Obviously, bees can become dangerous little creatures if provoked so it's important to have the necessary tools and equipment to keep them as happy as possible. You'll want to protect both yourself and the bees. Soon, you’ll have a successful and efficient business relationship with them!

Bee suit

There’s no reason you need to get stung! Dadant has an inexpensive integrated hat/veil jumpsuit that I’ve used for years. Bees can still do a kind of half sting through the material, so I wear long sleeve shirts and long pants. Dadant sells more substantial and durable suits that which might be a good investment.

Gloves

I’ve used both rubber gloves and goat skin gloves. The rubber gloves come in handy where there’s the possibility of dripping honey such as when cutting bees out of a wall.

Smoker

Dadant’s basic smoker has not changed design in a hundred years. I own the cheapest model and have found it perfectly adequate.

Hive tool

Bees stick everything together with propolis, so you need the little crow bar to pry stuff apart.

Bee brush

You use a bee brush for flicking the bees away so they don’t get crushed when you put the boxes back together. In addition to being polite, this prevents the bees from setting off their alarm pheromone and causing a stinging frenzy.

Bee housing

I buy medium, unassembled Langstroth boxes and frames (without foundation) from LA Honey. Since I live in a place that never freezes I don’t have to use inner covers or worry about insulating hives in the winter. I’m in the no-treatment, natural beekeeping camp. I’d suggest taking a look at Michael Bush’s extensive website (he also has tips for beekeeping in cold climates). Let me just say going au natural (so to speak) keeps costs way down.

Stand for the hives

After a bad experience with the wooden stands that I made myself, I bought some metal stands. The important thing to note is that bee boxes should be off the ground to prevent flooding and to make it easier to lift the boxes. Your stand must be substantial enough to support several hundred pounds.

Swarm kit

I also keep a swarm kit in a tool box that is in the garage:

• smoker
• burlap to burn in smoker
• matches
• spray bottle with syrup made with a 50/50 combo of water and white sugar
• pruning sheers for cutting tree branches
• a roll of caution tape
• bee suit/gloves/boots (most, but not all swarms are docile)
• nuc box
• mesh bag to put the nuc box in (especially important if you don’t own a truck!)
• knife (for cut-outs)
• Benadryl for when you get stung!

Have you been able to successfully keep bees? What else do we need to know before owning them?

Article Source: Root Simple