Like the sound of buzzing in the morning? You got a hankering for honey? Want to contribute to a good cause? Or do you just really, really like bees?
Don’t worry, you wouldn’t be the first!
But how to start beekeeping? Where do you even start? What tools do you need? What kind of clothes do you need to wear? How do you acquire a hive?!
Just calm down, relax, and think easy-peasy.
Think beekeeping starter kits!
Contents
Why Beekeeping?
There could be a number of reasons why you’ve decided to delve into the world of beekeeping. Perhaps you’re tired of spending money on honey, so you’re considering making your own. Either that, or maybe you want to take up a form of ranching. The number of farmers and ranchers in the world are beginning to dwindle, so the world of agriculture needs somebody to take charge and not succumb to the black void that is processed commercialism!
Another good cause you can take up with beekeeping is ‘saving the bees’. Bees are dying off by the droves nowadays, which poses a major threat to our environment. Without bees around to pollinate our flowers, they will not grow. Without flowers, we risk losing some other plants too. Bees are much more important than most give them credit for, so why not do your part in saving them?
What To Look For In Beekeeping Starter Kits
Not all beekeeping starter kits are built the same way, though they all normally have similar qualities to them. Some kits put a higher emphasis on protection than others, while others bring a more DIY feel to the art of beekeeping. The type of kit to buy, of course, depends on what you’re more comfortable doing. Granted, you’ll need all of these tools at some point in time…but it will be up to you to decide when and how you acquire them!
Until then, let’s go over the most important parts of any beekeeping starter kit:
For starters, there are a number of different tools you’ll need to ensure that your beekeeping experience reaches the best outcome. Hive scrapers and brushes are a 100% must for any beekeeper to own and utilize on their bee boxes. While both tools are similar in nature, they both have different purposes. Scrapers are used for cleaning the bottom of a bee box; an area which has the tendency to accumulate a lot of mites or wax which could harm the bees if left alone for too long. Alternatively, you can use an uncapping fork tool to scrape the wax off the sides of the box. Brushes, on the other hand, are used for basic upkeep of the hive. With this tool, you can clean, transfer combs, or even collect honey!
Another important tool for beekeeping is a bee smoker. In fact, we’d argue that the smoker is THE most important part of keeping bees! Why do we say this? Because the primary function of this tool is to calm down angry bees. Due to the fumes in bee smokers, bees become sedated and complacent. Not only will this help you collect your honey, but it will also protect you from getting horribly stung!
One item that is essential to beekeeping starter kits (but is sadly optional most of the time) is a hive body. In order to keep bees, it is imperative that you provide them a home that is not only sturdy, but breathable as well. Bee hive kits can be found on Amazon and other parts of the internet, though you’ll often find that most starter kits only have tools. Thankfully, hive bodies can be built yourself if you have the right equipment. Wood works very well in this endeavor, and you’re free to paint it whatever color(s) you wish. Just don’t use too much black, as it tends to insulate heat a lot more than other colors. Bees get hot too, you know!
Another optional (but thankfully cheaper) piece of equipment that is essential for safe beekeeping is a bee suit. Now, we don’t know how resilient you are to bee stings personally. Heck, for all we know you the pain tolerance of a god! But for most people, bee stings hurt very much and even cause allergic reactions in some. So in order to protect yourself from allergies, pain, and swelling, invest in a bee suit–preferably one that comes with gloves and a bee veil!
TOP 10 Best Beekeeping Starter Kits
1 Mann Lake Basic Beekeeping Starter Kit
When looking for the perfect set of beginning beekeeping supplies, you only want the absolute best of the best. And what better champion to rally to the cause of cautious and safe beekeeping than this baby? The Mann Lake Basic Beekeeping Starter Kit is the best beekeeping starter kit available on the market, hands down. In case you ask about what makes this starter kit superior to the rest, allow us to start off by pointing out one thing this kit has that absolutely NONE of the other choices on this list have; drum roll, please!
The answer is…a hive body!
