Beekeeping Equipment | A List Of Essential Tools and Equipment for Beekeepers and How to Use Them?

Beehive Equipment | Beekeeping Tools | Smoker | Scraper | Wax Cutter | Pollen Extractor | Beehive Includes | Beehive Frames | Feeder Pot | Safety Tools | Beekeeping Suits | Beekeeping Suits Include | Honey Harvesting Equipment | Honey Processing Equipment | Tips and Warnings | Beekeeping Videos

Beekeeping Equipment | A List Of Essential BeeKeeping Equipment And Tools – How to Use Them?

Beekeeping Equipment: Beekeeping is amazing and becomes a profitable hobby or small business when you have the right tools and equipment. With the proper use of beekeeping equipment, anybody has the ability to become a beekeeper who is willing to learn about bees. The use of proper tools and equipment will increase the beekeepers’ efficiency. Read and learn more about the Beekeeping Equipment and tools that are Essential for Beekeepers.

Many people may be surprised that it can be done in urban as well as rural areas. No matter what are the objectives of your beekeeping; understanding the importance, awareness of bee behavior, and use of equipment will aid you greatly when it comes to protecting yourself and making sure your hives are successful and productive.

Every beekeeper should have several basic tools for beehive management and honey collection. Usually, bees are attracted to dim colors. So, light-colored clothing is essential. Bees are attracted by scented lotions, colognes, or perfumes. So, these should be avoided.

Successful beekeeping requires specific tools and equipment and some special tools to avoid bee stings. There are several tools and equipment available with beekeeping supply companies. To learn how to use beekeeping tools and equipment and where to use a specific tool, follow the steps stated below:

 

How to use Beekeeping Tools?

1. Smoker

A smoker is a metal pot with attached bellows, an essential tool for a beekeeper. A smoker blows a puff of smoke on the hives when necessary. Remember, Beekeeping tools kit if you buy as a set then it’s cheaper. But unfortunately, if some tools become useless or damaged then you have to buy them separately as a single piece.

Suitable fuel materials include cotton rags, coconut bark, pine needles, and cardboard, and tobacco is used to make it more effective. The smoke causes the bees to become calm, so they are less likely to become annoyed or excited which may restrict from stings. When bees are smoked, they sense danger and reduce their anger.

Some smoke may be blown before opening the beehives. A large scale of smoke should be blown if the hive is attacked by the mite. But too much smoke will drive bees away from the hives. The best-size smoker for an individual beekeeper is the 4 x 7-inch machine available in the market which is medium size and The University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences recommends this size.

How to use a smoker?

Use a cedar chip smoker to calm honeybees before opening up the hive for inspection or harvest honey or any other reason. Place some sticks and cedar chips or tobacco inside the smoker, and light the firewood until it catches fire and strengthens with air to generate smoke. Flow the smoke to the entrance lightly before opening the hive, and smoke the bees lightly again once while open.

Honeybees will gorge themselves on honey because they believe the fire will soon engulf their hive, which in turn makes slower their anger, as fear of death is a weapon to calm everybody on the earth.

Several types of smokers are available for different kinds of hives. Professional-grade smokers will work on a dozen of hives at a time, while smaller-grade ones will work on five or six. Whatever the size, the smoker should have a protecting heat screen and leather billows.

To make good smoke you need something like tobacco or a pellet. Find here to buy: KwikStart Smoker Pellet by Mann Lake, Model HD554.

2. Beekeeping Brush

Removing bees from the hive can cause cell damage. So, a very soft hairbrush is usually used by beekeepers. The most popular is the horsehair brush.

Removing bees from the hive can cause cell damage. Using a bee brush tool is a safer method to remove bees from honeycombs or when checking the hives or collecting honey. The bee brush is made with soft hair or bristles to prevent damage to the hive cells. Similar to a long human-hair brush, the bristles are usually four inches long.

Beekeepers find this tool essential for basic bee removal. But using a bee brush to remove a large number of bees can be boring. Feathers or a tree branch with green leaves will work in a similar way, but it must be used with caution so that it will be less likely to contaminate or puncture the hive cells.

