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DrBeekeeper’s Beekeeping Diary: December 2015

Beekeeping Diary this December…

Brrr!…It’s starting to get quite chilly out there.  It’s always a worrying time for beekeepers when the temperature drops – we’re hoping the bees are nice and warm in the hive.  It’s incredible that bees somehow maintain the temperature within the hive regardless of the time of year and weather conditions outside.  At DrBeekeeper, we always ensure our bees have plenty of their own honey to help them through the winter (we don’t feed our bees sugar!).  This month, as Christmas approaches, we’ll be sharing some of our honey gift ideas, as well as some home honey remedies.  We’ll also travel to Pakistan as we learn about the threats to sustainable beekeeping there (DrBeekeeper loves travelling!).  In our final post for the year we’ll share DrBeekeeper’s New Year Honey Cake recipe – must be tried!

If you’re interested in starting beekeeping, please visit our guide to getting started.

Coming up this month

  • DrBeekeeper’s Christmas Gifts Range
  • Threats to Sustainable Beekeeping in Pakistan
  • Home Honey Remedies
  • DrBeekeeper’s New Year Honey Cake
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DrBeekeeper’s History of Hanukkah

Hanukah is once again nearly upon us. This year Hanukah begins on December 6 (the 25th day of the Jewish month of Kislev) and lasts for 8 days. Also known as the Festival of Lights, during this festival Jews commemorate the rededication during the second century B.C. of the Second Temple in Jerusalem. The holiday has its roots in a revolt against assimilation and the suppression of Jewish religion, the so-called Maccabeean Revolt. According to tradition at the time of the rededication, there was very little oil in the Temple, only sufficient supply for one day. However, this oil miraculously lasted 8 days, which was just enough time to prepare new oil! Hanukah is commonly celebrated with the lighting of the menorah; with one candle lit on each day of the festival. Gifts are also shared and it is traditional to eat fried food, due to the significance of oil!

DrBeekeeper Hanukkah Gift Box
DrBeekeeper Hanukkah Gift Box

Find out more about Bees in Religion in DrBeekeeper’s Bee History Throughout The Ages series.  If you’re looking for the perfect gift for Hanukkah why not try DrBeekeeper’s Hanukkah World Honey Collection Gift Box.

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DrBeekeeper – Save The Bees: Bees for Development

Bees for Development Logo

Beekeeping has traditionally played an important role in economic development. Honey is not only a major commodity in the West, but a staple food all over the world. Bees for Development, is an amazing organisation which works to promote beekeeping as a tool for sustainable economic development amongst some of the poorest and most remote communities across the world. They focus on:

  • Educating and informing beekeepers about sustainable beekeeping
  • Helping beekeepers access a market for their honey
  • Connecting beekeepers from all over the world; to learn from each other and to share experiences.

We are proud to sponsor this fantastic charity recycling 10% of profits into Bees for Development every year.  You can find out more about Bees for Development here.

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DrBeekeeper’s Honey-glazed Asian Prawns Recipe

As the party season approaches this is a great recipe to have up your sleeve, which is sure to be a hit!

Ingredients

  • 500 grams fresh peeled prawns (medium size work best)
  • ½ teaspoon salt; pinch of black pepper; pinch of cayenne pepper (to taste)
  • 3 tbsp of your favourite mild honey
  • 3 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 4 tbsp soya sauce
  • 1 tbsp finely sliced ginger
  • 4 tbsp water
  • 1 tbsp finely sliced red chili
  • 2 spring onions finely sliced
  • Juice of one lemon and one orange
  • Finely chopped coriander

Method

In a mixing jug combine all of the marinade ingredients (everything except the prawns, spring onion and coriander garnish). Set aside ½ of the marinade for the dipping sauce. Allow the prawns to marinade for as long as you can anything upto 12 hours is ideal. Remove the prawns from the marinade and grill on a medium/high heat, push the prawns through skewers to make the turning easier.

Cook for around 6/8 minutes under the preheated grill; remember to turn once. You will know when the prawns are cooked; they will go an even shade of pink! While the prawns cook, prepare the dipping sauce. Pour the reserved marinade in a saucepan and bring to the boil over a medium heat for no more than 5 mins; then remove from the heat and stir in your chopped spring onion and coriander garnish.

Now serve, ideally while steaming hot!

We’d love to hear from you with your favourite honey themed recipes – please send them here!

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DrBeekeeper sponsors Hong Kong ball with over 500 guests!

