Beekeeping Equipment Essentials

So you are about to begin your new hobby or life style job of beekeeping, the first question you need to answer, is exactly what beekeeping equipment essentials are necessary?

The major Beekeeping Equipment essentials are explained below:-

Bee Hives

The major issue to be first addressed is exactly what type of beehive you are going to utilise. There are many types to consider and each has its advantages and disadvantages.

Some of the issues needing to be considered are whether the beehive will be attached on a platform or sitting directly on the ground, its size and ease of access for cleaning, feeding the bees, etc. The best suggestion prior to deciding on the type of bee hive to go with is to visit some local beekeepers and see what they are using. Select the type that best suits your style and then either purchase from a supplier or build one yourself.

The bees will adapt to anything you provide, but the most important aspect is that the beehive needs to be dry inside.

Beekeeping Protective Clothing

Working with bees means you face the occupational hazard of being stung and thus to nullify the risk you need to consider the various beekeeping protective clothing that is available.

If your budget is not a problem, then buying the best bee suit available is an obvious choice. These bee suits are basically full body protection and all but eliminate the risk of getting stung. If money is an issue, then the minimum necessary is coverage for your head and shoulders and a good pair of gloves.

Hive Tool

A hive tool is necessary in order for you to be able to work efficiently upon your beehive. The hive tool is used for scraping the wax, to loosen hive parts and manipulate the hive frames.

Bee Smoker

The Bee Smoker is used when the bees need to be calmed, smoke is poured into the hive and it acts like a sedative and is not harmful to the bees.

Bee Feeder

At different times of the year, usually winter, you will need to feed the bees to supplement their diet, when their natural food supplies are low. The bee feeder is a tool that allows syrup to be delivered inside of the beehive and there are many varieties on offer.

Bees

Once all the essential equipment has been decided on and purchased then obviously the most essential beekeeping equipment is the choice of the Bees themselves.

The choice of bees is obviously a very subjective and personal one, the best method is to ask around your local beekeepers to see if any of them have any on offer. Obviously you only want to purchase from successful beekeepers to ensure you get access to a healthy colony.

Visit our site and get your free copy of our Honey E book - The magic of Honey and its many uses plus more great information on Beekeeping Equipment Essentials

Raewyn Harris has a passion for honey and all its various benefits, plus a desire to ensure the honey bee population around the world is nurtured back to its former numbers.