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British Beekeepers Association Official Forum 

  • Best bit of kit under £x for Christmas?

  • General Q&A, Bee chat and only Bee chat please
General Q&A, Bee chat and only Bee chat please
 #1474  by Patrick
 04 Dec 2018, 20:53
It being that time of year, anyone with a hobby gets given stuff which although bought with kind intentions, often misses the mark horribly. Books on fishing verse, for example - give me a break!

Catalogues are full of stuff you could buy but what bits of kit would you be pleased to recommend that you actually use?

My vote is a stainless steel double strainer for under £20, can use to filter honey from extractor to bucket and drain cappings. Blooming brilliant, does the job well, easy to clean and useful for other things as well. Love it.

What would you pick?
 #1475  by Chrisbarlow
 04 Dec 2018, 21:34
I got 2 more hive tools last year for Christmas. You just can never have to many hive tools. Far better than socks
 #1485  by DianeBees
 05 Dec 2018, 18:30
Chrisbarlow wrote:
04 Dec 2018, 21:34
I got 2 more hive tools last year for Christmas. You just can never have to many hive tools. Far better than socks
I would go with hive tool too.

I got gifted a lovely small one last year that I love using. (And a wallpaper scraper too which is also very useful!)
 #1486  by NigelP
 05 Dec 2018, 20:16
I was impressed by the Thornes twist and mark/clip cage that someone showed me last season.
Unlike other foam plungers types it's a set depth and locks into place without the possibility of squishing the queen. Can imagine it should make marking and clipping queens a bit easier....at £3 you can't go wrong....about same price as a stainless steel J tool from that well know auction site.

Image
 #1491  by DianeBees
 06 Dec 2018, 18:24
Hivelifter2 wrote:
05 Dec 2018, 21:29
Recommended Nigel. Had one of these about three years now. Guide the Queen in with a finger, and gently push the plunger in behind her. A slow twist of the plunger and she is lined up for marking. Then a further turn will bring a wing through the end grid ready for clipping, dead simple, even for a tenderfoot like me. ;)

Sounds like it needs to be on my Christmas list!