Survive Winter?   In this episode, we examine the unusual controversial question of whether electromagnetic fields affect honey bees. We begin with the broader idea that the bees' world is surrounded by weak natural and artificial electromagnetic signals. The discussion includes Schumann resonance (the low-frequency electromagnetic background of the Earth) and considers why some beekeepers insist that bees may are sensitive to such energy, and why I think they are badly misstaken. From there, the episode moves into bee orientation, magnetoreception, and the possibility that honey bees respond to magnetic fields in ways that are still poorly understood. A central focus is a 2026 publication about a magnetic-disc overwintering experiment, which claimed improved colony survival and resilience when hives were fitted with magnetic devices. The episode looks at that claim and what the study suggests, what it does not prove, and what weaknesses in design or statistics would need to be addressed before strong conclusions could be made. In other words, I think that magnets under hives may be a good idea, but I don't think this paper's results are not based on a good experimental design. Overall, I try to give my typical skeptical exploration of bees, electromagnetic environments, winter survival, and the difficulty of separating promising biological effects from experimental noise. Recorded in Calgary, May 2026 Please subscribe, like, love, and follow. We live or die by your adulation.   Podcast website: https://sites.libsyn.com/540327/site About Ron Miksha: https://about-bees.org/about-ron/ Finally: email your questions, comments, and angst:  miksha@gmail.com

    57 min

  7. Apr 25

    More than Packages

    Season 8 Episode 3: About Bees, Culture & Curiosity Podcast – More than Packages   Bees can arrive in packages. Putting them into snow-covered hive boxes is exciting. We'll install packages and chat bees and more on this episode. Please subscribe, like, love, and follow. We live or die by your adulation.   Podcast website: https://sites.libsyn.com/540327/site About Ron Miksha: https://about-bees.org/about-ron/ Finally: email your questions, comments, and angst:  miksha@gmail.com

    34 min

  8. Apr 18

    Dandelion: The Bee Plant That Doesn't Need Bees

    Season 8 Episode 2: About Bees, Culture & Curiosity Podcast – Dandelion: The Bee Plant That Doesn't Need Bees  Dandelions show up early. In many places, they're the first thing people notice in spring. Bright yellow, everywhere at once, and full of bees. It's easy to assume they are the first and best food source for honey bees. They aren't. Before dandelions bloom, bees are already working. Alders, maples, willows, elms, and even skunk cabbage come first. These plants provide much of the early pollen that gets colonies moving again after winter. Dandelions arrive a bit later, and by then, the colony is already expanding. Even then, dandelion pollen is not ideal food. It is abundant and easy to collect, but it lacks a complete balance of essential amino acids. Bees can use it, but they do better when it's mixed with pollen from other plants. In a diverse landscape, that happens naturally. In a simple landscape, it matters more. There's another twist. Dandelions don't need bees at all. Recorded in Calgary during April 2026 Please subscribe, like, love, and follow. We live or die by your adulation.   Podcast website: https://sites.libsyn.com/540327/site About Ron Miksha: https://about-bees.org/about-ron/ Finally: email your questions, comments, and angst:  miksha@gmail.com

    49 min
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Ratings & Reviews

4
out of 5
6 Ratings

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Bees of all sorts are the engines of agriculture and the glue of ecology. Join us as we explore everything About Bees, Culture, and Curiosity.

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