We keep a small number of bee hives on our property and around the county for pollination and honey
Great beginner set up! I love the quality of Mann Lake hive bodies.
Premium Starter Kit
I love my J-hook tools! I have 3, because goodness knows I can never find it when I need it!
10 1/2" Frame Lifter and Scraper Hive Tool
Do not make the same mistake I did! Buy a good quality smoker WITH the protective cage. Many burns later, I replaced my old one with this one.
Stainless Steel Smoker Pro-Bellow 4" x 7"
Use for moving bees out of the way gently
Bee Brush
I currently have the fencing-style hood. If I could go back, I would go with the hat style. I wear glasses, and the rounded hood collapses back onto my glasses and knocks them off.
So, if you wear glasses, this would be my recommendation! The rest of...
Vented Beekeeping Jacket with Clear Vue Veil
The best time to work your hives is also the freaking hottest part of the day! I used to wear bandanas under my veil, but they are not as absorbent.
Why work bees in the heat of the day?
Fewer bees in the hive. More bees will be out foraging.
Sweatbands
We prefer to use feeders inside the hives rather than open feeding or even entrance feeders. This draws fewer robbers, or bees from other colonies, from trying to butt in.
9 1/8" Pro Feeder - 2" Wide (Holds 1 Gallon) with Cap and Ladder
We feed these every winter along with plain cane sugar as our winter feeding routine.
AP23 Winter Patties with Honey-B-Healthy
Our favorite pollen substitute. We make our own spring feeding patties according to the directions. It saves space, shipping cost, and our bees get fresh patties.
AP23 Dry Pollen Substitute
Feeding stimulant that we add to our 1:1 liquid syrup and our pollen patties.
Honey B Healthy
We treat with OA every spring to help knock down mites.
Makes checking varroa mite levels simple. A must-have for all beekeepers.
Varroa Easy Check
After checking varroa mite levels in the late summer, we treat with Formic Pro. We prefer to use the two dose treatment method that are included in the directions.
Formic-Pro 10-Dose
Helps clear out supers so that you can harvest honey!
Spray on a fume board
