items u wish u didn't buy

[Haddon]

Must haves for me.

table saw

air braid nailer ( makes life so much faster and easier ) for around 20 bucks you cant beat it with a stick

good battery operated drill with extra batteries.

And exterior grade screws with the torx head all sizes

then smoker WITH CAGE !!!!!!!
 larger one might be nice I have found how to keep mine lite and to just carry extra fuel if it will be hours worth of work a must is a smoker with a cage I have a old nasty looking smoker with a cage around it works great I have a new looking one that was given to me with out the cage
you will not realize how many times you will bear huge a smoker toting all the junk we need in the bee yard till you work with a cageless smoker and burn the crap out of your chest.

I have a full suit because I knew I would be doing removals but I would love a jacket too. But the staining is correct you will stain anything you wear my suit is a rainbow of color Or you could just buy a sowing machine and add it to the must haves I had to add one to my list this year I have worked on my suit 4 times this year and my first year I used a veil I made from window screen and will still use it from time to time.

Then a way to luge that crap around the bee yard be it a wheel barrow or little red wagon you stole from you 3 year old you want a way to tote junk over rough ground.

Now I run 10 frame thats what I have what I built and what I run right now. One thing I can say for 8 frame I find a lot more free wood that will fit 8 frame hives than I find will fit 10 frame. Free wood is wood you find at construction jobs scraps there is a lot more left over 14 inch pieces of lumber than there is 17 inch pieces and a lot more 1 by 8 chunked off reconstruction jobs than 1 by 12s so mediums have the same advantage.

But I am a weirdo that makes most of his own junk or I am just to broke to buy the nice stuff lol.

I had to add this mis tint exterior paint 3 to 5 bucks a gallon any color they got.
 

[bulldog]

ok here goes the stupid question of the week. how do i know if i have a small smoker or a large smoker ? ( feel free to laugh at me, but at least offer an explanation, once the chuckling subsides please ). i only ask because  i had a hard time keeping mine lit early on.

[11nick]

I just happened to have a Dadant catalog in front of me when I read your post.  If you look in there, it has pictures of their different smokers, with dimensions in the descriptions.  Look at that and compare the dimensions to the one you have.

[ccar2000]

I wish I did not buy those first two nucs in October (in the middle of a dearth with no experience). It would have been better to start with packages in the spring. The silver lining is the lessons learned, that adds value. Can't think of any tools or equipment that I wish I didn't buy. I wish I would have joined my bee club sooner!

[mikecva]

Small smokers go out to fast for me. I like the tall smokers with a guard around it. I have a 3" x 5/8" bolt with 2 washers that I put on the smoker to put it out safely. I also carry the smoker in a galvanized bucket along with the propane lighter (like you sweat copper pipes with) I use and extra pine needles.  -Mike

[Jim 134]

I wish I would have joined my bee club sooner!

    


    BEE HAPPY Jim 134

[forrestcav]

i'm a first year beek. but I gotta admit the brush is untouched in the tool box. Frame lifters are cumbersome, but I still use mine. The long gauntlet gloves are cumbersome too and i'll probally change to nitrile or leather gloves. A tool box, the biggest wally world had at the time is great. All my equipment stay close together. I use a jacket, but I made mine by snagging an old scrub jacket from my wife and putting in a zipper and elastic waist. the frame hanger is on my "to get" list

[specialkayme]

http://www.betterbee.com/s.nl/it.A/id.980/.f

One word: worthless

[tefer2]

Plastic frame spacing tool. Mine is all bent and bowed from this summers heat. Stick with the metal ones.

[11nick]

I really like this thread.  Great info for a new beek like me.  It has been said in other threads that beekeeping industry has businesses with wonderful marketing skills who can sell junk to the newer beeks.  This thread has helped me wade through some of that junk.
thanks everyone

[Sparky]

ok here goes the stupid question of the week. how do i know if i have a small smoker or a large smoker ? ( feel free to laugh at me, but at least offer an explanation, once the chuckling subsides please ). i only ask because  i had a hard time keeping mine lit early on.

Just ask her and she will tell you. 

[Sparky]

I'd like to add that you should consider getting one of those torches with the blue tank used in plumbing. It makes lighting the smoker much easier. I tried matches to no avail, and those grill lighters with the long stem won't stay lit down in the smoker.

Try to put a few drops of rubbing alcohol in first and use the grill lighter again.

[Michael Bush]

A larger smoker will be easier to keep lit.  But you can learn to light and keep a small one lit.  Still the larger one will be more forgiving.

[adamant]

I would not purchase a queen excluder, a hot knife or extractor again. I am doing crush and strain for my 5 hives. Also would never go with deeps.

I believe Brushy Mt has the best quality supplies around.

Also I will never use the Walter Kelley foundationless frames with bevel ever again. I will start another post later on to explain this.

annette: how many hives do u have?

[annette]

5 hives!!!

[SRJ]

3/4 sized frames, none of the other beeks around me use them and alot of my headaches have been caused by not having the right sized box for 3/4 sized frames...those and a cheap chinese plastic excluder that the bees wouldn't go through. Put that in and a new box, went on holidays and returned to find a completely empty box  with the bees trapped in the brood chamber 

Best thing I've bought to date are my thick canvas/leather gloves that go up to my elbows, taping them up as well. I tried normal gloves tucking into my sleeves but I have long arms, every time I reached out to grab something the glove would pull open at the wrist and bees would flock to the hole, and I wouldn't be able to use that hand the next day  \
I see alot of beeks from the US doing inspections with no suit, just a veil, no gloves or just plain clothes! I have to wear a full body suit, tape up my ankles and gloves, wear overalls underneath and the stings STILL get through! 

[Scadsobees]

pollen trap

My wife got me a cheapie...I put it on a hive that ended up with a raging case of chalkbrood...yuck!! I never tried it after the first year, and haven't had a need for pollen since.

[forrestcav]

glad to hear about the cheap plastic excluder. I was considering putting a cut down one on my supers next year. Now I know better. I know I know, a lot of ya'll don't use any.

[kathyp]

SRJ, you are not alone.  some of us seem to attract them.  i don't go near my hives without a jacket and most of the time, gloves.

[dynasty]

Ok, so also a soon to be new beekeeper here, if i'm understanding correctly medium supers, big smokers, and frames are pretty much the only univeral thing people are happy that they bought?