Every inspection starts with a hive tool. Bees glue lids, boxes and frame lugs down with propolis and burr comb, and a flat steel lever breaks that seal cleanly without jolting the colony. All the hive tools on this page are stainless steel, so a quick wipe between colonies keeps them clean.
The shape of the working end is the main decision. The Australian J hook hive tool has a curved hook for levering frames up by the lug, while the Long-J stretches to 290mm with a less angled hook that some beekeepers prefer. American-style tools carry sharp chiselled ends for scraping wax off equipment and prising components apart, and two versions add a palm-friendly wood or rubber grip. Length matters too: a full-size bee hive tool runs 20 to 29cm, the Australian-made pocket tool is just 16cm for a spare in your pocket, and the 38cm commercial stainless steel hive tool has a grooved centre that resists bending when you pry heavy hive bodies apart.
Light a bee smoker before you crack the lid, lift and hold frames with stainless frame grippers and rests, and clear bees off comb with a soft bee brush. A spare hive tool in each vehicle saves a trip back to the shed.
- This handy hive tool fits in your pocket and is a useful addition to your kit for the times you can't find your full sized tool.
- It's 16cm long so it's useful kit that's very easy to carry.
- Australian made from quality Stainless Steel.
An essential Beekeeping Hive Tool, this Australian type "J" Tool is useful for levering frames, and inspecting hives.
Used widely by amateur and commercial beekeepers.
- Length: 267mm
- Depth: 3mm
- Total Width: 45mm
- Hook: 37mm
Hive Tool 'Long-J' Type – Stainless-Steel An essential Beekeeping Hive Tool. It is preferred by some beekeepers due to slightly longer length and less angled "J". The Long-J is useful for levering frames, and inspecting hives. Used widely by amateur and commercial beekeepers.
- Length: 290mm
- Depth: 3mm
- Total Width: 35mm
- Hook: 40mm
- Length: 267mm
- Depth: 3mm
- Total Width: 45mm
- Hook: 37mm
A heavy-duty all-in-one hive tool in Stainless-Steel. Chiselled end to separate supers, a scraper, and large lever hook tool for hooking out your frames. Really a beekeeping essential for Hive inspection and extraction.
- Length: 267mm
- Depth: 3mm
- Total Width: 45mm
- Hook: 37mm
- This well designed hive tool is ideal to quickly pry hive bodies apart
- The middle groove provides extra structural strength to prevent bending
- Its large hooked end is ideal for lifting frames
- The sharp flat end is ideal for removing burr wax and propolis from Frames and Hive walls
- Made of high quality corrosion reistant stainless steel, it will provide many years of service.
This premium quality hive tool in Stainless-Steel has sharp chiselled ends, which are useful for scraping wax off equipment and releasing the frames, and prising components apart within the hive prior the inspections.
- Length: 245mm
- Depth: 3mm
- Total Width: 40mm
- Hook: 30mm
This premium quality hive tool in Stainless-Steel incorporates a central hand-friendly rubber grip.
Its sharp chiselled ends are perfect for scraping wax off equipment and releasing the frames, and prising components apart within the hive prior the inspections.
- Length: 245mm
- Thickness: 3mm
- Total Width: 40mm
- Hook: 30mm
An essential Beekeeping Hive Tool, this US stype hive tool with a central wood grip is useful for levering frames, and inspecting hives.
Used widely by amateur and commercial beekeepers.
- Length: 20cm
- Total Width: 4.5cm