Beekeeping Equipment

Beekeeping involves the rearing of bees for production of wax and honey on a commercial scale. Beekeeping is done in special wooden boxes known as hives. The hives are wooden boxes that can be opened from one side; they are also fitted with bars. Knowledge derived from books is not sufficient for beekeeping, this activity requires skill and practical experience. It takes years of experience for learning beekeeping and to get acquainted with the handling bee keeping equipment. Beekeeping is a time consuming and tedious task even if it looks exciting.

There are various ways and methods through which beekeeping can be practiced. Top bar method it the most ancient and commonly used technique throughout the globe. It is popular because it is simple to maintain and cost effective. It does not have any complex mechanism and consists of only few parts. Another technique is the Langstroth bee hive which consists of several boxes (also known as supers) and other parts in the bee hive. But in comparison with the top bar technique this method is relatively complex.

Following are some of the basic bee keeping equipment:

- Bee keeping wooden hives are the basic equipment used for beekeeping where the bees are kept. Hive stand helps to support the bee hive. Nowa dayssingle chambered bee hives are also available.
- Honey processing plant is the machine used for the processing of raw honey and removing the impurities like wax, water, pollen etc from the raw honey. It is a eco friendly and easy to handle instrument.
- Honey extractor is another useful instrument which helps to the extract the honey from the impurities. It has filter screen by which the honey can be extracted easily and the honey flows from the bottom holes into the extractor.
- Hive tools are instruments, which are well suited for the wooden hives and are made of steel. They are used by most of the experts and professionals. It helps in separation of the scraping fumes and supers.
- Hand operated roller is the bee keeping equipment which helps you to produce foundations of wax comb. This is the most economical and instrument which is available in small and medium sizes.
- Smokers are steel equipment which generate smoke that is needed to calm down the bees while removing honey or wax.
- Wax sheets provide a foundation for the bees to work faster and increase the amounts of yields.
- Needles are t common equipment which are used to separate impurities from the honey. However, they are not efficient in comparison with the Honey processing plant.
- Frame gripper is a useful tool which helps to remove the frames from the bee hives.
- Queen cage are the unique equipment where the queen bee can be placed. These instruments can be fitted easily in the hives.
- Queen cell protector helps to protect against chew down.
- Gloves are special equipment which helps to protected the hands of the beekeepers from bites of bees.
- Brush, wasp trap, pollen trap, honey tray, uncapping knife are also some of the commonly used bee keeping tools.

Before using the bee keeping equipment you should have a proper knowledge of their handing to get the best results.