3. Scraper or hive tool

You may use a hive tool/scraper for scraping wax, loosening hive parts, and manipulating frames. A scraper or hive tool is the most common and essential tool for beekeeping.

You may use a hive tool/scraper for scraping wax, loosening hive parts, and manipulating frames. A Scraper is a long, flat, metal tool that has a rounded hook on one end (think crowbar) and a flat scraper on the other end. Use the hook end when lifting frames from the hives and the scraper to clean your hives from wax and gum that are generated and collected by bees respectively.

A hive scraper is used to remove frames or combs from the walls of hives and instantly open hive cover, feeder, etc. This multipurpose lever is made from metal and the best size of which is 10 inches long according to the suggestion of the University of Illinois Cooperative Extension.

This tool fits comfortably in the beekeeper’s hand, and it should be cleaned periodically to remove excess beeswax stack. The tool also cleans off the sap used by bees to fill the small gaps between hives, frames, and honey. You should clean a hive tool by burning it in a hot fire or stabbing it in the ground to prevent bee diseases from spreading among different hives.

 

4. Wax cutter or knife either normal or electrical

Before keeping in the extractor you must cut the capping of cells to spin honey. A sharp knife or uncapping roller or fork can be used. But an electrical knife is more efficient than others.

5. Wax heating pot

For making a wax sheet it’s necessary to melt the wax. You can make wax sheets yourself or buy them ready from a beekeeping supplier.

6. Wax sheet maker

The wax sheet is used to make a foundation of a bee frame to help bees make their nest as soon as possible and easily. Bees use wax to make their nest. So, the wax foundation helps them to work efficiently.

Usually, there are two types of boxes are used, 8 frames or 10 frames. The wax sheet is the artificial beehive made with bee wax by beekeepers and attached to the box to help the bees complete their hive fast.

7. Comb puller

Bees usually fasten the comb with gum or propolis. So, it’s difficult to remove the comb with the bare hand. A comb puller is used to easily remove the sticky combs.

8. Queen Excluder

Queen excluder is used to keep separate the queen from other bees while necessary. Queen Case or queen excluder is shown in the above picture.

9. Pollen Extractor

When the beehive is full of pollen you can use an extractor to collect the excess pollen which you can feed them in the offseason. Remember, pollen is a vitamin for honey bees. A pollen extractor is shown in the above picture.

Beehive Equipment

You can purchase hives from local dealers or other beekeepers or order them online. The hives are obviously the most essential tool for the beekeeper. Starter kits with all of the components and tools required for assemblings, such as boards, boxes, nails, and foundation pins.

1. Collecting Honeybee Hives.

These are often available for purchase and easier to assemble than homemade kits. The different components or parts of your hives are – brood chamber, inner cover, outer cover, entrance hole, net trap, top, and bottom bars, etc.

Since you should check your hives from time to time, you have to practice assembling and disassembling the hives before you start your beekeeping. You can buy here a complete beehive kit: 10-Frame Traditional Complete Hive Kit, Painted Wood-Frames, 9-5/8-Inch by Mann Lake, Model HK170.

2. Beehive Frames

After getting your bees in hand, install your beehives. If you start when nectar is not available, install a honeybee feeder in your hive to feed the bees. Place one feeder on the top of the direct brood chamber and another at the entrance of the hive, a third pail feeder on the inner cover hole, and a fourth baggy feeder on the slats along the top bars. And Place a fifth frame feeder along with frames in the upper deep hive.

You can buy a complete frame with wax sheet assembled: 10-Pack Assembled Commercial Frames with Waxed Natural Rite-Cell Foundation, 9-1/8-Inch, by Mann Lake, Model WW906.

Bee frame naturally grew cells with wax and made by bees. To help bees make their frames rapidly beekeepers use the manual wax sheet with the frame as a foundation; so that, they can complete making cells within a short time. It’s very useful in harvesting season but used all year-round.

This is the base of making the frame and helping the bees to complete the remaining works fast; so that they can be attentive to collect nectar and ultimately you’ll get more honey. Now you know why these manual wax sheets are essential in harvesting season.

