In a message dated 2/23/2006 6:33:59 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
[log in to unmask] writes:

>Another very useful tool is a wife willing to work with the  bees.

I don't have one of those.  My most useful tool is a four year old  daughter. 
 Now before you all call DCF and report me, let me explain.   I couldn't keep 
her in the house or far enough away when I went out to play with  the bees.  
So I bought her the smallest and tightest Jr. bee suit I could  find.  She is 
still swimming in it, but at least she will get a few years  wear out of it.  
By the way, her suit cost a few times more than my suit,  which I don't wear 
anyway.

I thought she would lose interest the first  day out.  She says "Daddy?  Do 
you think a bee will land on  me?"

I look down and she already has a cluster the size of a large soup  bowl on 
her shoulder.  I figured this would be it.  She would scream  and run for the 
house.

"I think some already have." I said.  And  pointed to the bees.  She turns to 
look, nose to nose with hundereds of  bees, turns to me with a big smile and 
says "Cool!"

She's just like her  Papa.

When she is not poking at bees, she is the best tool fetcher I  have.  She 
keeps the tool box orgainised and knows where everything is in  the barn.  She 
mixes up a mean batch of syrup. Though she thinks the pollen  subsitute smells 
bad, she likes to mush it between the frames.  She is  better at spotting 
queens than I am.  When I tell her it is time to go  check the bees.  She can get 
her suit on, drag out the tool box and load  the smoker in less time than it 
takes me to put my boots on.

Some other  useful tools.  I make jigs for everything.  Box joints, frame  
assembly, foundation installs.  There is a pile of plans on  Beesource.com.

Petroleum Jelly, it keeps propolis from sticking to your  hands and tools.  
It cleans hands and tools.  A thin layer will stop  hive bodies from sticking 
together, and frames from getting stuck.  The  bees don't seem to mind it and I 
think it give parasites less areas of  refuge.  I cut a hole in the lid of an 
old baby food jar, filled the jar  with petroleum jelly and apply it with an 
acid brush.  A little bit goes a  long way.

Wood stove pellets.  Once lit, the smoker burns a long  time.  I light mine 
with a Mapp gas torch.  The torch is real good for  cleaning excluders, etc.

Queen catcher.  I know, real men don't use  them.  I hold her in it until I'm 
done doing what ever I'm doing.

My  tool box is made out of a nuc hive.  If I need to, I can dump the tools 
out  and use it to carry brood back and forth.  I saw a simular tool box for  
sale in one of the catalogs.

Jim Hock
Wethersfield, CT
 

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