“Bees are the batteries of orchards, gardens, guard them.”
― Carol Ann Duffy
As we enter the colder, darker months, your bees will hunker down in a cluster, keeping the colony warm. Jobs are little to none as we leave the bees well alone, only ensuring that they have access to plenty of stores.
November is a time for reflection and the perfect time to plan for the season ahead…
NBSPOTY 2020 Winner
#NBSPOTY 2020 has now ended, the votes have been counted and we are delighted to announce the winner. But before that, we would like to thank you! During what has been a rather unprecedented year for everyone, we never would have predicted the wonderful and heart-warming response we’ve had to the competition. A true reflection of the fantastic community we are proud to serve. The standard of images submitted went far beyond our expectations and we didn’t think it could get EVEN BETTER after last years success!
Now the moment you’ve been waiting for…
The winner of NBSPOTY2020 and taking the grand prize is… ‘Helenium In The Sunshine’ by James Wong.
Mesmerised by its beauty!
The vibrant, dense and velvet-texture of the Helenium creates a beam of light in what has been a pretty crazy year! The colours, configuration, timing and patience that has come together to capture this moment is truly breathtaking. Every time we look back at this image we find something new to love.
We would like to extend our congratulations to Mr Wong, who will be taking home the grand prize of our industry-leading beehive starter kit.
Category Winners
But it doesn’t end there, let’s not forget our fantastic category winners!
Below are the winners of our 12 categories. These images gained the most votes for their respective categories, and each photographer will receive a great ‘Make Your Own Bee Hotel’ kit. You never know, it may just be that small step to starting your beekeeping journey. We would like to thank our category winners who have done extremely well to come out on top – congratulations!
Macro – Alia Ashworth 
Queen – Les Horobin 
NBS At Home – Alex 
Wax & Comb – John Gregson 
Friends – Steven Bailey 
1 of a Kind – Tizah 
In Flight – Sallie Avis 
Drinking – Paula Greening 
Funny – Bargenie 
Flowers – Beth Glaysher 
Harvest – John Hetherington 
BeeKeeping – Karen Ford
Jobs To Do This Month
- Your hives should now be ready for the winter. Feeding and Autumn varroa treatments should have been done by October.
- Leave your bees undisturbed to ensure good wintering, whilst you sterilise and store away your tools and hive parts ready for next season.
- Ensure that you are prepared for the winter weather. Stap down hives. We sell two types of straps. 6-meter ratchet strap for £5.95 and a 3-meter basic strap at £4.50.
Delicious Honey Biscuits
If you have collected honey and wax this year, now is the time to enjoy your harvest. Try out our Christmas Honey Biscuits or perhaps make some beeswax candles to give as Christmas gifts.
Christmas Honey Biscuits
Ingredients
- 225 g Honey
- 225 g Granulated Sugar
- 225 g Butter
- 125 ml Water
- 600 g Plain Flour
- 1 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
- 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
- 1 tsp Ground Ginger
Instructions
- Prep your ingrediants
- Melt honey, sugar and butter in a pan over a low heat and add water.
- Sift flour, bicarbonate of soda and spices into a mixing bowl, add melted mix and stir.
- Leave to stand overnight.
- The next day, pre-heat oven to 180C/Gas 4.
- Knead the dough to soften it up, roll out on a floured surface and cut out biscuits with Christmas cutters.
- Bake on a greased oven tray for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
- Add your finishing touches and voilà!
Candle Moulds
Our Candle Moulds come with everything you need for successful candle making. We include 5m of wick, sized appropriately for your chosen mould, rests for even setting as the wax cools and a wick holder for perfect positioning every time.
A fantastic activity for adults and children alike, these candle mould kits help to show future generations of beekeepers just how much our little-winged friends provide us with.
Candle Mould Instructions
Plant Of The Month
As your bees are tucked away, now is the perfect time to plant some pollinator-friendly plants that will fill your garden with colour, structure and scent in these dark, winter days.
Osmanthus Burkwoodii is an easy to grow dense evergreen shrub with a rounded growth habit. From mid-spring clusters of small, highly scented white flowers are produced which are attractive to bees and provide early season nectar. Your garden will awake with the bees with its beautiful spring fragrance.
NBS Christmas Cards
Our brand-new Christmas cards for 2020 are now available to order! With a beautifully festive, hive illustration, you’ll receive 10 cards for only £3.50.
We are delighted to announce for the second year running, we are donating 10% from every pack sold to Bees Abroad. Bees Abroad is a UK charity promoting locally appropriate methods to generate income, strengthen livelihoods and relieve poverty through beekeeping.
Their team of volunteer experienced beekeepers develop and support in-country partners who deliver projects to groups in the most deprived rural communities worldwide.