3. Feeder Pot

The feeder pot is used only in the offseason. Beekeepers keep sugar syrup in a pot daily to feed the bees artificially. In the off-season, while there is a crisis of natural flowers bees can’t get enough nectar for their feeding. To keep your bees alive and healthy you should use sugar syrup as a nectar substitute. Sugar syrup is made with 1:1 sugar and water boiled to prepare a uniform mixture.

The feeder is an essential part of the hive during the first few weeks of beekeeping. Remember, all of the feeder installment options may not be available in every hive structure. For a single hive structure, only one feeder is required. A 10 frames super box is shown in the picture. You should place 10 frames super box on the top of a 10 frames brood chamber.

A beehive includes the following parts:

1. Brood chamber or box

This is the base and bottom part of beehives. It could be 8 frames or 10 frames. And 8 frames are commonly used almost everywhere. Learn more: Flow Hive For HoneyBees Makes Beekeeping Easier Than Ever!

2. Super box

At harvesting season this super box is kept above the brood chamber. The number of frames of the super should be equal to or less than the brood box.

3. Beehive Cover or Top Cover

After installing the hive it’s covered with a top cover for keeping safe from rain, winds, etc. To keep tight with the body the bees will fasten with propolis (gum) collected from trees. Propolis is one kind of gum collected from trees. Also, they will cover with wax if there is any hole or space in the body or cover.

4. The separator between brood and super box

This separator is used to keep separate the Queen from laying eggs in the super box during harvesting season. Super box is installed intended to harvest honey. If the queen lays eggs there, it’s difficult to remove for harvesting and get damaged.

Beekeepers’ Safety Tools

Safety first, and always take necessary precautions before touching a beehive.

1. Beekeeping suits

You should wear a beekeeping suit and veil to protect your body and face from bee stings. This defensive equipment is essential for beekeeping, especially when you are a beginner. A beekeeping suit is one piece of cloth that covers the trunk and limbs made of light-colored material.

Hand gloves and close-toed shoes should also be worn and keep in mind that bees like to crawl up once they can enter inside your clothing. If drawstrings are not available, you may consider using masking tape or string to close off any openings.

Although beekeeping suits can be replaced with normal clothing, beginners should always wear a professional-grade beekeeping mask to protect their eyes, face, body, and neck. Learn more: Bee Suit–Beekeeping Suit: 5 Easy Steps To Make A Beekeeper Suit at Home.

Beekeeping suits include the following:

1. Beekeepers veil

Beekeepers’ veil is used to keep safe head, neck, shoulder, and face from the bee sting. Definitely, these are very important organs to be kept safe while you are maintaining beehives.

2. Full shirt and pant

Beekeepers wear Full shirts and pants to protect their bodies. There should not be any space or gap between your body and clothing to ensure the bees can’t reach your body.

3. Safety shoes

The end of the pants should enter the Safety shoes. This will help you to keep your body fit for handling beehives and protect your body from the bee sting.

4. Hand Gloves

Hand gloves are essential to keep safe your hand while working on a beehive. Hands are more likely to get stung as mostly come in contact with bees. It’s recommended to use leather hand gloves for the best performance of handling beehives.

Honey Harvesting, extracting, or spinning equipment

1. Harvester or Honey Extractor – manual

It’s is fit for a few numbers of beehives to harvest honey manually. A manual extractor is recommended for Beekeeping as a hobby or as a side business or as a small business. 

2. Honey Extractor – Automatic

While you are maintaining hundreds of or thousands of beehives it’s not possible to extract honey manually. So, the automatic extractor is a highly recommended large bee farm or professional beekeeping.

3. Sieve or filter to clean syrup or honey

To filter sugar syrup or extracted honey a sieve is used to remove all clutter from honey or syrup. While honey is extracted a lot of wax, and dead bees are found. To separate this floating thing you may need to filter it several times.

Honey harvester is used to extract honey, sieve (filter) to clean the honey, funnel to put the honey into a drum, etc. The second Filter separates small particles from Honey And some pots are used to boil the honey to control moisture manually. Filter your extracted honey nicely to consume raw honey or to preserve it for processing and packaging.

4. Cone/Funnel to pour honey into the jar

A cone/Funnel is used to pour or put honey in the jar or bucket. This will ease your work of filling a bucket with honey.

