It is that time of year for Amazon Prime members, and if you are not a Prime Member yet- here is the link to sign up.
Prime Day is From July 12-13
Amazon has Prime Day for only 2 days a year and if you are shopping smart you can save up to 60% on Amazon products as well as other popular manufacturers. So in celebration of Prime Day, I have put together a list of must-have beekeeping gear as well as a wish list to step your beekeeping to the next level.
Essential Beekeeping Gear-
Beekeepers Suit-
With what seems like always warming Summers, a vented bee suit has almost become a must-have. This sting-proof ventilated bee suit, with 3 layers and comes with one pair of gloves and is a unisex beekeeping suit for backyard and professional beekeepers. This suit comes with a removable fencing veil. Shop for this beekeeping suit and price.
Beekeepers Tools-
If you are just starting off, this is a great toolset that covers most of your beginning beekeeping needs, like a hive tool, bee brush, frame clamp, queen catcher, frame de-capper, and others.
If you already have most of these tools, then check out my favorite tool which is my go-to tool for easy prying of waxed-in frames. You can check out that tool here.
Other Essential Tools-
One of the cool factors of being a beekeeper, you have to admit, is the hive smoker. On top of that lighting, your smoker fuel can be tricky, and sometimes having a little help with a fuel starter is beneficial. It is important to not burn any man made material as it can cause serious illnesses including but not limited to cancer. So, burning cotton or something else like leaves, pine needles or wood shavings is a great way to go. I prefer large bags of wood shavings as it saves a lot of money and lasts a very long time. I will use the wood shavings on top of some newspaper and use this fuel starter between the wood shavings and the newspaper on the bottom. And that seems to keep my smoker lite a long time.
Beehives-
There are many hives to choose from and I am a bit excited about the new Hyper Hyve coming online soon, so I can remotely monitor my bees in an insulated hive. But until then there are a few to select from on Amazon and these are our favorite-
Honey Extraction
Some of you have already started collecting honey from your hive.... I've seen your posts on the MN & WI Beekeeping FB page. And with the right equipment, this incredibly labor-intensive task can be quite rewarding and enjoyable, not to mention the sweet reward of a years-long investment from hard work keeping your hives healthy and productive.
The Tools Needed for Honey Harvesting-
When you are getting started harvesting honey with only a handful of frames, often the most economical way to do it is by hand. But once you have more than a honey super full of honey it's time to step it up and buy a hand honey spinner, then once you have several hives it's time for a motorized honey spinner. For those of you with a beekeeping problem, there is this massive unit for spinning 8 frames at a time. Additional tools for extracting honey are a honey collection bucket, bucket strainer, and decapping tool, both are essential for making for a smooth harvest. When decapping the frames it is also nice to have another bucket and cloth filter for separating wax and honey.
There are all types of bottles to choose from for sharing your honey with your friends and family, including those hive-destroying cute bears. Whether you're into plastic, glass, or similar Prime Day is sure to have something to help you keep those neighborly bonds and family Christmas gifts.
High Tech Beekeeping
If you are one of those tech-savvy people there is no shortage of technology being used in beekeeping today.
Monitor your Hives Remotely with Trail Cameras
Electric Solar Fencer- Check out our YouTube video on this
Now, we cannot guarantee all of these are fit for you but they are a good start and you should certainly see what you can save on with Prime Day, and as always to keep things transparent we do benefit financially from any purchase you make through any of our Amazon links, but in no way does that mean we are suggesting them for only those reasons. Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE to our channel.