Tools for a Newbee

[Millet]

Just for everyones amusement I will admit to once impaling the queen with a crown, nowadays I just pick them up. Secondly if you ever misplace 1 you are sure to find it stuck in your shoe a week or so later!!

Used once once and no thank you.. around ten workers screwerd and killed and nearly a Queen..big no no for me..i have found a less harmful method which is very simple and safe..i am sure you know what this little tubular little device is..

 

[iann41]

A can of Glade Vanilla air spray

A pair of quality, small sharp scissors

A pencil for marking frames and keeping records

A ring binder/folder for record keeping

A foam sponge for blocking hive entrance

A Hammerfore

 

[philipm]

A base ball cap it keeps the hood from touching your face on a windy day,Also for those of us who are folically challenged it adds an extra layer to the top of your head.

 

[Curly green finger's]

A hive cloth come in handy and a good supply of washing soda to keep your hive tools clean as well as many more things .

 

[drex]

The list is growing. I have a lot of schmutter which I bought as an enthusiastic beginner, which I rarely touch these days. Keep it simple. Stick to the basics, and buy more stuff when you have a bit more experience. The main thing a beginner needs is the stuff to cope when they try to start swarming, which in its simplest form is a nucs box, which will come in very handy in years to come

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

A hive cloth come in handy .

debatable, and far from being a necessity

 

[Curly green finger's]

debatable, and far from being a necessity

Agreed I really only use one on bigger colonys ie.. Double brood or colonys that are bubbling

Sent from my YAL-L21 using Tapatalk

 

[enrico]

debatable, and far from being a necessity

Horses for courses.....if he finds it useful who are we to knock it?
E

 

[Poly Hive]

Used one twice in my first year and promptly gave it up as being both a (literally) waste of time and a complete faff. Ditto bee brushes.

PH

 

[Erichalfbee]

debatable, and far from being a necessity

I used one on my colony from hell but in nothing else. Our local association teaches the beginners to use them all the time for some strange reason.

 

[Poly Hive]

It seems to be something the BBKA teaches. I have no idea why. Slow and clumsy and encourages leisurely inspections dragging on and on to the detriment of the bees.

PH

 

[Curly green finger's]

It seems to be something the BBKA teaches. I have no idea why. Slow and clumsy and encourages leisurely inspections dragging on and on to the detriment of the bees.



PH

I've not found using a hive cloth to be slow and clumsy. I've used one instead of a crown board while finding Queens.
There's many more reasons as Eric said horses for courses.
As a beginner it can get very intense with lots of bee's flying round you here's were you might use one

Sent from my YAL-L21 using Tapatalk

 

[Beefriendly]

I find them most useful when brushing/shaking bees off supers rather than using a clearer board. They do a good job of keeping the bee free frames in an empty super bee free.
With the occasional hive from hell (we all get them occasionally) are quite a help, otherwise they remain in my truck.

 

[XYZ]

I bought quite a few things before I started up, not all of them get used.

The main pieces of equipment I have are:
3 x Abelo poly national brood boxes (2 in use)
4 x Abelo poly shallow boxes
2 x Abelo poly floors
3 x Clear quilts
Enough brood and shallow frames to fill all of my boxes, and then a load spare (maybe 1 box worth each - I need to check)
Queen excluders - one for each hive in action
1 x Maisemore poly nuc with feeder

I bought the following and used them every time I went to the bees:
Small toolbox
Smoker
J-Tool
Wellies with a seal around the calf
Jacket with fencing veil
Baseball cap
Box of thick blue nitrile gloves
Marigolds

The following I bought and used as and when I needed and will use in future:
Queen clip
Crown of thorns
Horse hair brush
Small blue torch
Rapid feeder
Abelo Ashforth feeder
Ratchet straps (1 per hive)
Queen marking pen/paint for the year (only if you want to make your own queens)

The following I bought and find I will likely not use:
One-handed queen catcher
Queen catcher with plunger
Butler cages


While I didn't spend much on equipment I won't use, I should have started small and built up.

I will probably get a hive cloth for when the bees are angry. It makes sense to me.

 

[Madge]

Pnkemp, apart from what you need - I’d suggest what you don’t need is leather gloves. Immediately start with latex or nitrile gloves, and have a boxful of those handy. I think Marigolds are too thick as well - but if you get nervous, maybe have a pair of those handy as well.

 

[XYZ]

Just on that note, I started off just using a single pair of nitriles. It turns out they didn't protect me as I got stung twice on the same hand one inspection through them.
So I then wore marigolds with nitriles on top. Slide your jacket sleeve over the marigolds, then nitrile on top, trapping the jacket sleeve cuff. Decent amount of protection and still enough for me to feel everything I was doing during inspection.

 

[Beefriendly]

Pnkemp, apart from what you need - I’d suggest what you don’t need is leather gloves. Immediately start with latex or nitrile gloves, and have a boxful of those handy. I think Marigolds are too thick as well - but if you get nervous, maybe have a pair of those handy as well.

I'm going to slightly disagree with you Mellifra.
For the hive from hell that is stinging at will through your nitriles and marigolds....you need a thick pair of glove stuffed away for very occasional use.
Normal use ....long sleeved nitriles....100% agree.

 

[For want of a better word]

A decent sized magnifying glass.

I know commercial beekeeper who have forbidden the use of J tools
and why does a new beekeeper needs to catch a queen?

I got away with a blunt 2 inch woodworking chisel for a few years!

And as for the fabled "Crown of Thornes".... hurts somewhat when knealed upon... usually looking for the queen you dropped in the grass!!

Chons da