Wednesday, February 18, 2009

I have the tool

Speaking of gadgets, I bought this pry bar years ago and have used it for many small tasks. It was perfect for unsticking the windows in my old house that had been painted shut, for example.

But guess what this gadget is really called? It's a hive tool. Yep, a piece of standard beekeeper's gear has been lurking in my toolbox all this time and I didn't even know it. You use it for prying, loosening up or scraping parts of the hive, because the bees tend to glue everything down.

There's another kind of hive tool, sold by the people, that is specifically for top-bar hives. It's pretty, and expensive. But I'll probably end up getting one, too.


  1. It's a splurge, but it sure is pretty. And it works! Just beware that it'll leave a metallic smell on your hands the first few times. Oh and it rusts. I left mine in the grass and found it the next day... after the sprinklers had gone off. A light rub with tung oil (which has a funky nutty smell) fixed it up, though.

  2. ooh... you have tools for it too! You really are going to be a top notch bee-keeper!

  3. Thanks for the tip, HB!

    Mimi, I don't know about top-notch, but certainly prepared.

    Pink, you can see it in use here.