Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
A Maxant-style hive tool uses the notch on one side as a fulcrum to raise the hook, holding
the frame lug on the other. A minimal amount of leverage lifts even the stickiest, heav-
iest frame.
A frame perch, or holder, keeps a frame close by, but out of the way when working in
the colony. Various sizes are available. Be careful that the queen stays in the hive and
doesn't ride along on the frame. She might fly away.
Frame Perch
This device hangs on the side of a super you are working in. It gives you a place to hang
a frame when you want to get it out of the box you are working in and keep it close,
rather than set it next to the colony on the hive stand. Always remove a frame or two
from the outside edge of the box you are working in—one with few bees, little honey,
and no brood—before examining the rest of the frames. Carefully lift and examine each
frame. If equally empty and beeless, place it on the perch or move it into the empty
space created when you removed the first frame. This ensures that the frame with the
queen stays in the box (especially if you didn't see her) so she doesn't fall off or fly
away.
A queen excluder in place on a colony: Nearly every model available violates bee space,
so there is always a buildup of burr comb on it. Do not scrape the wires with your hive
tool because you may bend the wires, enlarging the space and allowing the queen to
sneak through. Place your excluder in a wax melter to remove the wax instead.
Queen Excluder
The queen excluder is a metal or plastic grid that covers the surface of an entire box.
The wires are spaced such that workers can pass through the empty space but larger
drones and the queen cannot. It is used to make sure the queen stays in the area of your
