Gift guide for beekeepers
I just wrapped up my seventh summer keeping bees. Here’s a list of useful and nice-to-have gifts for the beekeeper in your life.
We choose not to exchange holiday or birthday gifts. Back when I did, my goal was to have holiday shopping done by Halloween. I loved sailing through that window between Halloween and the end of the year without last-minute gift stress or running out to battle shopping crowds when I’d rather be doing (non-stressful) things that mattered to me. In that spirit of early deadlines, I curated several beekeeping tools, services, and home décor items. If you’re ready to get your holiday shopping done early, you can. I listed my top beekeeping gifts starting with the least expensive ones.
ECO Wood Treatment aka ECO Dip | Hive equipment maintenance can take a lot of time and money, especially to replace equipment as it ages. Most hive bodies are made from pine, some from cypress, and both woods need protection from the elements year-round. Many beekeepers paint their hives, then have to re-paint them years later. Painting can be messy, requires some set up and clean up, and then you have to wait for the paint to dry before using the equipment. I’ve used ECO Wood Treatment since my very first hive. It’s a chemical-free, mineral-based application that takes less than a minute to apply to a hive body. The material is mixed with distilled water and then you can keep it in a bucket to use whenever needed. (Stir it REALLY well each time you use it.) Making a new batch annually helps to have optimal application, but I’ve used the same batch 2-to-3 years at a time. I use a regular paint brush to apply it, and rinse the brush off outside with a hose. The treatment contains no solvents and doesn’t harm water or soil. I’m still using the same beekeeping equipment I started with in the spring of 2017 and I can’t tell the difference between those hive bodies and ones I added this year. I’ve also used it on non-beekeeping things, like a garden bench. Multiple applications aren’t required. Eventually, I expect the hives bodies will age to the point that paint will give them some more life, but I still feel that’s a few years away. | Under $20
“The Swiss Army Knife of Beekeeping Tools” | That’s what my beekeeping mentor calls this multipurpose hive tool. A beekeeper always has to have a hive tool to go into their hives. Usually it’s a “J-hook” steel tool, or a flat scraper steel tool. These tools help pry hive boxes apart, pry frames apart, and lift frames out. The multipurpose hive tool combines both of the common tool types into one, adds several serrated edges, has a frame spacer built in, a magnet attachment so that you can attach it to a magnetic tool belt while you work, and a thick wooden handle, which is much easier to hold through beekeeping gloves. I discovered this tool over the summer at Midnight Bee Supply in Vass, North Carolina. When I saw it, I knew I wanted to get it for my beekeeping mentor because he loves learning about different approaches to beekeeping. He loves this tool and now I plan to pick one up for myself. #treatyoself | $15
Honey frame uncapping roller for honey harvesting | If the beekeeper in your life doesn’t harvest beeswax, then this is the perfect gift. When harvesting honey, the wax cappings on all of the comb need to be removed to access the honey. Usually beekeepers use uncapping knives (some heated) and then you can strain, melt, strain, and melt the wax and render it for candles, body care, or sell in whole pieces. Wax processing doesn’t appeal to me and I’m happy to support fellow beekeepers by buying their wax. This means I have no use for the wax capping when I’m harvesting honey, so I don’t need to cut, remove, and separate the wax. Instead, I use an uncapping roller. It looks like a lint roller covered in little spikes. I roll it over frames just before I place them in the extractor. It punctures holes in the wax, which releases the honey. The nice thing, other than not having a mess of wax to manage after honey extraction, is that I can place the frames back in the hives and the bees can re-use the wax for repairing or building more comb. Since bees consume about 8 pounds of honey to make 1 pound of wax, I feel good about preserving as much of their wax for their own use as possible. | $21
Plastic nuc box | In beekeeping, a “nuc” refers to a nucleus colony. Generally, a nuc is 5 frames of drawn comb that include about 2 frames of brood, a frame or two of food, and space for the queen to lay, plus a laying queen and a few thousand bees. I discovered the Pro Nuc 5-frame plastic nuc box last year. A local beekeeping friend had caught a swarm that they didn’t want. I came by early one morning expecting to get suited up and move frames into my equipment, but they had the swarm resting peacefully in this plastic nuc box. The two entrances were closed (a simple slide up or down), so no need for duct-taping towels into entrances, or stuffing cardboard in every corner. The plastic nuc box is light—I can hold it with one finger when it’s empty. Even with five full frames it’s never too heavy to pick up. I transported the swarm home in the plastic nuc box, set them up in the apiary, and then later that day I moved the frames into their new home. Once they left the plastic box, I cleaned it out and brought it back to my friends. On my drive home I stopped and bought my own plastic nuc box at Country Farm and Home in Pittsboro, North Carolina. I love having the box as a spare space if I need to do an unplanned split. I also use it when honey frames are too heavy for me to lift in a 10-frame hive body, so moving the frames into the nuc cuts the weight in half, plus I can close the nuc and keep the frames safe from yellow jackets and other bees before I get the frames to the extractor. I now keep one at both of my apiaries and I’m considering adding one to my car to have on hand during swarm season. | $22
Spare freezer | Ideally, I’d love to have a freezer large enough to store all of my beekeeping equipment in 24/7. Since I don’t have a walk-in freezer, I looked for sales at big box stores and bought small chest freezers. I bought a small chest freezer during my first year keeping bees, which can fit 2 mediums and a few inner covers, plus several individual frames and entrance reducers at the same time. Over the winter I have about 20 hive bodies with 10-frames each that I need to store. Before I store any equipment in the house, it cycles through the freezer for at least 2 days. This kills small hive beetles that may lurk in corners, stowaway moths, varroa mites, and other pests. When I started my second apiary last year, I saw a similar chest freezer on sale. Including tax, I paid $230. Small chest freezers are lightweight and easy for me to carry and move on my own. When I’m not using them, I choose to unplug and save energy. | $200+
Honey laboratory test | In my earlier post, The Truth About Honey Labels, I shared that varietal honeys require evidence of their origin. If a beekeeper you know is curious what their honey is made from, buy them a lab test. If the majority of their honey comes from a special source, they could charge more for that varietal honey. Visit the National Honey Board to find honey testing labs. | $200+
Honeycomb stained glass | How stunning are these stained glass pieces by Blue Ridge Glass Works? I don’t have any of their pieces, but I have a small honeycomb stained glass piece from an artist near me. I’m bummed that I can’t remember her name to link to her work. I love the idea of these beautiful pieces. Each comb cell looks like it’s own work of art in the midst of the piece as a whole. | $275+
Logo, business card, and website design | If your beekeeper friend or family member is interested in taking their hobby to another level, invest in them. Find a designer to help them develop their brand and marketing assets. My husband isn’t a beekeeper, but several years ago he dreamed of starting his own machining business on the side. Over a few months I asked him questions about how he envisioned it, and what he liked and didn’t like about other companies’ brands. Then I surprised him. He opened his business cards, which had his new website that I had reserved and laid out for him. Find a designer to work with through LinkedIn or friends or family. I encourage you to avoid bargain sites like Fiverr or TaskRabbit because I strongly advocate for creatives to be compensated well and not discounted for their work. | $300+
Have fun shopping for your beekeeper.