What Equipment Do You Need?

Beekeeping has become a common activity. Today, you can see several individuals manufacturing their own versions of the traditional beehive. Although the approaches and structures may be different, the goal of yielding honey and beeswax is still the same. You will need some tools and equipment to create the right combs and beehive that will be right for the environment and safe for the bees living in it. Here are some tips and guidelines.

Beekeeper Gear

Beekeepers have to wear a protective veil to ward bees away from their face and neck while working. They should pick the full shoulder and head veils, zip-up veils and tie-down veil designs, depending on comfort and budget. You can start searching in different stores and online to find the right style that you like.

Choosing the Gear and Smoker

You can choose between professional type smokers that emit enough smoke and work on several beehives each time. There are cheaper and smaller smoker models that work very well for 5 to 6 hives. The smoker should have a protective heat shield and leather billows. A hook where you can hang the smoker from is an added bonus.

Beginners are recommended to wear the full protective body suit, gloves and long sleeves. When your beekeeping skills develop, you can stop wearing gloves. Working with your bare hands lets you have a better feel for the temper of the bees at any time.

The Tool

One very useful tool is a hook-ended material with a scraper on the opposite side. You should use the hook to carry the frames out of the hive without having to reach in using your hand. Once the frame is taken out, the scraper will be used to slowly scrape off dirt and other buildup and keep the beehive clean from parasites and other matter.

Honey trays and honey filters are used to collect the honey from the hive. You will need an uncapping knife to take out the different chambers and wax sheets. Brushes and grippers will help refine your work for easier extraction.

Keeping Track

If you happen to be a beginner who just began experimenting with bees, you have to get some books and journals to track your progress. There are several instruction manuals on re-queening, colony defense and swarm control. If you buy new equipment, you have to ensure that you only invest in the right source. There are different manufacturers and retailers around so ask for catalogues and a product list to know all the details.

Familiarize yourself with the different honeybee pests and illnesses. You can invest in second-hand equipment, as long as you check that these are safe to use. Beekeeping journals will help you in the methods and approaches. Make sure that you include all the steps in installing the beehives, as well as properly collecting honey and beeswax.

More Items

You have to be familiar with several other items when beekeeping. Some of these include the comb foundation roller, hive tool, queen gate, queen excluder, grafting needle set, bee veil, single chamber beehive, uncapping knife, sulphur dust, honey filter, brushes, hive stand, honey extractor, queen cage, queen cell protector, wax sheets, frame gripper, pollen traps, honey tray, wasp trap and formic acid.

Building the Hive

You can create a top bar hive yourself. It is one of the cheapest and simplest hives available for beginners to easily collect honey and advance in their skills. The top bar hive is characterized mainly by its top bar, unlike other models that have side or bottom bars.

The parts of the hive include the bottom board which functions as an entrance for the bees, the brood box where the queen bee lays eggs, the honey super where honey is stored, the frames and foundation made of plastic sheet and a wooden frame where bees create wax honey combs and finally, the inner and outer cover.

The hives should have enough protection from wasps and other animals. Sulphur dust and smokers are used to drive the bees out or even kill a few thousands when collecting the honey. Some structures require the entire hive to be destroyed when collecting honey so protective gear helps keep aggressive worker bees away and keep you safe from stings.