1.3 - The personal equipment needed to open a colony of honeybees and the importance of its cleanliness

What kit do you need?

• Suit and veil*
• Gloves - disposable is better so you can change gloves between hives*
• Smoker*
• Hive tool*
• Queen cage/clip**
• Soda water and bucket to clean tool*
• Container to put any brace comb in*
• Hive record and card*
• Bee brush**
• Icing sugar shaker**
• Queen marking pen***
• Scissors for clipping a queen's wing***

* essential

**desirable

***only needed occasionally

Why is it so important that's it's all clean?

• Beekeepers are one of the biggest disease spreading factors
• Your suit could have traces of pheromones on it, such as attack pheromones
• Disposable gloves are the best for reducing spread of disease
• Don't forget your smoker - the barrel burns off disease. The don't forget the bellows. 
• Honey goes into the human food chain - it's good food hygiene process