This Saturday the Austin Urban Beekeeping Group will be meeting at the North Village Branch of the Austin Public Library from 1:00pm to 3:00pm. We will be discussing fall tasks for the Central Texas Area as well as preparing for winter. I hope to see ya’ll out there.
Category Archives: beekeeping
Texas Barometer Bush FTW!
Leucophyllum frutescens, most commonly known as the Texas Barometer Bush, is said to bloom before a rainfall. This bush in my front yard burst into bloom in the middle of one of the worst droughts Texas has ever seen about a week before the rains finally came to Central Texas.
The bees in my neighborhood definitely appreciated the pollen and nectar and were all over this plant.
Texas is finally getting some much needed rain, and we are expected to get up to 3 inches through Tuesday. Hopefully this is the start of better weather for Austin and perhaps a fall nectar flow is now not a distant dream.
Filed under beekeeping, pollination
Vegan Style!
Knives’ hive is busting at the seams so I decided to add the 3rd evil ex super to the hive today. In addition to the Ramona Commemorative super, this will be the 4th super overall. I wanted at least four filled out supers before winter to feel good about their chances making it through until next spring.
Brenna got some really nice shots of eggs and larvae in various states of development which is one of the reasons for the additional super.
I’ll continue to feed the hive for the time being until we get some rain. It is starting to look promising with some rain falling in Austin this weekend and cooler temperatures on the way.
Filed under beekeeping
What the heck is blooming?
Knives’ hive continues to amaze me. During today’s inspection, I noticed a lot of frames with new pollen stores plus there were a lot of foragers flying back in with full pollen sacs.
I really have no idea what could be blooming. I guess this is one of the benefits of having hives in an urban environment where people still keep their gardens alive even when the outlying areas are parched dry and on fire.
Filed under beekeeping, pollination
Sooie!
During my hive inspections, I’ve started placing a line of honey along the front entrance. I figure it helps keep the girls occupied, and who knows, they may even start associating an inspection with a treat of honey. I always get a laugh when I see them come out of the hive and start taking up the honey. They really remind me of pigs at a trough.
We finally had a break in temperature today, and it was a beautiful 75 degrees when I checked on the hives. The ironic part is a good chunk of the Austin area is on fire right now as the cold front brought it gusty winds and lowered the humidity considerably. It would have been really nice if Tropical Storm Lee had decided to go through Texas as opposed to the other Gulf Coast states.
Filed under beekeeping
Brooklyn people are crazy!
You can read the entire article here, but this is my favorite excerpt from a recent Slate article about a beehive exposed during Hurricane Irene.
But the vibe among these amateur beekeepers was bordering on hostile. As a city contractor made phone calls, several people in yoga clothes and a twenty-something cyclist with a moustache argued over who had spotted the hive first. A man in a beekeeping suit, sans hood, pondered preempting them all by scaling the wet, slippery tree trunk and snatching it, seemingly with his bare hands.
It sounds like this entire argument could have been solved with a quick game of rock paper scissors lizard Spock.
Filed under beekeeping, news
Upcoming Austin Meetings
Austin area beekeepers have two upcoming meetings. These gatherings are a great way to meet local beekeepers, exchange ideas, and get your questions answered.
September 10th from 10:00am to 12:00pm
Goodwill Resource Center
6505 Burleson Road, Austin, TX
October 15th from 1:00pm to 3:00pm
North Village Branch Austin Public Library
2505 Steck Ave, Austin, TX
Filed under beekeeping, education
Birds and the Bees
Marge and Knives have a bunch of new neighbors right next door to the their respective hives. Baab-Brock farms just added a new luxury chicken coop to encourage high density urban development in their downtown Austin area.
Filed under beekeeping
Santa Monica is covered in bees!
I just spend 5 days in Santa Monica visiting my brother and celebrating my birthday. After months of 100 plus degree weather in Austin, Santa Monica was a welcome respite, and it was amazing to see so many plants that are actually green and blooming. This drought in Texas almost made me forget what flowers actually look like.
I’m sure being a beekeeper in Santa Monica has its unique challenges, but the bees were out in full force while I was there and had their pick of so many different types of blooms. I have no idea what this plant is, but the bees certainly were all over it.
Filed under beekeeping
Awesome Bee Exam Answer
Here is a great link from a beekeeping exam about the bee waggle dance. I personally think the student should get full points for creativity.
http://myrmecos.net/2011/08/09/the-bee-dance-language-explained-at-last/
Filed under beekeeping, education
Urban Beekeeping in Austin, Texas 