Beekeepers Tool Chest.

[Hawklord]

So what do you take with you to inspections? What gadgets have you got in your tool chest?

 

[mbc]

I like to carry a clip queen catcher and a box of matches as well as the usual smoker and hive tool

 

[sherwood]

Utility carrier includes, smoker, fuel, gaslighter with long nose, Q cages(2off),marker pen, sealed container for collecting hive debris, 2 hive tools I always misplace 1, pack of nitrile disposable gloves, some wedges, bucket with warm water and washing soda in, spare spacers, screw driver, nails, a water mister sometimes used instead of smoke, a crown of thornes queen catcher, drawing pins, pack of piriton, a mobile phone in an outside pocket and a camera I dont mind getting propalised, for those of failing site a magnifying glass or reading glasses can be useful

 

[m100]

No chest, just a metal paint kettle

hive tool
mini blowtorch for relighting smoker
crown of thorns cage
queen catching clip
queen marking plunger
marking paint in all colours (humbrol, hardly used and posca markers)
q-tip without cotton wool for applying marking paint
queen cages
drawing pins
drone uncapping fork
small led torch
small scissors for clipping
mesh for porter escape holes
porter escapes
other unidentified assorted crap

carried separately
hand held water mister
smoker

spare nitrile gloves in pockets of suit
mobile phone

 

[hedgerow pete]

video camare springs to mind lol
i listed on one of my videos what i use in the shed

 

[MuswellMetro]

smoker, hesian fuel, cookergaslighter, tuppaware container for collecting Wax and hive debris, 4 hive tools I always misplace AT LEAST one set. pack of nitrile disposable gloves, soft bucket , bottle of warm water and washing soda, brush , spare spacers (narrow and wide), screw driver,pin hammer nails, a mister with light sugar syrup, a queen catcher, drawing pins, bottle of children liquid piriton, a mobile phone in an outside pocket, a friznel magnifying glass , porter escape, two nappies as manipulation cloth, empty large match box for bee sample, full match box if lighter goes phut, frames bits for running repairs, duck tape, foam strip,pen torch ( getting old)

all in two tesco wine bags(those with 6 with pockets) then put these in a 6 frame Nuc with rope handles...

so i arrive at hives, take the bags out...use the nuc as a frame holder/ a dark quiet area for bee frames out while i examine the other frames....if i need to split a hive then just put two or three frames in nuc, close the nuc up and take Nuc home and carry my two tesco bags....

and in the CAR, a super with frames, and some spare foundation brood frames

 

[Poly Hive]

Unbelievable.

One car. One set of fingers for catching queens. Sissors. Q paint. Hive tool. Smoker. Hessian for fuel. Blow torch for fast ignition.

I keep spare kit on my sites. Much easier and always to hand.

Spare kit depends on season: Supers, Brood boxes, clearer boards, fondant.

Personally I find the various queen catchers to be lethal to queens. Learn to catch queens by practising on drones, clip, mark and kill.

If you are new then try to find some one with over 10 colonies and ask to have an afternoon queen finding, as it takes that many at least to train in your eye and as almost every swarming policy needs you to find the lady....it's a useful skill. Vital even.

And yes you can ask me. always willing to help.

PH

 

[MuswellMetro]

Unbelievable.


PH

yep, but my hives have been until last september 30miles from my home in north london...1 and half hour round trip if the M25 is not blocked

 

[MuswellMetro]

Unbelievable.


PH

yep, but it the Boy Scout in me...my hives have been until last september 30miles from my home in north london...1 and half hour round trip

 

[Poly Hive]

Thirty miles? Well that is not so far.

I am quite happy to have a 50+ mile run for a good site. It all depends on the pay back.

PH

 

[grizzly]

I bought a cheap toolbox from B&Q, filled it with hive tools, nitrile gloves, queen cages, markers, brushes, smoker fuel, brush, uncapping fork, surgical scissors, scalpel, porter escapes, powder (cant remember why ?), straps, hive numbers, drawing pins, a few small plastic containers. am sure i have forgotten lots.

Even with all this to hand i still manage to misplace my hive tool several times during my inspections.

 

[sherwood]

I note a number of you list a brush. To me this is a no no whats the point of using a brush in one hive and then moving onto the next hive with the same brush just carries disease. If I want a brush I break a branch or twig of a tree and dispose of it after using it on 1 hive and when I nead another I do the same, Long grass or ferns work equally well.

 

[Annrbel]

You can get silicone brushes, quick swill in the soda pot along with your hive tool and they dry really easily, very soft too so don't hurt the bees. So why do hive tools disappear, eventually found one by driving the lawn mower over it, still a bit twisted after ripping the blades to bits, serves my husband right for even considering mowing when the clover is out.

 

[Poly Hive]

Brushes roll bees around and they also get entangled in the hairs and they DO NOT like it.

I dumped the concept years ago. Yet the appliance sellers sell them on every year to beginners.

PH

 

[grizzly]

Yes brushes are crap, used it once and never again, Poly is correct so any newbies please take note.
But it's still in my toolbox, good for sweeping away the crud under the hive.

 

[Hawklord]

Brushes roll bees around and they also get entangled in the hairs and they DO NOT like it.

I dumped the concept years ago. Yet the appliance sellers sell them on every year to beginners.

PH

Perhaps you could suggest an alternative PH.

 

[steve1958]

Glad I read this post.
Being a newbee I hadnt even thought of cross contamination.