Hive management

Oxalic acid dihydrate 99.6% purity available in either a 350g or 750g plastic sealed jar.  Our larger option (the 4kg pail) is suitable to mix with our 6kg Jerrycan of glycerine.

Suitable for use in our Sublimox APF -Plus or Vapmite or any other oxalic acid vaporizers.

Paraffin wax dipper by Hiveworld NZ 
The Paraffin wax dipping tank has been designed to make this essential but previously dangerous job safe and simple:

• No need to put your hands anywhere near the hot wax while working.
• The sides are insulated for efficient heating and for protection against accidental burns.
• There is a temperature gauge fitted so you can ensure the correct temperature is maintained and not exceeded.
• Fitted with an overflow pipe in case of boilover.

It has two lids with clamps to hold your boxes so while two are being dipped, the others can be draining and then painted while still hot to let the paint be absorbed into the timber.  (If the waxed box dries the paint won’t stick).

With this model  one person can easily dip and paint up to 250 boxes a day.
Customer comment –

I can leave my young worker dipping and painting by himself knowing he will not burn himself or the building down.

Included are two x 4-ring gas burners to heat the wax, however you will need to supply the gas bottles.

Please Note:  If you allow the dipper to cool off with the lids down you will need to warm the tank to melt the paraffin so you are able to raise the lids again as the wax will have solidified around them.

Also see our blog on paraffin dipping.http://hiveworld.co.nz/paraffin-dipping/

For pricing please contact us on 0800 000 770

Hive World’s Plastic Handle Capping Scratcher is a durable tool with a molded plastic handle to comfortably fit your hand.  The metal tines easily scratch away the honey cells ready for extracting.  Ideal for using with manuka honey as the action of the tines helps liquefy the thick honey to help it to flow easier.

This tool is also useful for checking for varroa in your drone brood by pushing into the capped cells and lifting out the white larvae – easy to see any mites.

Hive World’s itsy bitsy teeny weenie hive tool – poke it in any handy corner. A Mighty Mouse of a tool to do your jobs without lugging along a Big Brute!

Hive World’s Portable Entrance Feeder for external feeding through the entrance.

This is a simple, quick to use method for effective feeding without having to open the hive lid.  All you need is a soft drink bottle to screw into the feeder and your bees can help themselves.  It is easy to see how much the bees have taken without disturbing the hive.

This is also a safe and effective way to provide water for your bees in times of drought.

Be aware that you need to watch out for robbing when using this method to feed sugar syrup because it is accessible from outside the hive.

Hive World’s Plastic Queen Catching Clip is a safe way to hold the queen while you are working the hive.

It enables you to gently capture the queen and the spring loaded catcher will hold her safe while still allowing the workers full access to care for her.

Hive World’s Queen Grafting Tool with good grip aluminium handle for easy use with either left or right hand.

Fine stainless-steel tip so as to not damage the larvae and ensure precision grafting.

Grafting is a precision skill that requires a steady hand, excellent eyesight, determination and a lot of practise to perfect.  The idea is to graft the honeybee larvae with the royal jelly to enable production of a queen.  Our Queen Grafting Tool is an excellent product developed to aid you in this fascinating and rewarding task.

The Queen Mailing Cage is a re-usable cage complete with candy*/attendant chamber.

When introducing a new queen to your colony it is essential to give the bees time to get to know her before she is set free.  This minimises the chances of rejection.  The flat shape allows you to place the cage between two frames which maximises her contact with the colony.  It is also an easy, safe way of transporting your queen when necessary.

*A good recipe for queen candy (fondant) is given in “Practical Beekeeping in New Zealand” by Andrew Matheson and Murray Reid as follows:

Mix 2.3kg of granulated sugar, one litre of water and 1/4 teaspoon tartaric acid.  Bring to boil and simmer very slowly for 30 minutes.  Allow syrup to cool but while still warm mix with piping sugar (a non-starch icing sugar available from some cake decorators/bakers) – one part syrup to five parts piping sugar.  Add 3 or 4 drops of glycerine.  Knead with extra piping sugar to achieve a soft consistency. (Softer than the equivalent honey candy).  Store in refrigerator in airtight plastic bags until needed.

N.B.:  There is some controversy whether or not icing sugar containing starch should be used – as in many things about beekeeping, some beekeepers have done it for years with no harm to their bees.

Available in a multi-pack of 15 for economy.

The Posca marking pen is quick drying and low odour.

This is the easiest way to mark your queen, just a small spot on her thorax and you’re done.  Easily stored in your Hive World tool belt.

Using the following international colour code means you can quickly identify the age of your queen.

