Tag Archives: austin

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.

Added Super #4 (Vegan Style!) to Knives's hive

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.

Eggs and developing brood in Knives's hive

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.

Feeding Knives some cheap honey to help her through the drought.

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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.

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Central Texas Fires

On a serious note, central Texas is currently experiencing some of the worst fires in the history of the State. A year-long drought followed by large gusts of cool dry air from Tropical Storm Lee was a deadly cocktail for starting wild fires. This is a shot of downtown Austin with dark billowing smoke dominating the horizon.

For those interesting in helping, please donate to the Red Cross of Central Texas.

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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.

Bees at the 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.

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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

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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.

Coop and Hives

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It’s hot outside…

Since I haven’t hooked up AC to the hives, the girls will have to take care of the air flow themselves. Below is a photo of fanning behavior to help regulate the hive temperature.

Fanning to keep the hive cool

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Fantastic Mr. Fox

While I was suiting up to inspect Knives, a family of four foxes wandered up to the fence line of Baab-Brock farms. This area is known for its fox population even though it is within walking distance of downtown.

We only managed to capture one of the four on film. Here it is admiring the ink work on Knives’ hive.

Fox and Knives

Here is a closer shot.

Fox at the bee yard

I really wish we could have snapped a photo of the baby foxes, but they were hiding in the brush, and we couldn’t get a good shot. They were awfully cute though.

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Blueberry Corn Pancakes

In my mind, nothing goes better with honey than corn bread, but to me this isn’t a very breakfasty type food. Luckily, I found this recipe for delicious blueberry cornmeal pancakes.

Recipe:
Combine 1 1/2 cup cornmeal, 1/4 cup whole wheat flour, 1 tsp baking soda and 1/2 tsp salt in a medium bowl. In a small bowl, combine 2 TBS honey, 2 TBS oil, 2 cups buttermilk, and 1 egg. Stir well and then quickly mix into the dry ingredients. Let stand for 10 minutes to soften the cornmeal. Preheat griddle or large heavy skillet. Lightly grease the hot griddle and pour on the batter about 1/4 cup per pancake. Then sprinkle the top with blueberries and cook until the tops are bubbly. Turn and cook into golden on the other side. Cover with honey and put them in your craw!

Blueberry Corn Pancakes

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An Open Letter to Tropical Storm Don

Dear Don,

It is not too late to swing north and bring Austin some rain. We are really hot and would love to have some flowers bloom. You have no idea what it is like to wake up every morning to thousands of hungry babies. We can’t even hear ourselves think anymore with all the racket.

Love,
Marge & Knives

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