First Shopping list
This page can serve as a checklist to help new beekeepers with placing their initial order from our beekeeping store. Items marked with an asterisk (*) can often be purchased locally at a hardware or big box store, and you can definitely find them easily on amazon. We do still have some tools and apparel in stock at closeout prices, so if you see there’s a link to the item, you can click on it to see if we have any left in stock. We are closing out many items because since the pandemic, sales of certain items went down by 90+%, presumably because most people had discovered Amazon. (No…you cannot purchase our hives or accessories on Amazon).
First, here are the bare necessities you'll need to get started:
At least one Beehive.
A hivetop feeder for each of your hives (unless you choose to jar feed, which will only require an extra hive body. This is discussed in the feeder video).
*Brad driver (for both top bar installation and frame assembly)
*Artist’s brush (for applying beeswax to the top bars or frame comb guides)
*Essential beekeeping gear (consists of a beekeeping jacket or full beekeeping suit with a veil, some boot bands if not using a full bee suit, a 10” hive tool, smoker, beekeeping gloves and a bee brush.)
*Spar urethane (for hivetop feeder prep only)
*Titebond 3 ultimate wood glue (for assembling your hives and/or frames, if you choose to assemble any or all of these items)
*Simpson speed square (for assembling frames, if you choose to use them and assemble them yourself)
*Tack hammer (for assembling frames, if you choose to use them and assemble them yourself)
Beeswax and foundation (May be needed if you’re using frames, depending on how you choose to set them up. See the Frame Assembly Video for more information)
Some non-essential items that people frequently include in their initial order are:
Digital Hive Scale (Very helpful! I almost included this with the bare necessities)
*Honey B Healthy feeding stimulant
*Amino B Booster feeding supplement
*Frame lifter hive tool (also called a J-hook hive tool)
Of course, you will need bees. Although we offer the best beekeeping equipment in the industry; we do not sell bees. For those, we recommend packages bees from Wolf Creek Apiaries, and you can learn more about them on our links page. Packaged bees may also be available to you locally, and catching swarms is also a great way to get bees. Regardless of where you’ll get your bees, get them ordered right away because they sell out fast each spring.