Honey Processing equipment:

1. Heater or woven:

For manual processing a heater or woven with a control switch is necessary. Learn more: How to Process and Filter Honey? The honey processing machine can be manual or automatic. Automatic machine is definitely costly but processing is easy and more scientific. For a small beekeeper, manual processing is feasible and suggested to keep moisture level 18% to 22%. For a large quantity of honey, an automatic machine is very useful and necessary.

Honey is boiled with vapor instead of direct heat. For large-scale processing, an automatic machine is used which is expensive. But for a small quantity of honey manual processing can be done.

2. Pots and a wooden separator between two pots (inner and outer)

In the picture, you can see a bottom pot with water and an upper pot with honey. There is a 3-4 wooden separator between these two pots. This arrangement will protect from direct heat that damage many ingredients of honey. You can make a similar arrangement by yourself.

3. Temperature indicator or thermometer

While you use manual processing you must use a temperature indicator or thermometer to control heat and avoid overheating.

4. Moisture indicator

Frequently you have to check the density of honey to maintain the moisture or keep the moisture in a reasonable range. Remember, the moisture should be between 18% to 22%. Find here a moisture indicator: High Measuring Range, Honey tester 58%-90% – Beekeeping, bees Tri-Scales for Honey Moisture – Ade Advanced Optics, Brix Refractometer. The above 4 pieces of equipment are required for manual processing.

5. Automatic processing

The automatic processing machine is very expensive and only recommended for commercial beekeepers. But you can use a small power blanket instead of the above which is very simple and cheap. Tools above from 1 to 4 are for manual processing.

Tips and Warnings

01. Keep in touch with the Network of local beekeeping clubs or nature centers to learn more about beekeeping in your area. They can supply you with helpful tips and tricks related to beekeeping, even they may be able to supply basic tools and equipment as well.

02. Beekeeping can pose many serious risks to individuals who are sensitive to bees and bee stings. It is wise to check with your doctor before embarking on this interesting hobby. All of the above tools and equipment, even more, you can buy from Amazon, eBay, or similar shops.

03 Use bee hives equipment with the utmost care to avoid an accident. Before opening the hive cover always wear a beekeeping suit, veil, shoes, and hand gloves.

04. Avoid opening the hive cover at mid-day, and in hot weather. Put off your bracelet, watch, and don’t use any perfume before going to beehives.

Beekeeping Store: Beekeeping Supplies Near Me, The Best 7 Companies for Beekeeping Supplies.

Beekeeping Supplies near me: Once beekeeping supplies were very difficult to find. But, nowadays, it is very easy to get beehive products at home with the help of advanced technology. Here, we have mentioned 7 companies that supply beehive products worldwide and their products are of the best quality.

They are also most famous in Europe including the UK and in the USA. We have provided their contact information to help you contact them easily. Find here the best 7 world-famous companies for beekeeping supplies in Apiary. Better supplies will help you to work comfortably, keep your bees healthy, help you to be an efficient beekeeper, and make your business profitable.

I have mentioned here the names of 7 companies from where you can buy the equipment and tools you need for beekeeping regardless of you are new or an expert beekeeper. Everything is near your hand and you can order and receive from your home, any corner of the world as they are the online stores.

The best 7 companies are Amazon, Mann Lake, Bee Hive Supplies, Brushy Mountain Bee Farm, Dadant & Sons, Thorne, and Better bee Inc. From the above 7 companies, Amazon is the best in many respects. For more information, please continue to read up to the last page.

#01: Amazon

Amazon is one of the best Beekeeping supply companies. It’s a world-famous online store that enables you to buy anything from your home. You can search for or buy beehive supplies below. Even if you need anything other than beehive supplies, simply write the name of an item in the search box and then click on Go.

Several brands of the same item with different sizes and prices will appear. Choose the best option you think fits you. Find here a list of a few items that beekeepers usually buy. These are the names of just a few. You’ll get whatever you need for beekeeping. It’s said that almost everything is available on Amazon and is one of the largest online stores.

