inside: Using the hive tool may feel awkward at first, but you will soon get used to it. And once you learn the magic of the hive, you’ll be able to focus on your bees, not your movements.
The only item every beekeeper needs
Some beekeepers even ditch their bee suits and gloves. Some people do not use smokers. Some people don’t even wear socks. But none of the beekeepers I’ve met have worked without hives.
However, there are pitfalls here. Hive tools come in endless designs, shapes and sizes. It may take a little trial and error, but once you find a tool that works for you, you won’t be without it.
Hive tools have to work under stressful conditions. It should be strong enough to separate the propolis-glued boxes, but large enough to fit in your hand. The edges should be sharp enough to scrape the frame, but safe enough to carry in your pocket. It must be thin enough to fit in tight spaces and strong enough not to break. It should also be easy to clean and sharpen.
popular kind of Hive tools surge At the bee supply store. These are cheap and work well. However, there are also special designs. And many beekeepers have further modified their favorite tools.
There are no rules in designing a hive tool other than strength and safety. Materials and workmanship are important to a quality hive tool, as you don’t want the tool to bend or break.
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If you’re a new-found beekeeper, you might think you don’t need tools to open your hive. However, this illusion soon disappears. Bee colonies will soon blend their habitats in creative and exciting ways.
Eventually the lid will stick to the inner lid, the inner lid will stick to the supermarket, and the inner lid will stick to the breeding box. Once in the brooder, the frames will stick to the frame holders, to each other, and sometimes to the side walls. All waxy connections must be cut to avoid comb breakage and bee kill. That’s where the hive tool comes in.
In many cases it is not possible to force the frame back into the brooder box without scraping the excess propolis or wax from the frame. The hive tool can help you with all these tasks and more.
I use ratcheting fasteners on all of my hives to prevent raccoons and similar creatures from removing the lids. The ratchet mechanism has always stuck so badly that it takes a lot of swearing and moaning to get it off. After years of struggling, I finally learned that the J Hook Hive Tool can magically free these up.
Other beekeepers use hive tools to fill smokers with fuel, pinch queen bees, remove pests, and clean boots. In fact, there are so many uses for hive tools that one wonders why humans aren’t issued hive tools when they are born. Remember this the next time you are invited to a baby shower.
A standard hive tool that comes with most beginner kits is a metal bar on each end. It’s thin and flat, with one end bent at a 90 degree angle like a paint scraper. For some reason, one end has a hole that can be used to pry a nail out of the wood. (In my life as a beekeeper, I’ve never had the urge to pull the nail out of a bee box during inspection. But who knows.)
Both ends work for scraping. The curved end may be better for scraping bee hives because it won’t dig into the wood like the flat end, especially if the wood is soft. The bent ends are also great for lifting frames and prying open jammed boxes. The standard hive tools are fine, but not great. I use it for end-of-season cleaning, but not for routine beekeeping.
CAUTION: Do not carry this tool with the bent end pointed in your back pocket. I’ve seen people cut into their lawn furniture and gouge the paint on their new pickups because they forgot to put this weapon in their pocket.
J hook is my go-to style
Three features make the J-hook tool an excellent choice. First, it’s flat. It’s flat, so you’re less likely to accidentally cut things or get tangled in your lawn mower. Second, it’s long length makes it good for reaching between hive components. And third, one end resembles a J, allowing you to lift the frame out of the sticky nest.
The cutting edge is sharp and scrapes efficiently. Like a regular hive tool, it also has a nail puller on one end in case you ever want to destroy the box. Both the regular hive tool and the J-hook hive tool have paint on the edges to make them easy to find until the paint wears off after a few weeks.
Besides these two common designs, beekeepers have designed dozens of other versions over the years. For example, what I have is long enough to reach the length of a long top bar comb that is glued to the inside of the hive. Others are shorter with a wooden “handle” in the middle. Some are reminiscent of her Swiss Army knives with multiple types of tools growing from the spindle.
I don’t think there is a right, wrong, good, or bad hive tool. Every beekeeper is different, so finding the one that’s right for you is the best choice. For me, I like to keep it simple. And since I’m clumsy, I’d be better off with a less complicated tool.
Hive tools are a popular gift because they are used by all beekeepers. There are unique things here and there. One has “American Bee Journal” written vertically and another has “U Montana Master Beekeeper” written on it. Friends, family members, beekeeping clubs and retired beekeepers also donated hive tools. It’s hard to explain, but hive tools multiply like varroa mites.
Despite the vast amount of hive equipment available around the world, beekeepers continue to misplace their hives. A few years ago, I estimated that he spent 40% of his beekeeping time looking for hive tools that he used only a short time ago. go figure. Then Bee Smart Designs launched a cool wearable magnet that you can strap on to keep your hive tools close at hand.
Once you’ve mastered your favorite hive tool, you can use it like a magician and manage all your tasks with one tool. And when you’re done with beekeeping tasks for the day, you can stuff it into a peanut butter jar and make a sandwich for the road.
An experienced beekeeper with a hive tool reminds me of a chief with a vegetable cleaver. He does whatever he wants quickly and efficiently. Place it in his palm and never let go and he will soon be enchanting himself.
Rusty
honeybee suite