subject: Beekeeping Supplies [print this page] Beekeeping Supplies Beekeeping Supplies
Before you can physically begin beekeeping, you will need to make sure you have the right supplies. Being prepared is very important, especially before you bring in the bees! It is highly recommended that you purchase new beekeeper supplies. Used beekeeper supplies can pose a threat of disease being spread.Beekeeper Supplies for the Bees- Hive - There are many different types of beehives, and choosing one will be largely influenced by whether or not you intend to do beekeeping as a business or hobby as well as your decision to purchase at beehive or build your own. If you're going to build your own beehive you can find a lot of different plans on the internet - just make sure the plans contain step-by-step instructions, diagrams or pictures, and contact information should you need further support. Tip - to make collecting the honey easier, put a wax foundation in.- Syrup - To prevent your bees from starving to death when food is scarce, provide your bees with a sugar syrup. Normally bees can find enough food on their own, but this is just cheap insurance. It may also be more important in cooler climates, but doesn't hurt to have this anywhere.- Feeder - So where do you put your syrup? The answer is in a feeder. A top feeder will hold several gallons of sugar syrup and usually has a screen to keep the bees from drowning. A tight fitting cover is essential to stop bees from other hives from swiping your syrup.Supplies for the Beekeeper- Protective Gear - This is extremely important. Protective gear includes a beekeeping suit, a hat, veil, and gloves. Make sure the suit is white or light colored to reduce the risk of the bees attacking. They sometime confuse dark colors with predators. Bees tend to sting the face and neck the most.- Smoker - This is not the type that the Surgeon General provides warnings for, it's a small tool designed to blow smoke at the bees to calm them down. How does this work? Well guard bees produce and release pheromones when the hive is under attack. The smoke masks these pheromones allowing the beekeeper to get into the hive and work. Smokers burn a variety of fuels.- Equipment for Handling the Honey - A honey extractor and container is needed for handling honey. The honey extractor will take the honey from the honeycomb without destroying it. Be sure to have a clean container to put the honey in.- Hive Tool - This specialized piece of equipment is used to open the hives, scrape wax and propolis (a resinous mixture that honey bees collect from tree buds) and pry the frames apart.How to Purchase BeesTo reduce the likelihood of introducing foreign diseases, a local beekeeper is a great source to purchase your bees. As an added bonus, these bees will be acclimatized to the weather and seasonal conditions in your area.normally you have two options to buy bees. The first method is to purchase them as a package, which is not recommended, as the bees are usually assembled from several different hives and a queen bee is added. Not only is this stressful, but increases the chance of disease. A better alternative is to purchase a Nuc hive.A Nuc hive is basically a scaled down version of a regular hive. Bees are taken from a larger hive along with five frames of honey brood and pollen which gives them a head start in the spring. Tip - buy your bees in the winter even if you don't take delivery until spring. You may even be able to get away with just a down payment, and what this does is make sure you get some quality bees instead of scrambling around in the spring when bees might be hard to find.Once you purchase the basic beekeeper supplies, you will be ready to purchase your first swarm of bees!