* QUEEN MATING HIVES – complete with frames,
* NEW 1000 pcs Beekeeping Queen Cell Cups, Royal Jelly Cups, Queen Rearing Equip,
* NICE LARGE LOT OF BEEKEEPING BOOKLETS, 1920’S-1930’S, & ETC.
* Professional Heavy-duty Bee Suit, Beekeeping Supply Suit (w/ Gloves) – X Large,
* New Large Beekeeping Bee Keeping Suit, Jacket, Pull Over, Smoker and Veil, etc.

Before ordering any item check the specification, price, & refund policy; read customers’ reviews, watch the video if any. If you feel that it’s worth buying, then order it with your preferred transportation. You can pay with your credit card, debit card, Paypal account, etc. eBay is also similar to Amazon and you can compare the price there.

Before ordering any item check the specification, price, & refund policy; read customers’ reviews, watch the video if any. If you feel that it’s worth buying, then order it with your preferred transportation. You can pay with your credit card, debit card, Paypal account, etc. eBay is also similar to Amazon and you can compare the price there.

 

#02: Mann Lake

Mann Lake offers the best quality beehive tools or products because it is a real and direct manufacturer. You will also get the best or highest bee products or supplies for direct & competitive prices. They offer equipment for the new bee hobbyists and professional industries.

The main beehive supplies are:

(1) Beekeeping Kits, (2) Beehive components, (3) Beehive colony maintenance, (4) Protective gear, (5) Extracting & bottling, (6) Candle, wine, and soap making, & (7) Books & gifts. It’s dealing with the customer is excellent. Contact them if you need something: http://www.mannlakeltd.com/

#03: Bee Hive Supplies

Bee Hive Supplies is situated in Cornwall and it’s popular with beekeeping supplies and British National poly hives. It offers the best and high quality, beekeeping equipment, clothing, and accessories. You can contact them at http://www.beehivesupplies.co.uk/.

Their Beehive supplies are affordable, easy to buy and install. All the beehive equipment is designed, made, and tested in the UK. They provide high or best quality density polystyrene beehives. Also, you can check with eBay for price comparison. E-Bay is also a popular online place for buying beehive supplies. There are lots and all kinds of supplies you can get here. Also, you can order online and receive timely in your home. You can buy from here: ebay.com

 

#04: Brushy Mountain Bee Farm

It is a total and well-established Beekeeping Supply Company. They are giving supplies for the newbie and the professional beekeepers. Check with them if you really need something for your beehives. The common supplies of them are frames to extractors, hive bodies, bottling equipment and jars, supers, candle-making and soap-making, protective clothing, books on beekeeping, honey labels, etc.

Contact them at http://www.brushymountainbeefarm.com/Beekeeping-Supplies/departments/1/

#05: Dadant & Sons

They also offer American Bee Journal. This magazine is distributed worldwide monthly. You can get it in your hand regardless of wherever your region. Contact them at http://www.dadant.com/.

Dadant & Sons have been manufacturing proudly the best quality products or supplies since 1863. It’s also the oldest and largest Beekeeping Supply Company in America. Even we don’t yet find any other company older than that all over the world.

 

#06: Thorne

It’s another famous company loaded with only beehive products for the new beekeepers and advanced beekeepers. They are one of the oldest manufacturers of beekeeping products for over 100 years. The beehive supplies made by them are proudly dominating the beekeeping industry. Contact them at http://www.thorne.co.uk/

#07: Better bee Inc

It’s a wholesale and retail business for beehives supplies. It is situated in Greenwich, NY. Its principal is Dr. Chris Cripps who has 25 years of experience in the beekeeping business. He is the advisor to design the beehive supplies, and his experience contributes to the beehive industry.

If you want to buy something or just to check with them, Contact them anytime at http://www.betterbee.com/

Watch Beekeeping Videos:

1. How Do Bees Make Honey | How to Harvest and Filter Honey

2. Health Benefits of Honey | Start Eating Honey Every Day, and Watch What Happens!

3. Funding Opportunities for Beekeepers

 

Resources of information

National Honey Board,

American Honey Producers Association,

American Bee Journal,

The Pollination Home Page.

Experience of my own honey bee apiary or project.