Oxford and Cambridge Ball
Oxford and Cambridge Ball

On October 10th 2015, DrBeekeeper sponsored the Oxford and Cambridge Varsity Ball held at Hong Kong Disneyland Conference Centre with great success.

A total of 513 guests attended and the event has been covered by HK Tatler magazine and also featured in Ming Pao Daily newspaper in their Showbiz news section.

The gift box jars of honey and jam which DrBeekeeper donated were raffled and guests were thrilled with their souvenir prize.

DrBeekeeper Favour

The individual jars of honey (part of our customised wedding favour range) were so well received and a real talking point at the tables. The guest of honour at Head Table was Caroline Wilson, the British Consul-General, and she was absolutely delighted with her jar of honey.

Oxford and Cambridge Ball 10th October 2015
If you are planning a wedding or a large event please speak to us about how DrBeekeeper can create bespoke wedding favours for your special day!

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DrBeekeeper’s Beekeeping Diary: November 2015

Beekeeping Diary this November…

DrBeekeeper Beekeeping

The days are gradually getting colder and Christmas no longer seems so far away.  The bees are best left alone providing they have good supplies to get them through the winter.  This month, we’ll be assembling frames for the new season and cleaning beeswax off the beekeeping equipment. Once all that’s done, we’ll sit back, relax, and enjoy a nice cup of honey sweetened tea!

If you’re interested in starting beekeeping, please visit our guide to getting started.

Coming up this month

  • DrBeekeeper Honey-glazed Asian Prawns
  • Bees for Development
  • History of Hanukkah
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DrBeekeeper’s History of Diwali

light

Diwali, the “festival of lights” is an ancient Hindu festival celebrated in autumn every year by Hindus all over the world. The festival signifies the victory of light over darkness, the main festival night of Diwali coincides with the darkest, new moon night of the Hindu Lunisolar month Kartika. In the UK, Diwali falls between mid-October and mid-November every year.

Before Diwali, people clean, renovate and decorate their homes. On Diwali night, Hindus dress up in new clothes, light up diyas (lamps and candles) inside and outside their home, participate in prayers particularly to Lakshmi the goddess of wealth and prosperity. Fireworks are often the climax of celebrations which include a family feast and an exchange of gifts between family members and close friends.

DrBeekeeper Diwali Gift Box
DrBeekeeper Diwali Gift Box

On the same night that Hindus celebrate Diwali, Jains celebrate a festival of lights to mark the attainment of moksha by Mahavira, and Sikhs celebrate Bandi Chhor Divas.

Find out more about Bees in Religion in DrBeekeeper’s Bee History Throughout The Ages series.  If you’re looking for the perfect gift for Diwali why not try DrBeekeeper’s Diwali World Honey Collection Gift Box.

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DrBeekeeper – Save The Bees: Bee-friendly plants for winter

You might think winter is not a good season for flowers and so bees simply hibernate. This used to be the case and still is in much of our countryside. But in recent years we have had some very mild winters (particularly in towns and cities). This combined with an influx of garden plants that flower even in deepest winter (many of which are not native to the UK) has meant that pollinating insects, include winter-active bees can thrive all year round.

The buff-tailed bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) maintains winter-colonies  mainly in the south of the UK.

A Bombus terrestris worker collecting nectar
A Bombus terrestris worker collecting nectar

 

Bees active during the winter face loss competition and can collect nectar and pollen very efficiently. You can help winter-active pollinators by planting winter-flowering perennials, shrubs, bulbs and climbers in your garden and at the same time enjoy some colour and scent.

 

Winter-flowering plants:

mahoniaMahonia – starts flowering from November onwards (depending on the species) and the scented yellow nectar and pollen-rich flowers attract bees. A large shrubs with often spiny leaves so needs space to grow. Plant in well-drained soil in full sun or part shade.

winter honeysuckleWinter-flowering honeysuckle (Lonicera fragrantissmima) –  is a deciduous evergreen shrub up to 2 m tall with very fragrant white flowers which open from December onwards. Grow in moist but well-drained soil in full sun or part shade.

strawberryStrawberry tree (Arbutus unedo) – is a large evergreen shrub with small bell-shaped white to pinkish flowers which open in November and December. The Strawberry tree thrives in a sheltered spot on well-drained soil in full sun.

lungwortLungwort (Pulmonaria) produces blue, pink or lilac flowers in late winter, set against white-spotted foliage, in early spring. It makes good ground cover in a moist, shady spot.