The most useless thing I have bought to help my beekeeping .. or anywhere else for that matter !

[SixFooter]

Frame lifter. Free gift with something. can't see the point.
a vaporiser that took about 10 minutes to get hot, a rusty old extractor I thought I could restore. Some second hand queen excluders that just fell apart. Plywood supers that lasted a year. A cover cloth, wellies - hate them I Now use rigger boots.

 

[Into the lions den]

Skeleton in the cupboard?

My list of useless purchases that sounded like a good idea and/or was persuaded by others to buy would fill a cemetery!

In fact I still have load of useless items that were my father's skeletons in the cupboard.......

However people today have an infinitely wider choice of useless/overpriced items to buy...I am quite envious...lol. Isn't the internet wonderful. You can waste your money on strange exotic gadgets I would never have dreamed of.

Most expensive 'silly' was 400 *apparently* marine ply hive top feeders...the last one went out of service...delaminating....only two years later. Expensive bonfire.

 

[Polymorph]

Mine are the frame rest and a water feeder (converted kchicken water hopper) for the bees. They seem to prefer the mud by a stream than my in-apiary solution. No gratitude

 

[Moobee]

I really like mine, each to their own...

Simon

Me too!

 

[lindsay s]

Just to upset the apple cart I really like and couldn’t do without the following.
Frame rest. I pop the outside frame on it and it gives me more room for inspections and less chance of rolling the bees but just make sure the queen isn’t there which has happened more times than I will admit to!
Cover cloth. I always have 2 with me and sometimes I could do with more. Very handy for keeping the bees calm when carrying out inspections in cool weather 🌦 and covering open supers. Mine have heavy batons and my partner makes me new covers when required.
One handed frame gripper. Very handy for lifting my short lugged Smith frames out of the hives. But they can let a frame covered in bees fall to the ground causing chaos due to the incompetent beekeeper. The worst time was when I was helping a friend with her bees. I dropped the frame with the queen on it.⚰ Luckily there were a few sealed Q cells in the hive and it ended well!

 

[pargyle]

Just to upset the apple cart I really like and couldn’t do without the following.
Frame rest. I pop the outside frame on it and it gives me more room for inspections and less chance of rolling the bees but just make sure the queen isn’t there which has happened more times than I will admit to!
Cover cloth. I always have 2 with me and sometimes I could do with more. Very handy for keeping the bees calm when carrying out inspections in cool weather 🌦 and covering open supers. Mine have heavy batons and my partner makes me new covers when required.
One handed frame gripper. Very handy for lifting my short lugged Smith frames out of the hives. But they can let a frame covered in bees fall to the ground causing chaos due to the incompetent beekeeper. The worst time was when I was helping a friend with her bees. I dropped the frame with the queen on it.⚰ Luckily there were a few sealed Q cells in the hive and it ended well!

It's sometimes good to be in a minority ... I know a one armed beekeeper who can't manage without his frame lifter and a frame rest so each to their own ....

But.... what have you got in the back of the bee shed that you don't use that seemed like a good idea at the time ?

 

[peterbees]

Frame feeder used once, loads of bees drowned in syrup.

Frame rests bought in a sale, never been used.

I love frame feeders for feeding a swarm or a nuc, and they can be used as dummy boards at the same time.
You have to make sure the float is not propolised to the feeder, before filling the feeder.

 

[elainemary]

Pratley tray bought at an auction. Going to the next auction.
Bucket drainer (plastic spoon quicker).

 

[Erichalfbee]

Thought I might add this though I haven’t actually bought one

 

[Curly green finger's]

Nicot Cup system I bought two of them used one then found my Miller frame method and grafting with a brush direct so much easier so I have two nicot Cup systems in a box which I won't use same as the grafting tools.

 

[ericbeaumont]

before filling the feeder

Fill it with straw.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I love frame feeders for feeding a swarm or a nuc, and they can be used as dummy boards at the same time.
You have to make sure the float is not propolised to the feeder, before filling the feeder.

even better - just get some of that plastic netting used for protecting fruit bushes, scrunch it up and stuff it in the feeder, same as them Paynes nucs.
Wally and Jenny Shaw live near the beach on Anglesey, so they just go beachcombing for discarded fishing net and use that for their feeders.

 

[Murox]

Plastic pan scourers work well too!!

 

[Curly green finger's]

Plastic pan scourers work well too!!

What about all the small bits that come of them though, especially the ones from aldi?
Or am I thinking of a different type of scourer?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

you're using them for the bees to climb on - not cleaning the feeders

 

[Erichalfbee]

These

 

[Newbeeneil]

I've been asked to "rationalise" the apiary and storage at a teaching apiary. I had a quick look through the container this morning. Some wonderful things in there completely unused including some EH Taylor drone foundation and section wax. When did Taylors pack up?

 

[Murox]

These

YES Those ones Curly!!!

 

[Curly green finger's]

YES Those ones Curly!!!

Oh OK the ones I was thinking of were these, Sponge scourers

 

[maddydog]

Abelo steam uncapping knife. Good for creating steam, not a lot else