A new beekeeper's journal: Making investments in equipment and supplies

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Making investments in equipment and supplies

In Beekeeping for Dummies, they list a bunch of vendors where one can purchase equipment. I also looked on the internet and one site often led me to another site but in the end, I went with one of the bigger outfits, Mann Lake because, for one reason, I liked that all the staff were part owners of the business. They also ha an easy website to navigate and had all I needed.

I started by purchasing the hives so that I could get them painted this winter. They now have one coat of primer and two coats of exterior paint. I kept them white, which is the norm, apparently, but one local beekeeper has his painted black and he and his wife have been very successful.

Here's my setup where it sits in my basement waiting for April when my bees arrive.

I went with a 10 frame traditional growing Apiary Kit with wood frames and something called an excluder which keeps the queen from going into parts of the hive where you don't want her to go.

I also purchased a top hive feeder that you fill with sugar water to feed the hive in the early spring...and when there is not enough honey for them to eat. Cost for these pieces was about $262. I've been told to not buy used hives because they could easily contain diseases and you must be very careful ...maybe someday I'd feel comfortable doing so from particular apiaries, but not this first year. I also chose wood frames rather than plastic...just for the natural aspect.

It'll be interesting to see how many mistakes I'll make over time and if my choices work out!

The next order that went in, again, I used Mann Lake, was for a smoker, hat (helmet) and veil, a mouse guard, and a medicine kit....and a hive tool which is the second image below. The hive tool is used to pry open the hive or frames when the honey has stuck things together. I"m told this is a mandatory item. It looks like a carpenter's tool and I thought about substituting with one I have in my toolbox. This second order cost me a little over $100.