Specification

After determining the hive that is best, a new
beekeeper should invest in the following:
Hive tool: Your hive tool is one of your most
critical pieces of equipment. Without it, you will
nd it nearly impossible to inspect your colonies
or add new boxes if you are using a Warre hive.
Bees glue everything in the hive together with
their resin-like propolis.
Smoker: While this may not be used all of the
time, this is a critical piece of a equipment for
all beekeepers. The smoker is used to subdue
the bees by both making it dicult for them to
communicate, and also causing them to gorge
on honey in preparation for a re. Honey bees
are temperamental creatures, and otherwise
docile hives may have days where they are over-
ly agitated. In most cases you will just avoid the
hive on those days, but there are some times
when you must get into or move the hive and a
smoker will be your best friend!
Jacket with Veil and Gloves: As a new beekeeper
it isn’t likely that you will be overly comfortable
with your unprotected hands and face near
40,000+ stinging insects at rst. It is recommend
that all beekeepers start o using protective
equipment so that they can become comfort-
able around their bees. Bees seem to sense
nervousness or condence, and a nervous bee-
keeper often makes mistakes and gets stung,
which is an easy way to get turned o of your
new-found hobby.
Bee Brush: More useful than you would imag-
ine, the bee brush can be used to gently move
the bees o of comb or other places you don’t
want them to be. Keep in mind that the bees
HATE the brush and you will nd them stinging
it mercilessly as you use it, so use sparingly.
(Beekeeping)
HONEY EBOOK
IMPORTANT tricks
for honey extraction
When it comes time to harvest the honey, the
reward of much time and eort, there are
some important tips and tricks to consider as
detailed by John Calderia:
Honey is sticky. It will drip. Every doorknob,
shoelace, telephone and radio button that
is touched while uncapping or handling wet
frames will become sticky. Walking spreads the
honey around on the oor. Solution: A bucket
of water to rinse hands and a dishtowel are
essential in the extracting room. Turn on the
fan and radio, and get everything else ready,
before getting all sticky. The garage, basement,
barn or porch are usually better places to ex-
tract than the kitchen, providing you can keep
the honey clean.
Bees in the extracting room are attracted to light.
Straggler bees left in the supers will nd their
way into the extracting room and will tend to
y towards a window or light bulb. Solution: A
small exit near the top of a window will allow
them to return to their hives if they are nearby.
If the hives are not nearby and you have a lot of
bees in the room, hanging a few drawn frames
near the top of the window with a caged queen
will provide a place for them to settle and
create a nice nucleus colony when you’re done.
A vacuum cleaner hose is an alternative. Don’t
extract directly under the only light bulb in the
room.
Bees away from their hive are not inclined to
sting. Bees carried into the extracting room in
supers are normally extremely gentle, with no
brood or queen present. However, they are
very adept at stinging the nger that acciden-
tally crushes them while picking up a frame or
super. Beware.
Household items can serve as good alternatives