by Jimmie Oakley

The Texas Beekeepers Association Summer Clinic was held this year on Saturday, June 20th in Webberville, Texas (13 miles East of Austin) on the spacious grounds of the home of Dr. Albert and Marjorie Molnar.
People began to gather early in the warm morning of what was going to be another hot day in a record breaking Texas summer heat spell. The side yard, designated the clinic area, was well graced with large over arching trees that formed a nice shaded area in which to keep cool, sit and talk, eat some good local Texas Bar-B-Q (Cartwright’s of Bastrop), and make the rounds of the individual tables set up for the talks and demonstrations on the various aspects of beekeeping in this learning event.
Dr. Molnar, a long time member of the Texas Beekeepers Association, had volunteered his home as a site for the Clinic at the Delegates Breakfast at the TBA Convention last November, and with the backing of the local association, the Williamson County Area Beekeepers Association, the event came off without a hitch. A neighbor friend of the Molnar’s (Brenda) directed parking; Sally
Tutor, WCABA membership chair, handled registration along with a couple of the Oakley boys, Caleb and Samuel; the noon meal was coordinated by “Abi” the Molnar’s grown son, and the various education stations were manned by knowledgeable qualified association beekeeper members.
Grace was offered by Sam Heinz, the delegate’s committee chair from D’Hanis, Texas, before the delicious meal was served buffet style just after the noon hour. As the groups gathered around the tables and chairs, conversation soon returned to the topic of the day; beekeeping. The noon time pause offered an opportunity for short reports from the Honey Queens and Princesses present,

drawings for door prizes, and a report on progress on the Honey Bee Lab from Todd Youngblood, TBA President and Lab Funding Raising Chairman.
With that business out of the way, the talks and demonstrations began. The clinic attendees rotated from table to table. They saw Blake Shook, CCHBA President, and owner of Desert Creek Honey, Blue Ridge, TX, talk about beekeeping equipment, its purposes and uses. Brandon Fehrenkamp, new TBA member and owner of Eastside Honey Company in Austin, brought his bee-vacuum for show and tell.

John Talbert, owner of Sabine Creek Honey Farms of Josephine, TX, demonstrated

proper checking and inspection techniques of the beehive. Eddie Priest, President of Alamo Area Beekeepers Association, showed how easy it was to make introduction cages for a sure-fire way to increase queen acceptance when requeening your hives.

Randy Oakley, a WCABA member and head of Oakley Family Apiaries of Manor, TX, showed how powered sugar dusting and drone frame trapping can reduce Varroa mites without using chemicals in the hive. Dr. Molnar (host of the event) was kind enough to drag out all his extracting equipment and set up to demonstrate his best practice technique from years of his own experience.
As everyone completed the circuit, the afternoon wore down and finally the cleanup crew of Molnar, Molnar & Molnar (with the help of some of the locals) put the finishing touches on another successful and enjoyable clinic. With almost a hundred in attendance, the Williamson County Area Beekeepers had, for the first time ever, the majority of attendees at the clinic with fifty. Collin County Hobby Beekeepers had a good turnout again with a little more than half that (26) for those who are counting.
For a first time event in the Austin area, many local area beekeepers are encouraged by the big turnout and from their positive comments, they may be hoping for something bigger in the future.
Our thanks again to our hosts:
Dr. Albert and Marjorie Molnar for a great time!