Hobbies And Interests
Protective Gear
If you are going to be keeping bees, you have to protect yourself from stings. A beekeeper suit that covers the whole body is a necessity. It should be tight at the ankles and wrists to prevent bees from getting inside the suit. Cowhide, goat skin or plastic gloves are also needed to protect the hands while working around the hive. A veil or a combination of a helmet and veil will help protect your face from bee stings.
Beekeeping Tools
There are many tools around to help clean beeswax out of the hive. A hive tool for scraping has a wide, flat blade for prying apart supers, or hive boxes, and a hole for pulling nails. A frame cleaner has a hook on one end for cleaning out wax from the frames and works especially well for honeycomb production. A frame lifter tool has a curved edge for lifting frames out of the hive and two beveled edges for scraping wax. These tools will make a beekeeper's job easier.
Extracting and Bottling
Getting honey from the hives is one end result of beekeeping. There are several types of extractors, from compact extractors to power radial extractors that are powered by motors. In the middle of the spectrum is a hand radial extractor with a honey tank for getting a large amount of honey.
Once the honey has been extracted, it's time for straining. A beekeeping supply store sells full straining systems or sieves and bottling pails for smaller amounts.
Jars and Labels
Once the honey has been extracted and strained, it's now time to package your honey. There are many packaging options to choose from, such as honey bears, dripless plastic containers or glass mason jars. There are some glass jars that offer a more decorative option, like muth jars and hexagonal jars. Choose a label that expresses your honey and lets everyone know whose hives it came from.