My Beehive Shopping List: The Setup

Since many of y'all have asked for it, here is my “Shopping List'' of all my beekeeping equipment, from my bee suits, all the way to my honey extractor. I have organized the next few posts in sequential order, from items necessary to setting up the hive all the way to bottling and jarring the honey. 

As stated in previous posts, the setup is perhaps the most important step, as it influences everything that follows. I also discussed the importance of selecting the right location, with some key characteristics being a flat, and sunny area. If you are looking for more information, I encourage you to check out my previous post all about the setup of a hive.

Hive Stand: While you can buy a premade hive stand online, it costs extra and is unnecessary. For that reason, I recommend buying four 8x8x16 cinder blocks from your nearest hardware store to make the base. Put them parallel to each other the long way and separate them about 4-6 inches apart. This works very well if you have terraformed the ground, as it is cheap, simple, and easy to assemble. If you are looking for that extra structural support, you can buy a hive stand with a built in leveler from Amazon. This allows you to put the hives in less flat regions, however has a significant uptick in cost. 

Hive Box and Frames: The most defining detail of a human hive is the wax-capped frame of honey with the hive box filled with more frames in the background. However, with differing sizes and alterations to each hive and box, it becomes difficult to discern which hive to use and where to buy from. A “standard hive” (for me and many beekeepers in my area) is a Langstroth 8-frame medium box. While there are many sellers of boxes and frames, I wouldn’t recommend buying from Large companies who don’t have many ties to the beekeeping industry; instead I would look local and look for specialized companies that make frames and boxes. Living in Texas, I use Texas Bee Supply as my primary source. However, I have received equipment from BeeCastle which has functioned well. I would recommend talking with other local beekeepers about where they get their frames from and seeing how their equipment works. 

Hive Tool: The hive tool is an essential piece of equipment for any beekeeper. It helps you pry apart hive components that bees have glued together with propolis, scrape off excess wax, and lift out frames. A good quality hive tool should be sturdy and easy to handle. I recommend a stainless steel J-hook hive tool, which provides a good balance of functionality and durability. The one I have used for a few years with no problems is from Better Bees.

Smoker: A smoker is indispensable for calming the bees during inspections. It works by producing cool smoke that masks alarm pheromones released by guard bees, making the colony more manageable. When choosing a smoker, look for one with a good-sized fuel chamber and a heat guard to protect your hands. Additionally, having a hook to hang the smoker on the side of the hive while you work is very convenient. My Smoker is also from Better Bee and consistently works. 

Bee Suit/Gloves: Protective clothing is a must to prevent bee stings. A full bee suit with a veil offers the best protection. Make sure the suit fits well and provides good ventilation, especially if you’re beekeeping in a hot climate. Leather gloves protect your hands, but some beekeepers prefer nitrile gloves for better dexterity. Always ensure there are no gaps in your protective gear where bees can enter. There are usually two main types of suits, a half body and full body suit. The half body only contains the upper half of the suit which makes it more “breathable”, in which beekeepers using this opt to wear a thick set of pants like jeans with boots to protect their lower half. The full body suit is nearly head-to-toe coverage, with the exception of footwear and gloves. Having worn both numerous times, I prefer the full body coverage, for the extra protection. For a full body suit, I recommend Honey Flow’s suit and Mann Lake for a half body.

Queen Excluder: The queen excluder is a metal grid that keeps the queen confined to the brood chambers, preventing her from laying eggs in the honey supers. This makes honey harvesting much easier as you’ll have clean, brood-free honey combs. When choosing a queen excluder, consider one with smooth edges to prevent damage to the bees as they pass through. If looking for a quality excluder that integrates seamlessly with your hive, I recommend Mann Lake's wooden and metal queen excluder. With that said, I have not tried this product, but judging by the manufacturer and my personal experience with queen excluders, this is what I would recommend. 

Now that you have all the basic equipment to start a hive, the next step is to maintain it. For a maintenance and harvesting List, stay tuned for the next few posts. Also don’t forget about the Beekeeping for Beginners series, another post is coming up soon.