Views of the Neighborhood – Lakeway Municipal Utility District – Bees

~ John W. Howell

Today, we are going to the Lakeway Municipal Utility District (LMUD) for a class on all things bees. We are catered by Canje Caribbean Restaurant in Austin, featuring their appetizer menu. Our entertainment is Jimmy Rogers.

Menu

Plantain Chips – Mango Calypso, Epis Aioli 

Coco Buns – Toasted Coconut, Thyme Butter 

Smoked Avocado Choka – Mango, Lime Vinaigrette, Pickled Onions, Tostones 

Pink Pineapple – Passion Fruit, Basil, Aji Amarillo 

Ceviche – Sour Orange, Peanuts, Sweet Peppers, Taro Chips 

Hushpuppies – Salt Fish Salad, Citrus Scotch Bonnet Aioli 

Jerk Beef Patties – Pineapple Pique

Wagyu Beef Suya – Suya Skewer, Peanut, Onion 

Pepper Shrimp – Scotch Bonnet, Epis Vinaigrette 

Picture of an old time school bus

Let’s get rolling

The Lakeway Municipal Water District.
Mushroom block giveaway. They can be added to the garden to conserve water and improve soil health.
The seed library. Take some, plant them, and come back with seeds from the plant.
We are in the right place for the presentation.
A backyard refuge for butterflies and bees
More about the refuge
Coffee and water.
Beekeepers’ tools: prybar, gloves, smoker, and hive.
Stephanie Threinen, CPC  – Public Information Liaison, introduces  Michael Halprin, beekeeper.
The presentation begins.
A rapt audience.

The last time we were here, some plants were laid out ready for planting.

As you can see, the plants are doing very well.
Time now to enjoy the food and music. I hope you have a terrific week.

 

81 thoughts on “Views of the Neighborhood – Lakeway Municipal Utility District – Bees”

  8. Nice article. I recently saw two, hour long shows on TV called The Life of Bees. It was amazing. I remember as a kid watching bees go flower to flower even clover.

    Sadly I don’t see that anymore even though we have plenty of flowers. We do have Hummingbirds and they are fun to watch.

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  12. Now you know (nearly) everything about bees, dear John. Just on the other side of our lane are the allotments where some people keep bees too. So we have no problems with pollination in our garden. You are lucky to have this project at yours too.

    Have a happy week
    The Fab Four of Cley
    🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

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  13. My sister in law was a beekeeper (apiarist) in central CA until recently, and I know one here in Iowa (who has gifted me some of her golden nectar). We used to have a house for brown bats that looked like the slits in the butterfly house.

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  16. Very nice scenic tour today with the mother nature vibe…nice and relaxed. Now, one of the menu items items is a different story. I would definitely Choka on that SAC dish…anyone, know the Heimlich maneuver🐳

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  17. Love bees, John.

    Thank you for another fine day in Lakeway! More people need to bee educated about this wonderful insect.

    And I would LOVE some plantain chips!

    OX OX OX

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  19. Hi John, I learned a few things about honeybees here. I didn’t know there were 7 species and only 2 have been domesticated. I wonder if the other species are too hard to tame. Looks like a great way to spend the afternoon!

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    1. It was great, Barbara. I am sorry I couldn’t post the entire presentation. The African honey bee has been assimilated into the domestic population, so I guess others could too. Thanks. 😊

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    1. There was some discussion about integrating “Killer Bees” into standard bee production. The honey output of these bees is 200 times greater than that of the domestic bee. The African bee (killer bee) is pretty much assimilated into the domestic population in terms of a kinder gentler bee.. Thanks, Thomas.

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  24. John, this was wonderful! I know my husband especially would enjoy a presentation like that. He even once talked about setting up a hive, but (fortunately 😉) we’re in city limits and not allowed. I mean, I appreciate bees, but I don’t want a swarm in my backyard 😆

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      1. I was stung by a bee once. Granted, I was an adult but, boy, did I swear a blue streak! My stepdad was standing next to me and started laughing. Then he made sure the bee didn’t leave the stinger behind 🙂

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        2. No. Greg has a story of putting on a pair of jeans that he had left lying on the floor in his trailer (he was a college student at the time) and then suddenly trying to get them off as a scorpion started stinging his leg 😬😆

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        3. Our youngest had one drop out of the air conditioning vent above her bed onto her chest. You could have heard her ten miles away. After that, I had to put cheesecloth behind each vent.

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  26. Now I’m in the mood for real honey, with the honey comb and everything.

    As for the menu, sensational as always. I was gonna go with the plantain chips and pepper shrimp until I checked out what was in the latter, scotchbonnets . . . no thank you. So the jerk beef patties will do.

    Perfect song Boss

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