Year ending in:

0 or 5  Blue/ 1 or 6 White/ 2 or 7  Yellow/ 3 or 8  Red/ 4 or 9  Green

All colours are available in stock.  Please specify your colour choice at checkout.

Hive World’s queen rearing cage with holder and support:  This joint unit can be used as an introduction cage for colonies requiring re-queening.

The round queen cage with stopper fixes onto the cell cup holder and avoids fighting between hatching queens in incubators.  When the queens hatch, the queen cell-cups are removed from the holder and filled with candy and sealed with the stopper.  The supports can be nailed side by side on a wooden frame in the hive.  The rectangular base on the support allows for a maximum number of cell holders, but still leaves enough room for round queen cages to be placed on.  You place the cell-cup holder on the support, then the cell cup and this can all be covered with the round queen cage.    Twenty-four hours later the stoppers are removed so that the bees can free their queens.

This stainless steel insert will fit both our Large or Euro smokers.

It is designed to extend the life of your smoker and is a handy replacement for the inner supplied with the Euro style Smoker.

This Ripper-style Hive Tool is an excellent stainless steel combo hive tool with a nice little hook on the side to lift your frames and sharp edge to split between them.

At just 260mm long it is easy to handle and use.

Hive World’s American style Stainless Steel Hive Tool is a good rugged tool that will take you anywhere you need to go in the hive.  A nice shape to work the supers apart when they have been propolised together with a smooth curve to push against as a lever and sharp blade to do the trick at the opening edge.

Hive World supplies stainless steel varroa mesh cut to size to fit your hive base.

Measurement:  330mm x 370mm.

8  (2.5mm) mesh size

Varroa mesh assists your varroa elimination by allowing varroa removed by bees self-grooming to fall through but preventing them from climbing back into the hive.  Allows you to check the varroa fall regularly and ensure your current treatment is having the optimal effect.

The Sublimox APF-Plus is an oxalic acid sublimator, otherwise known as an oxalic acid vaporiser.  This is the professional way to treat varroa with oxalic acid as it is so fast and easy to use.  In the past, oxalic treatment methods have been too tedious and time-consuming which has limited its viability for commercial operators.

The Sublimox APF-Plus overcomes this problem with a treatment time of 25 seconds per hive and easy replacement of caps with reliable temperature control to ensure constant readiness.  This means you can go through your apiary, treating the hives without interruption.

As varroa becomes more resistant to common treatments in current usage, more beekeepers are turning to proven organic treatments such as oxalic acid that don’t lose their effectiveness over time.

This device is built to CE standards and has a 12 month warranty.  It has been tested and used by hundreds of beekeepers worldwide.

As the unit only draws 300 watts, it can be run off a small inverter (available from Repco or Supercheap) otherwise a small inverter generator can be used.  Comes with complete instructions for use.

Testimonial:  “Probably the best sublimator in the world … in terms of speed, convenience and ease of use I’d argue that the Sublimox is hard to beat.”  The Apiarist, U.K.

Testimonial:  “Used the Sublimox this weekend, so easy to use we should of got these years ago”.  B.I.  NZ Beekeeper

See the video https://youtu.be/gRhL5T6yr24

For more information see our blog https://www.hiveworld.co.nz/sublimox-apf-plus/

Quality beekeeping gloves from Thomas Apiculture in France.

These robust gloves are available in sizes 7 through 12.

Size is measured by wrapping a tape measure around your palm.   The measurement in inches is the correct glove size.

Hive World’s 6 Litre Top Feeder comes complete with lid and bee saver.

The top feeder is the easiest style of feeder for the beekeeper to manage and is commonly used by commercial beekeepers.

Our model comes with a fitted lid to keep the sugar syrup clean and provide extra protection for the bees.  It also prevents the bees getting into the sugar syrup if you are simply sitting the feeder on top of the frames.

However,  we recommend placing the feeder on top of the hive mat and making a small hole to allow the bees access to the feeder.  You are then able to remove the hive lid and refill the feeder without bees getting into the  syrup.  The fitted bee saver prevents the bees from drowning when they are accessing the syrup.

Our 1/3 Depth Super is specially made to go with the top feeder and give you space on top of the hive for the feeder to sit. Purchased separately –https://www.hiveworld.co.nz/product/top-feeder-rim/

For quantity pricing please contact us.

The Vapmite is an Oxalic acid vaporiser (sublimator) for treatment of varroa mites.

Very easy to use and an excellent product for the smaller operator.  Oxalic acid is a natural product that has no ill effect on the bees if used as directed.  The good thing is that varroa do not build up resistance to it therefore you can use it whenever necessary to get to grips with varroa.

