How to Maintain Beekeeper Equipment

Maintain equipment in the cold winter months.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Brushes
• Wood Glues
• Duct Tape
• Paints
• Common Nails
• Hammers
• Wood Filler
• Duct Tape
• Wood Filler
• Hammers

Maintaining the Hive

1. Check for rotten boards or corners. Replace boards if possible or reconstruct them with weatherproof wood filler.

2. Paint the hive. Light colors are best to help with heat in the summer.

3. Clean away all burr comb and propolis from the hive.

Maintaining Equipment

4. Let the sun melt wax off the queen extruder. Do not scrape wax between the bars as you might bend them.

5. Check comb on the frames. Replace if needed.

6. Re-glue or rewire the frame if it is loose.

7. Replace any equipment in your tool bag, such as sting kill, gray duct tape, nails and rope.

Tips & Warnings

• Ask your paint store if it has a special order of paint that was never picked up. Sometimes you can get paint at a bargain price.