Electronic-Geek.com

by Cameo Wood

I opened my beekeeping store in downtown San Francisco in June, and I've found that everyone loves beekeepers or bees, and that beekeepers are serious makers. What they can't find to buy, they generally end up building. I've also been stocking my store with the beekeeper in mind, and here are some of the top sellers, at my store and abroad!

8-Frame English Garden Hive

If you're just getting started in beekeeping, choosing the type of hive can be confusing. The only hive I use or sell is the 8-Frame medium Cypress hive, called the "hive of the future" by Bee Culture Magazine's Kim Flottum. Having one consistent size for all your equipment is a huge time saver, and is ideal for beginners and experienced beekeepers alike. There are two problems with the traditional 10-Frame shallow/deep sized box methodology.

• If your bees decide to make honey in your deep, you don't really have any recourse. You now have a 100+ pound box of honey that you need to lift every time you work your hive.
• If you get brood (bee larva) in your honey shallows (hive box usually intended for honey only), or honey in your brood deeps (primarily intended for larva), there's no way to switch the frames around -- you're stuck with a mess.

The 8-Frame medium garden hive solves all of those problems. This is a beautiful hive that is all set up. You only have to paint/lacquer it, and you're set to go. Also, get a load of that gorgeous copper A-Line top... Fancy!

Apidan Overalls with Air Openings and Detachable Hood ($175)

The one thing that every beekeeper tends to buy eventually is a full sting-proof suit, for the days when the bees are cranky. Bees tend to sting if something is wrong in the hive, if the queen has died, if there was a recent invader, or if it's really cold and rainy outside. In these cases, the bees would really prefer if you didn't come barging into their home, making a mess of everything they've been building. For all these reasons, but mostly for the ones I can't anticipate, the full sting-proof suit is at the top of my list. These are the best I've found, and they look darn cool to boot. Find them in HMSBeekeeper or in the UK from beeproofsuits.

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