Yes, this kit is the ONLY starter kit being mentioned today that not only comes with beekeeping tools, but also a ready-made hive body that can house your precious bees in. There aren’t that many bee hive kits available that supply you with more than just a hive, so we consider this bad-boy and absolute steal. That easily makes the Mann Lake Basic Beekeeping Starter Kit one of the (if not THE) best beehives for beginners. It may be a little on the pricey side, but it’s totally worth the money!
PROS
- Many tools for creating the perfect bee home
- Smoker included
- Comes with beekeeping gloves
- Comes with hive body!
CONS
- Expensive
- No bee suit included
2 Blisstime Beekeeping Tool Kit
When searching for a beekeeping starter kit that is simple enough to teach you how to start beekeeping, you can do no wrong with the Blisstime Beekeeping Tool Kit. While this is a pretty tool-happy starter kit, the quality of the tools is second only to the tools in the number one entrant’s kit. Stainless steel grips, soft bristle brush, razor sharp scraper…you’re in good hands with these bad-boys! Not a bad deal for such great, easy to use beekeeping supplies!
PROS
- Fairly priced
- Many tools for creating the perfect bee home
- Smoker included
CONS
- No hive included
No bee suit included
3 HLPB Beekeeping Tools Kit
The HLPB Beekeeping Tools Kit is as basic a beginner beekeeping kit as you can possibly get, and it’s glorious. These tools are all straightforward and well-built for your convenience. Nothing ultra flashy about this starter kit, but you know what? There’s nothing wrong with that; because skill means so much more than flash ever could.
In fact, other than the lack of a suit and hive, the only real downside to this starter kit is the fact that it’s shipped from China. This unfortunately means that arrival time may be delayed, due to the strict restrictions present in Chinese mail delivery. But hey, once you get your kit, you’ll forget all about the long wait. We can promise you that!
PROS
- Fairly priced
- Many tools for creating the perfect bee home
- Smoker included
CONS
- No hive included
- Arrival time may be delayed due to shipping from China
No bee suit included
4 The Magnificent BEE
Other than having an absolutely beautiful name, The Magnificent BEE provides some of the best beginning beekeeping supplies mentioned thus far on this list. True, there isn’t a hive body attached to this order; nor is there a bee suit included in this kit. However, it comes with a detailed set of instructions which each of the tools that are included within this purchase. While this may seem like a small achievement (not to mention that the number one entrant on this list comes with an entire book on beekeeping), it’s something we have to highlight because, quite frankly, you’d be shocked at how many beekeeping starter kits do NOT have a list of descriptive instructions with them!
PROS
- Easy to understand directions
- Fairly priced
- Many tools for creating the perfect bee home
- Smoker included
CONS
- No hive included
- No bee suit included
5 NAVAdeal Beekeeping Tools Starter Kit
For a very cheap price, you can get efficient beekeeping maintenance complete for a life-long warranty. That’s right, ladies and gentlemen. The NAVAdeal Beekeeping Tools Starter Kit is a fantastic beekeeping starter kit that is well worth your money. Beekeeping equipment has never looked better, as 2021 is THE year for only the greatest, most improved versions of tools to be released out into the market. And what better choice is there than these bad-boys?
PROS
- Lifetime warranty
- Fairly priced
- Many tools for creating the perfect bee home
- Smoker included
CONS
- No hive included
- No bee suit included
6 BeeCastle Beekeeping Supplies
If you’re looking for a great queen bee starter kit, look no further than BeeCastle Beekeeping Supplies! For a fairly good price, you get all sorts of tools ranging from hooks, scrappers, and brushes to queen bee materials (cage and clip) and a smoker. Really, you get just about everything except a hive and a bee suit! Thankfully, you can normally get these additional items for fairly decent prices on Amazon!
Just note that the queen clip is a little flimsy, as pointed out by a few buyers.
This isn’t necessarily a problem, but you do need to be careful with it so you don’t accidentally break it.