The recommended treatment is over a 20 day course – four times, five days apart.  This will catch all the hatching brood in the cycle. For more information on the reason for this see link –https://www.honeybeesuite.com/using-oxalic-acid-vaporization-when-brood-is-present/

When treating in winter or if the queen is caged (when no brood is present) one treatment will ensure a 95% kill rate.

Our Ventilated Beekeeping Gloves are made with soft goatskin leather with a ventilated band and extra long cotton gauntlet.  Comfortable and easy to work in.  Available in L, XL and XXL sizing.

Our Washable Leather Gloves from Peauceros in France are made with supple full grain leather that allows you to feel what you are doing:  these durable European manufactured gloves have quality canvas gauntlets and a comfortable wide ribbed cotton cuff.

The best feature is the long-lasting, washable leather which allows you to maintain high hygiene standards in your apiary and prevents transmission of bee diseases.

Yes, you can put them in the washing machine!  They come with full washing and care instructions so you can maintain their usefulness and comfort for a long time.

We stock adult sizes 6-12

EASY SIZE INFORMATION:

Place a tape measure around hand at the fullest part (circumference of central knuckles) with tape ends at back of hand (excluding the thumb).

Make a fist and take reading in inches.  This equals size of glove eg. 9″ = Size 9

Hive World’s Stainless Steel Smoker is your go-to tool to help keep things on an even keel in the apiary.  Its calming influence will be a valuable confidence builder as you  work around your hives.  Made with a wraparound guard to prevent accidental burns and corium leather bellows, this sturdy model will give you good service.

Hive World’s bee brushes have soft natural fibre bristles that are gentle enough for brushing bees off frames , supers and clothes without harming or crushing them.  A sturdy, all purpose brush that is a must-have when inspecting your hives or clearing the frames ready for harvesting.

Charme des Abeilles Aerosol Bee Charm Swarm Attractant  is an easy way to help attract swarms to your hive.

This highly perfumed spray is almost entirely made from the essences of strongly scented flowers which are known to attract bees.

Lightly spray the entrance and inside the bait hive to attract swarms.  Repeat every 8 days.  It works best when you prepare the hive with bee products as well by rubbing the inside with propolis and spraying with honey water or wax to provide a familiar scent to the swarm.  Charme des Abeilles adds the scent of attractive flowers to complete the welcome.

Your bait hive should be facing the east for sunlight and sheltered from the wind.  It is wise to have the hive slightly tilted forward to ensure it is well drained inside.

Beekeeper Tip:  It is advisable to have your bait hive set high on a stable base and ensure the inside temperature does not get too hot.

For long life store your aerosol in a cool place.

Manufactured in France by Thomas Apiculture. Contents 500 mls.

Apifuge Bee Calm aerosol spray is a quick way to calm down your bees. It is a substitute for a traditional smoker in a variety of operations:  quick inspections, clearing supers and simple manipulations.  Spray on to hands immediately before opening the hive – no need for gloves.

This deterrent agent can also be sprayed on clothing, gloves or hands if not using gloves.  Do not spray directly onto the bees in the hive.

Manufactured in France by Thomas Apiculture. Contents 500 mls.

Hive World’s Stainless Steel sprung Frame Grip allows you to loosen and remove frames from supers by gripping the top bar.  The single spring allows one hand operation for maximum convenience.  This useful tool makes lifting frames out of the super much easier especially when wearing gloves.

Hive World’s Stainless Steel Pro-Lift Hive Tool is a very sturdy tool for its size.  Equipped with a lifting hook and a flat separator end you will find it a good all rounder in your hive tasks, excellent for prying up frames or cleaning crevices.

290mm long

Hive World’s Stainless Steel J-Hook Hive Tool is useful for lifting up frames.  Red Painted Handle makes it easy to locate your tool when you have put it down.  The hook end is useful for lifting your frames and cleaning crevices while the other end is a great scraper.

270 mm long

Hive World’s kelly style hive tool is the classic American style hive tool.

It has one tapered flat end which is ideal for prying and removing frames and one curved end useful for scraping burr comb and manipulating frames.

This model is 260 mm long

Hive World’s Queen Excluder Cleaning Tool is designed to clean our metal queen excluder.  It is very important to ensure that the excluder is kept clear of honey, wax and propolis build up as it will inhibit the movement of the workers through the hive.

Our Stainless Steel Frame Perch balances on the edge of your hive and holds up to 3 frames easily, giving you all the room you need to work inside the hive.

If you have ever knocked over a frame leaning against the hive you will know why this is such a good idea!  It also keeps your frames clean and saves you bending down unnecessarily.