A Guide to Buying Second Hand Beekeeping Equipment

Buying Second-Hand Beekeeping Equipment: What to Know

Buying second-hand beekeeping equipment can be a minefield, especially for beginners. If you're offered any used kit, it’s wise to bring along an experienced beekeeper for advice. Here's a breakdown of what to look out for and how to handle different types of equipment:

General Considerations

• Second-hand equipment can often be worn out, even if it looks serviceable.

• Beekeepers are famously frugal, so much of the gear for sale may be past its best.

• When in doubt, always seek a second opinion—or walk away.

Clothing and Tools

• Bee suits: Easy to assess visually—check for tears, stains, and worn zippers or veils.

• Hive tools and smokers:

  • Can be cleaned with a solution of washing soda (sodium carbonate).

  • Mix: 1 kg washing soda + 5 litres warm water + a dash of washing-up liquid.

  • Soak tools in the solution and scrub with a wire brush until clean.

  • It’s good practice to store hive tools in this solution at all times.

Hives and Wooden Components

• Check for:

  • Failing joints

  • Rusty nails

  • Rotting wood

  • Potential disease

• Know the hive’s history. If uncertain:

  • Sterilise before bringing it near your apiary.

  • Sterilisation method: Lightly scorch all wooden parts using the tip of a blue flame from a blowlamp.

  • