Posted by AgroIndia May 23, 2026

CHAPTER 6 | EQUIPMENTS AND APPLIANCES FOR BEEKEEPING

Bees are being managed by man since ages. However, the efficiency in their proper management came with the development of modern beekeeping equipments, which has made the beekeeping industry a commercially viable proposition. Several types of equipments are needed to deal with different aspects of beekeeping but for an ordinary beekeeper, the use of the following equipments is most important.

The Bee Hive

A hive is a suitable home for bees — easy to move and easy to pack for winter. It is a wooden structure consisting of several parts. The floor board forms the base, on which rests a wooden box called the brood chamber. This chamber is fitted with movable, parallel frames on which the bees build combs out of wax they produce themselves. On top, as an upper story, is the honey chamber (the super), which also carries frames. In the super, only honey is stored; there is no egg-laying or brood-rearing. The super is covered on the top with an inner cover and the roof. The hive protects the colony against rain, summer heat, and winter frost.

The hive must be made of strong seasoned wood and painted with an oil-based paint to protect it from weather deterioration. The odour of the wood should not be repellent to bees.

BEEHIVE — EXPLODED COMPONENT DIAGRAM (Top to Bottom)
ROOF / TOP COVER	Protects colony from rain, heat, and frost. Painted white to reflect sunlight.
INNER COVER (Crown Board)	Sits below the roof; provides insulation and ventilation.
SUPER CHAMBER	Upper story for honey storage only. No egg-laying or brood-rearing occurs here. Holds frames filled with sealed honey.
QUEEN EXCLUDER	Wire grating separating super from brood chamber. Workers pass through freely; queen and drones cannot.
BROOD CHAMBER	Main living space. Contains movable parallel frames on which bees build wax combs. Divided into honey zone (top), pollen zone (middle), and brood zone (bottom).
ENTRANCE GATE	Controlled entry/exit for bees. Wire entrance guard helps prevent swarming.
FLOOR BOARD	Base of the hive on which the brood chamber rests.

Figure 6.1 — Beehive: Exploded Component Diagram (arranged top to bottom)

6.1.1 Types of Hives

There are three main types of hives used in modern beekeeping:

Hive Type	Frames (Brood)	Frames (Super)	Best For
Langstroth Hive	10	10	Italian colonies
Jeolikot Hive	7	—	Indian colonies
ISI Hive	10	—	Indian colonies

Table 6.1 — Comparison of Hive Types

The Langstroth hive is recommended for keeping Italian colonies, whereas the Jeolikot and ISI hives are suitable for Indian colonies. The only difference between the Jeolikot and ISI hives is that the former carries 7 frames and the latter 10 frames in their brood chambers (the frame size is the same in both).

6.2 The Comb

The comb is a collection of hexagonal cells made of beeswax. The cells are horizontally parallel to the ground: their closed ends are back-to-back and their open ends face opposite directions, forming the two surfaces of the comb. Functionally, there are three kinds of cells:

Cell Type	Purpose	Cells / 4 inches	Notes
Worker Cells	Rear worker bees	22 (Indian) / 19.3 (Italian)	Most numerous
Drone Cells	Rear male bees	17.6	Larger than worker cells
Queen Cells	Rear queens	Very few	Shaped like groundnut shells

Table 6.2 — Types of Cells in a Honeybee Comb

A comb has three distinct horizontal zones arranged from top to bottom:

COMB — THREE FUNCTIONAL ZONES

HONEY ZONE

Topmost portion of the comb. Sealed honey cells for food reserves.

POLLEN ZONE

Middle band. Collected pollen is packed and stored here.

BROOD ZONE

Lower portion. Contains worker cells, drone cells, and queen cells where larvae are reared.

Figure 6.2 — Three Functional Zones of a Honeybee Comb

6.3 Protective Equipment and Hive Tools

The following items are essential for safe and efficient hive management:

Protective Equipment & Hive Tools
Equipment	Description & Purpose
Bee Veil	A head veil made of mosquito-netting (or black wire-cloth) used to protect the face from bee stings.
Smoker	A bellows-type device that generates smoke to subdue excited bees when the hive is opened for inspection. Medium-sized smokers are best for beginners.
Gloves	Cloth gloves used to protect the hands from stings. Experienced beekeepers may work without gloves.
Overall / Suit	White or fawn-coloured full-body clothing to prevent bees from entering garments. Blue or black cloth should be avoided as bees are attracted to these colours.
Hive Tool (Spatula)	A flat spatula tool used for prying frames apart and scraping off bee glue (propolis) and debris from inside the hive.
Bee Brush	A soft bristle brush (white bristles preferred) for removing bees from frames during honey extraction or for assembling scattered bees when hiving a swarm.

