The Best Hive Tools; What to Look For

Hive tools can make all the difference when you are working your bees. The way they fit in your hand, if they are sharp or dull, if they are stainless steel or painted or rusty- all these things factor into the beekeeping experience. And while you can make do with what you have, it will not be as efficient, and could easily break tools that are not made for the job.

What not to use in place of a hive tool

I’ve used both chisels and pocket knives before. My dad actually broke his Buck knife blade when he was using it in place of a hive tool before he had bought an actual hive tool. And chisels tend to carve away the material on the boxes. A hive tool is truly worth the money, even for a frugal beekeeper. (For the story of how we got bees and why he didn’t have the correct equiptment, check out this article.)

Generic Hive Tools

One of my first beekeeping purchases was a very generic hive tool, the kind that stores like Tractor Supply and North 40 sell. I’ve had it and used it all these years. (Most people like to have several hive tools since they tend to misplace them, but I have never misplaced my hive tool for any length of time, and until today, I have only actually owned that one original hive tool.) I like my full size hive tool, but there are definitely better ones out there. It fits in my hand exactly the way that I like.

Mann Lake Hive Tools

Over the years, I have used several different hive tools. My dad had a basic one from Mann Lake, that was very nice. It was stainless steel, and fit in my hand very nicely. Half of it was painted bright red, which helped it to stand out well even if it fell. It was sharpened nicely, and was more aggressive than mine ever was. I would often use his, but it managed to disappear, and ever since I have used my original hive tool. This is something I will probably get for myself someday.

Hive Tools off of Amazon

Someone ordered a set of two off of amazon, also stainless steel with a red painted end. They are very nice and sharp, and work well for removing burr comb. However the middle portion is far narrower than I prefer. I often hold it in the palm of my hand instead of my fingers. That way I can have my fingers free to hold frames while I am also holding my hive tool. In this way, I do not have to put the hive tool down while I am inspecting a hive. This particular hive tool is too narrow to do this with, comfortably. My hand will begin to cramp if I try to hold it this way for any length of time. To be clear, this is only one set of tools, I am sure there are wonderful hive tools on Amazon, I just havent had the opportunity to try them out yet.

Mini Hive Tools, J Hook Hive Tools, and Apis Tactical Mini Hive Tools

Today, I got my first mini hive tool. I was quite hesitant to use it, because I thought that it would be far too small to be practical, but I was very pleasantly surprised. It fit in my hand very well, and I could hold it like I hold a regular hive tool. I got it from the company Apis Tactical. I have noticed that their products seem to be very well made, and so far I like everything they have sent me. (They did send it in a package they sent for me to review, but even though they gave it to me, I am still reviewing it honestly. I really genuinely do like it, and it is my new, go-to hive tool for most beekeeping tasks.) I would be hard pressed to go back to only having my first hive tool, since this mini one works so well, and actually fits in my jacket pockets and I can still bend over. It is stainless steal and so it will not rust if I happen to leave it out in the rain. It is also a J Hook hive tool, and I like this since I use the one piece plastic frames from Mann Lake. This allows me to clean out the sides of the frames and also to squish small hive beetles that hide in the frame vertical bars. This one would also work really well for someone with little hands or for kids who want their own hive tool. I am really happy with my Apis Tactical Mini Hive Tool.

What to look for in the perfect Hive Tool

What I have found from trial and error is to look for tools that are sharp on the end, that are stainless steal so they won’t rust (it is so much easier to be able to leave the hive tools out in the bee yard instead of having to remember to take one each time you go out to the beeyard), that have some bright colors on them, and if your budget allows for this, definitely get both a full size hive tool for when you really need some leverage, and a mini hive tool so that you can tuck in in your pocket comfortably, and have a more managable size in your hand while you work. Pay attention to the width, I find thicker hive tools in their middle are easier to work with than the thinner ones.