What Beekeeping Supplies Do You Need?
Regardless of what creature you wish to raise, you are going to need some supplies. And Beekeeping is no different. But unlike chickens, ducks, rabbits, or even worms, you can’t just keep them in your garage or laundry room for a few days until you have their home set up. You will need somewhere for the bees to live and all your supplies BEFORE you bring home your first batch of cuddly honey bees.
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Before You Get Bees.
Before you even order your first bees you need to do a little research and get all your beekeeping supplies. Read my post on 10 Things To Know Before You Start Beekeeping and Preventing Bee Stings. Joining a local beekeeping group is a good idea. So is taking a beekeeping class. You will acquire more than knowledge, you can make some valuable contacts in case you need help along the way.
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Your Bees Need A Home.
The first thing you need is a home for your bees. The most common type of hive is the Langstroth hive. There are several size, and accessory choices which I will explain. Most companies have “starter kits”. If you choose one, you will get the whole shebang at a reduced price. But it may not fit your needs. There are many options that may be important to you that are not available in a starter kit. So let’s go over the options so you can make an informed decision and not an expensive mistake.
Let’s Start At The Bottom.
Beehives should not sit on the ground. If you elevate your hive off the ground undesirable bugs, like ants, will have a harder time getting in. And when mites fall out they won’t be able to get back in. Keeping the bees out of the water is important too. Even a little flooding will kill your bees and rot their hives. And you will have an easier time lifting the hive boxes if they are elevated because you don’t have to bend over as much. Your stand can be plain or fancy. It can be homemade or purchased. The stand can be made out of cement blocks, wood, plastic, or even wrought iron. Just make sure it is sturdy enough to support all the weight of a full hive. Whatever type you choose the stand should support the edges but leave the center open. You will see why in the next section.
It may be the bottom of the hive, but your choices here are just as important as the rest of the hive. You can get a solid bottom board or a screened bottom board. The screened bottom board lets mites fall out and lets air in. If you live in a hot place like I do (Florida) you need that extra air circulation all year. In North Dakota not so much. There you may need (especially in the winter) a solid board. This is where a local bee club can be invaluable, to know just what is right for your area.
Entrance Reducer
The Bottom Board has an opening to let your bees in and out. The entrance reducer is a small piece that makes the entrance smaller. There are several uses for this including temperature control and helping your bees resist attacks. You want one.
Hive Body
The hive body is where the queen will live and lay her eggs. It is also where the larva will be raised and all the extra honey and pollen to feed the bees will be kept. Many beekeepers will call the boxes “Supers” regardless of the size.
The hive boxes come in sections containing 8 frame or 10 frame boxes. These are not interchangeable. You need to decide on either an 8 frame or a 10 frame and stick with it. Each of the boxes (8 and 10 frame) come in 3 sizes (heights). The most common size is the 9 5/8″ (deeps). The biggest drawback to this size is that when it is full of bees, brood, and honey, it will be very heavy to lift. So think about who will be handling them and what you can realistically lift and carry. Remember you don’t want to drop a hive full of bees because it is too heavy for you. And recruiting someone to help when you need it may not always be possible. Yes, I’m a bit of a weakling so I opt for the medium size all the way around.
The next size is the 6 5/8″ (mediums). The biggest advantage and drawback to the medium is the size. The advantage is that it is not as heavy. The disadvantage is the bees can fill it up very quickly, so you need to use more of them and check the hives more often to make sure your bees are not running out of living space.
There is a third size 5 11/16″ (shallows), but it is rarely used, I was told because they fill up so fast!
Approximate Full Weights.
10 Frame Deep is 80 Lbs
8 Frame Deep is 65 Lbs
10 Frame Medium is 50 Lbs
8 Frame Medium is 35 Lbs
As you can see, even the 8 frame medium is a bit of a heft for some (like me). Most people will have 2 deeps or 3 mediums for the hive body.
Frames
Oh, by the way, you need the frames to go in the boxes too. For each 8 frame box, you will need 8 frames (get it?). These are small rectangles, with a plastic or wax foundation in the middle on which the bees place the wax and fill with brood or honey. Here in Florida, we cannot use the wax version as they melt before the bees get to start working on them.
Queen Excluder
Moving up, the next part that goes on is a queen excluder. The queen is the largest bee in the hive. Since the queen generally is the only bee that lays eggs (there is an exception, but it’s not relevant here) you need a screen the worker bees can get through, but the queen cannot. The reason for this is honey bees make more honey than they need for their own use. If we give them the space, they will continue to store up honey that we get to keep (Woot Woot!). But we don’t want to kill baby bees to get it. If we keep the queen and all her babies in the lower part, we can add an “upper story” that is just honey. That’s why the queen is “excluded” from the “upper story”.
Upper Boxes
Most people will use the mediums for the extra honey area. They are lighter and easier to take inside to extract the honey from. You can continue to add them to the top as they fill up. How many your bees will fill will depend on how much nectar is available for them to collect, how far they have to fly to get it, how long a season they have to collect nectar and how many bees are in your hive. Remember, you need to leave enough reserves for your bees to last them through the winter. If not you will be feeding them sugar water and we all know that’s just not as good for them. (but sometimes necessary)
Lid
There are several types of lids. Some are flat metal to keep the rain off. Some are peaked metal (like a roof) to let the snow slide off (and they are pretty). Here in Florida, the metal types are just too hot so we use the wooden lid with the ventilation/feeder hole in the top with a brick over the hole to keep the rain out. Use what works best for your environment.
The Whole Hive – Beekeeping Supplies.
Now that you know what parts you need and you’ve decided what size you wish to work with, you have another thing to choose (SO MANY CHOICES!). And that is; a lot of boxes do not come preassembled. They arrive as precut pieces of wood that have to be glued and nailed together. Ok. 5 or 6 boxes with 4 sides each, no big deal, right? But every box has 8 to 10 frames, each with four pieces of wood too! Even with only five 8 frame boxes, that’s still 40 frames to put together, plus the boxes they go in! You may save a little money getting it unassembled, but is it worth all that time? It’s going to take a big chunk of that. I just wanted you to be aware you have that choice so look carefully at what you are buying.
Lastly Paint
Now that you have your beehive all assembled you will want to paint or seal the wood in some way, to protect your investment. Use any nontoxic wood sealer you wish. You can make it blend into your surroundings by staining and varnishing it or you can paint it your favorite color. You can even paint designs on it. I have seen some beautiful beehives.
Just keep the painting to the outside. The bees don’t like the area where their babies are raised to be painted and they will just pick it all off anyway.
Should You Get Used Bee Supplies?
All these parts just for the bee’s home! By now you may be thinking that you want to go on Craigslist and get a used beehive. I must caution you, that is NOT a good idea. There are a few bee diseases that are pretty nasty and can be transmitted through an old hive. You can get used bee suits or other beekeeping supplies that can be cleaned and sterilized, but my advice is to get a new hive for your bees and start them off right.
More Beekeeping Supplies
More? Oh yes much more! This is just their house after all. But all that will have to wait till next time when we discuss the beekeeper’s toolbox.
Have a Ducky Week!
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Mary is a gardener, backyard homesteader, and duck wrangler. She is also the owner and writer of LifeIsJustDucky.com and AGoodWordADay.com. (for daily devotions) Mary is passionate about helping others expand their backyard homesteading skills and learn to be more self-sufficient, no matter where they live.
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Mary? As I read from time to time your postings I find myself admiring you n your spunk more and more. How nice it must be to have you as a neighbor! I don’t suppose you’d want to leave that nasty Floridian heat for western Pa cold would ya? lol.. But I do have “Bee” questions for you like how many hives can a… say 5 mile area support? How would you find out if indeed there are other bee keepers in said area?
Thanks Kiddo.. you are just “ducky”!
Ohhh you are too sweet!
As far as how many bees an area can support…. There are SOOOO many factors that go into that. An area that has a lot of pollinators, over a long period of time, can support millions of bees. An area that has few, like a desert, can handle far less. Often the hives regulate themselves. They will lay more eggs when there is a time of plenty and less when there is a dearth.
As far as PA. I came from PA (as a young child) I would LOVE to garden there….But that cold white stuff and I don’t get along 🙂 Thanks for joining the conversation. I love hearing from you.