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I've been keeping this blog for all of my beekeeping years and I am beginning my 19th year of beekeeping in April 2024. Now there are more than 1300 posts on this blog. Please use the search bar below to search the blog for other posts on a subject in which you are interested. You can also click on the "label" at the end of a post and all posts with that label will show up. At the very bottom of this page is a list of all the labels I've used.

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I began this blog to chronicle my beekeeping experiences. I have read lots of beekeeping books, but nothing takes the place of either hands-on experience with an experienced beekeeper or good pictures of the process. I want people to have a clearer picture of what to expect in their beekeeping so I post pictures and write about my beekeeping saga here.Master Beekeeper Enjoy with me as I learn and grow as a beekeeper.

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Saturday, March 26, 2011

What I Take to a Bee Hive Inspection



Once Jerry Wallace gave a great program on what he takes to an inspection. I talked about my re-purposed knitting bag as a bee bag in an earlier post, but thought you'd like to see the contents all laid out (upper left to right)

Flour sacking towel for hive drape
Squirt bottle with sugar syrup in it
Kitchen twine
Wet ones to clean hive tool between hives
Frame gripper
Thumb Tacks
Benadryl
Baby powder (on your hands it keeps bees away and if you use nitrile gloves it helps to slide them on)
Hive tools - prefer to use a different one with each hive as per Jennifer Berry
Plastic Zip Locs for whatever
Magnifying glasses
Swarm lure (in jelly jar)
Large rubber bands
Lighter for smoker
Swiss Army knife
Pruners
Sharpies
Ball point pen
Nitrile gloves
Bee Brush
Frame rack
Clip board with notepaper on it

OK, that's it. What do you carry in your hive kit that I don't?
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6 comments:

  1. I work with Warre top bar hives. With frameless hives, occasionally bees may adhere comb to the tops of the bars of a box below. I bring a spool of very thin steel wire and cut a 6' length. I twine it around my fingers and run this "floss" between the upper and lower boxes, gently cutting through adherent comb.

    I also bring my digital camera. Just because bees are too cool and too photogenic not to.

    Your blog is an absolute gem - thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Obviously I always have a camera with me, thus the pictures here, but I don't carry it in my kit, so I forgot to list it - thank you, Luddite, very important to bring the camera. Also you often see something in the photos that you don't see at the hive.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous7:24 PM

    Linda; I carry a stiff turkey feather unstead of a brush, less bees get stuck in it, as the brishes of the brush. I also carry a long set of teesers to get those hive beetles that try to get away. The narrow point, gets right in there, and gets them. C.B. from N.C.

    ReplyDelete
  4. -A queen cage and marking pen so I can keep her safe if I find her and mark her if needed.
    -An old voice recorder so I can make notes and play them back when I can update records.
    -Wax paper for pollen sub.
    -Pollen sub to feed bees and it can be used to dust your hands when they get sticky or oily from beetle traps.
    -Extra AJ traps to replace ones that are just to foul to refill.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous1:03 PM

    I have a small ax with me.
    I find it very useful. For example, to separate the boxes or scrap the frames.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous1:27 PM

    Cell phone, always! In case of an emergency. It also serves as my camera and video/voice recorder.

    ReplyDelete

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