equipment · beginner
Equipment Basics
What gear you actually need vs. what catalogs try to sell you.
The minimum kit
- Veil + jacket (full suit is overkill for most people)
- Smoker + smoker fuel (pine needles work fine, free)
- Hive tool (J-hook style)
- Two deep boxes (brood) and frames
- Inner cover + outer cover
- Bottom board
- Entrance reducer
That's it for the first season. Skip the fancy ventilation gizmos and the $80 stainless-steel hive tools. Bees don't care.