Essential information on the beekeeping equipment every beekeeper needs.
There are several beekeeping equipment’s available in the market being sold. however each beekeeper will require different tools. This article seeks to highlight the uses of each in differentiating the essential tool from those that are there to make your work more effective
To keep yourself protected as you’re tending to the bees, the Bee suit is a necessity. Our MBF Full canvas beesuit material, is very resistant to all insect stings, provides outstanding protection against bee stings, plus all day comfort in most weather conditions.
It has heavy duty brass zippers with durable double-stitched pockets allowing for storage of hive tool while managing your hive.
This has a oversized fit with an elastic wrists and elastic ankles to keep everything spacious, comfortable & in place.
You’ll be able to remove the veil for easier storage.
Comes with option of rubber gloves or leather gloves at different costs.
Bee Smoker
A bee smoker is essential beekeeping equipment, as it makes aggressive bees more docile. Primarily, smoke makes honeybees believe there may be a wildfire nearby. This prompts them to eat as much honey as they can in preparation for a potential move. Honeybees are more docile with a full stomach due to physical difficulty in tipping their abdomens up to sting
Smoke also masks the alarm pheromone given off by guard bees, minimizing the defensive reactions of the colony. You can use wood chips, small twigs or dry leaves in the smoker.
Local smoker
Non insulated smoker, stainless steel with leather bellow.
Insulated heat shield/guard smoker. This has a heat shield to keep you safe when you’re using it, to protect against burns. It has stainless steel construction so it will last a long time. Also includes a grate at the bottom to improve burning.
With our Honey Strainer Double Sieve, you can filter the honey as well as fully refine. This is a two-part honey strainer that is designed with two separating screens for effective filtering. The top strainer is coarse mesh, and the bottom is a finer mesh that gives you more screening. It is made from 201 stainless steel mesh that is highly durable and resistant of both rust and oxidation. The mesh bowl has a diameter of 22.86cm and a depth of 9cm to fit over a regular honey bucket with ease. When it comes to honey filtering (honey refining) this is a must have in the beekeeping equipment list
Bees glue everything in the hive together with their resin-like propolis. This requires the beekeeper to pry the seal open with a hive tool. A hive tool allows you to detach comb from hive sides, cut and scrape propolis, and pry frames
J-Hive tool
Frames & supers are not easy to separate because of the resin-like Propolis. pry apart supers or frames. Has a sharpened end to scrape wax and propolis, and separate bars and frames. A curved end aids in prying before lifting. Without this Hive Tool, you cannot do all the above things.
This is a 20L bucket that helps you collect honey from your bees. It features a tightly fitting lid and honey gate, and both can be securely closed to make sure you aren’t losing honey when you pour it in the bucket. It is made from HDPE plastic and the handle is made from sturdy metal.
Leather Gloves
Beekeeping gloves are made of soft sheepskin leather to guard against stings without jeopardizing comfort. Our leather beekeeping gloves feature ventilation, which is a lifesaver on a hot day! Gloves also help to maintain cleanliness while removing the honey. Also, it will help you to remain free from stickiness.
More useful than you would imagine, the bee brush can be used to gently move the bees off from the honeycomb or other places you don’t want them to be (swarm removal) This is an essential tool for honey harvest, hive inspections
There are three ways of extracting honey:
- crushing the combs (wax press)
- uncapping the cells and letting the honey slowly drip out
- Using a honey extractor. It basically does the same thing as the second method, only way faster and way more efficient. A honey extractor is a great way to get the honey from a Langstroth hive
It works by placing a full frame into the extractor and spinning it using a crank (or a motor if you opt for a the electrical). Centrifugal force “sucks” the honey out of the combs.
The Honey centrifuge honey extractor is an essential beekeeping equipment, when it comes to the processing of honey from honey combs.
A wax press essentially crushes your honeycombs. The compression created by the lever crushes combs, extracting all of the honey into a waiting bucket below.
A frame grip is an excellent tool especially when wearing gloves because it can be difficult to pull a frame out when the bulky glove tips don’t fit between frames. A minor but important beekeeping tool
An uncapping tool is an inexpensive tool that will allow you to get just the caps off the comb
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Wishing you the very best in your beekeeping project.
Modern Bee Farmers, Kenya’s top beekeeping equipment supplier
