What tools do I need for a Backyard Hive?

We now sell a BackYardHive Tool, sold in our "Shop". This tool is used to slide between the comb and the wall of the hive to unattached the comb. And to pry the topbars gently apart when harvesting honeycomb. It is the best approach because it is very nimble in the hive and enables the beekeepers' hand to be outside of the hive. With this tool there is little movement for the bees to be concerned about.

Putty knife

Used to clean the sides of the hive and topbars, .

Smoker

We don't use smokers; we don't feel it's healthy for the bees. The smoke is basically making the bees feel that there is a fire in the forest and they have to gorge on honey and get ready to run. This is why the bees seem calmer, only because they are full of honey. When working with the bees a lot depends on your timing (the time of season and time of day that you choose to work with them) and the personality of the bees. If you listen to the bees they should tell you when it's ok.
The smoke stresses out the bees and makes them vulnerable to disease and the bees begin to associate the beekeeper with a smoking trama. On a few occasions, we have resorted to using a smoker, because the colony was excessively aggressive. Most of the people we have taught to work with Top Bar hives do not own a smoker. The beekeeper can perfect their technique when working the hive, and eventually be comfortable not using a smoker. Click here to see the FAQ on using a smoker

Extractor?

This is an expensive necessity for the Langstroth hive, and the cheap ones are time consuming. You can take the Langstroth combs to get them extracted but this will cost some fee. Most of the Hobby Langstroth hive owners I have talked with don't want to go through he hassle and end up just letting the hive sit there.

The Top bar hive requires no extractor. The combs are cut off in a bowl, mashed and put in a mesh strainer draped in a five gallon bucket. The honey drips out into a five gallon bucket and is ready to put in jars. You can put a plastic tap into the side of the five gallon bucket to fill the jars more easily.

I really enjoy harvesting one comb at a time during the summer. This method is very quick and gives the best sample of the different honey produced from the various flower blooms. I cover this approach in an article "A Simple Harvest" on our Website.

Bee Suit

This is your choice, I cover this in one of the FAQ's on the website (click here to read).

When you are just starting out beekeeping wearing protective gear will give you an added
comfort when working with the bees. And it is one less thing to think about when working
with the bees.

Beeswax

You do need to get bee's wax to melt and brush onto the rib of the Top bars.
We sell pure beeswax on our web site. If you purchase it else where make sure it is
bee's wax and not paraffin.

Covering the Hive

You do need to find something to cover the raw plywood hive top, from the weather. Most of our Holistic beekeepers did not want their hives painted, so they use roof tiles, corrugated metal or plastic or another piece of wood.

Misc?

With the Langstroth there are many tools and equipment that is not needed with a top bar hive. Queen excluder, mite screens, Supers, foundation, pesticides, fungucides, Superframes, HiveTopper Feeder, Medication Kit, Shallow Honey Super, bee brush, Frame Grip, Manipulating Cloth, Hive Strap, Frame Cleaner, Frame Runners, Castellated Spacers, Snelgrove Board just to name a few.

Other questions about the BackYardHive are covered in our DVD sold on our website.