PROS
- Fairly priced
- Materials for housing a queen included
- Many tools for creating the perfect bee home
- Smoker included
CONS
- No hive included
- Queen clip is a little flimsy
- No bee suit included
7 Scnvo Beekeeping Supplies
For more exceptionally amazing beginning beekeeping supplies, we present to you THESE bad-boys. Scnvo Beekeeping Supplies are just what you need to get the upper-hand on any issue that dares plague your bee home. Wax is easily scraped with the nifty hive scraper, bees are calm fast with the smoker, and our frames are well in check with the grip tool! There may not be a suit or hive body, but you’re otherwise covered!
PROS
- Affordable
- Comes with smoker and pellet
- Many tools for creating the perfect bee home
CONS
- No hive included
- Queen clip is a little flimsy
- No bee suit included
8 Scnvo Beekeeping Supplies & Suit
In need of some top tier beekeeping clothing? While the number one entrant on this list is the only starter kit to feature a hive body, Scnvo Beekeeping Supplies (and suit) is the only beekeeping starter kit to include a full bee suit. The suit is made with unisex design, so any human being of any size can fit inside it and feel comfortable while beekeeping. And best of all is the fact that this suit comes with gloves. You’d be surprised by how many bee suits do NOT come with gloves!
So with this fact in mind, why is this starter kit only number eight on our list of the top ten best beekeeping starter kits? Because even though beekeeping clothing is an absolute must, there isn’t much else that comes with this kit. Other than the bee suit, all that comes with this starter kit is a brush and scraper. Those are certainly handy tools, but they pale in comparison to the other kits on this list.
PROS
- Bee suit suitable for multiple sizes
- Fairly priced
- Bee suit includes beekeeping gloves
CONS
- No hive included
- Queen clip is a little flimsy
- No bee suit included
9 LTLR Beekeeping Honey Tools Starter Kit
Up next on our list of top-tier beekeeping equipment, we have the LTLR Beekeeping Honey Tools Starter Kit. Out of all the kits featured on this list thus far, this entrant indeed has the most amount of tools to its name. We’re serious, guys; there’s TEN different beekeeping tools in this starter kit. TEN! And you want to know the best part?
This kit comes with gloves.
Yes sir, even though there’s no bee suit, there’s still cowhide gloves.
How awesome is that?!
PROS
- Comes with a large amount of tools
- Fairly priced
- Bee suit includes beekeeping gloves
CONS
- No hive included
- No bee suit included
10 Sunflower Beekeeping Tools Kit
Well, what do we have here?
Another great queen bee starter kit!
The Sunflower Beekeeping Tools Kit is a simple, yet effective way to get started with beekeeping. You may not get a hive or suit out of this deal, but you get valuable tools for a low price. Not to mention that you get five queen clips. Not one, but FIVE! That’s certainly a relief for anyone that may not know how to tend to a queen bee! And with your nifty smoker, you’ll be able to calm all those bees down in a jiffy!
PROS
- Affordable
- Comes with five queen clips
- Smoker included
CONS
- No hive included
- No bee suit included
Concluding Thoughts
Beekeeping equipment is vitally important to anyone with a fascination or passion for the art of taking care of bees. Whether you’ve been doing this for years, months, days, or even just now starting, you need to be sure you have only the best tools to assist you in making the ideal home for your bees. Whether it be smoking out the anger in your little buzzers, scraping the excess wax from their box, brushing the combs of their hive, of simply just saying hello to them in your super protective bee suit, you owe it to both yourself and your bees to take caution. After all, with great caution comes great results!
The only question is, “Which beekeeping starter kit will you be taking home with you?”
Sarah Eberle qualified and became a member of the Landscape Institute in 1980. Over the last 26 years she has practised landscape architecture and garden design, running her own business in Devon.
During the 1990s, Sarah joined Hillier Landscapes as Design Director, where she is still a shareholder but also runs her own practice in Hampshire.
Sarah has an esteemed record in RHS shows, having won eight Gold medals, Best in Show and the George Cook award for innovation twice at Hampton Court. Sarah has also exhibited at Tatton Park and BBC Gardeners’ World Live.