6.4 Hive Management Appliances

Hive Management Appliances
Equipment	Description & Purpose
Queen Excluder	A wire grating placed on top of the brood frames. Working bees pass through freely; the queen and drones cannot. This confines the queen to the brood chamber and keeps the super free of brood.
Wire Entrance Guard	A wire gate at the hive entrance that confines the queen inside the hive, helping to prevent swarming.
Queen's Cage	Made of wire gauze; closed at one end and open at the other. Used to introduce a new queen into a queenless colony. The queen (with 5–6 workers and candy) is confined in the cage for 24–48 hours until she acquires the colony's odour and is accepted.
Queen Cell Protector	A cone-shaped wire structure wound spirally, fitted around a developing queen cell to protect it.
Feeder	A frame-sized wooden trough placed alongside frames. Sugar syrup or other liquid food is poured into it for the bees.
Bee Escape	A funnel-shaped device fitted on the inner board. Allows bees to exit the super but prevents re-entry through the narrow end, thereby clearing the super of worker bees before honey extraction.
Division / Dummy Board	A wooden partition fitting perpendicularly like a frame. It acts as a movable wall to increase or decrease the size of the brood chamber according to colony size.
Swarm-Catching Basket	A small bamboo basket used to collect a sitting swarm and bring it back to the hive.
Drone Trap	A rectangular box with two compartments and two wire-gauze funnels. Workers pass through the excluder screen and escape, while drones and queens become trapped in the upper compartment. Used to remove excess drones or to confine the queen before swarming.
Ant Barriers	Water-filled clay bowls placed under the legs of the hive stand to prevent black ants from invading the colony and stealing brood or food reserves.

6.5 Comb Foundation and Frame Equipment

Comb Foundation and Frame Equipment
Equipment	Description & Purpose
Comb-Foundation Sheet	A sheet of pure beeswax with the exact shape and pattern of worker brood cells embossed on both sides. Fitted onto frames and supported by horizontal metal wires, it provides a starting template that bees readily accept.
Wire Embedder	A round gear-shaped revolving iron disc fitted on a handle bar. Used to embed horizontal frame wires into the comb-foundation sheet.
Syringe (Water Sprinkler)	A water sprinkler used to settle down a swarm and facilitate its capture.

6.6 Honey Extraction Equipment

Honey Extraction Equipment
Equipment	Description & Purpose
Uncapping Knife	A flat, sharp-edged knife used to cut the wax capping off sealed honey cells before extraction. Both cold and electric (heated) versions are available.
Comb Fork	A fork-like tool used to scratch open sealed cells as an alternative to the uncapping knife.
Honey Extractor	A hand- or motor-operated centrifugal machine. Frames are placed in revolving chambers and, as the handle is turned, honey flows out by centrifugal force without breaking the comb. The empty frames can then be returned to the hive.
Honey Tank	A large metal drum (capacity 50–225 kg) fitted with a honey tap near the bottom and a straining sieve on top. After extraction, honey is left in the tank for several days; scum and air bubbles rise to the surface and are removed. Placing the drum in hot sunlight accelerates the process.

6.7 Hive Maintenance and Painting

The hive should be painted white, as this colour reflects the sun's rays and helps keep the hive comparatively cool during summer. An oil-based paint is recommended to protect the wood from weather deterioration, provided its odour is not repellent to bees.

Large and costly items such as the honey extractor need not be purchased by a beginner; they may be borrowed or taken on loan from the Government or other beekeeping agencies.

6.8 Quick Reference: All Major Equipment

The following table provides a consolidated quick-reference guide to all major beekeeping equipment covered in this chapter:

Complete Equipment Quick-Reference Guide
Equipment	Description & Purpose
Bee Hive	Home for the colony; wooden structure with brood chamber, super, frames, roof.
Bee Veil	Mosquito-net veil to protect the face from stings.
Smoker	Bellows device generating smoke to calm bees before hive inspection.
Gloves & Overall	Protective clothing; white/fawn colour recommended.
Hive Tool	Spatula for prying frames and scraping propolis.
Bee Brush	Soft brush to clear bees from frames or gather a swarm.
Queen Excluder	Wire grating separating brood chamber from super.
Wire Entrance Guard	Confines queen; prevents swarming.
Queen's Cage	Wire-gauze cage for safe introduction of a new queen.
Queen Cell Protector	Spiral wire cone protecting a developing queen cell.
Feeder	Frame-sized trough for sugar syrup or liquid feed.
Comb-Foundation Sheet	Wax sheet embossed with cell pattern; foundation for comb building.
Wire Embedder	Gear-disc tool for pressing wires into comb-foundation sheet.
Swarm-Catching Basket	Bamboo basket for collecting swarms.
Bee Escape	Funnel device to clear bees from super before extraction.
Dummy Board	Movable wooden partition to adjust brood-chamber size.
Drone Trap	Box trap for catching excess drones or confining the queen.
Ant Barriers	Water-filled clay bowls under hive legs to block ant invasion.
Uncapping Knife / Fork	Removes wax seals from honey cells prior to extraction.
Honey Extractor	Centrifugal machine to spin honey from frames without damaging comb.
Syringe	Water sprinkler to help settle and catch swarms.
Honey Tank	Large metal drum for straining, settling, and storing extracted honey.

Chapter Summary

This chapter covered the following key topics:

The Bee Hive — its structure, components (floor board, brood chamber, super, roof), and three hive types (Langstroth, Jeolikot, ISI).
The Comb — hexagonal wax cells arranged in three functional zones: honey zone, pollen zone, and brood zone; three cell types: worker, drone, and queen.
Protective Equipment — veil, smoker, gloves, overall; essential for safe hive inspection.
Hive Management Appliances — queen excluder, feeder, queen's cage, bee escape, drone trap, ant barriers, and more.
Comb Foundation Equipment — foundation sheets, wire embedder.
Honey Extraction Equipment — uncapping knife, honey extractor, honey tank.
Hive Maintenance — painting white, using oil-based paint; borrowing expensive equipment initially.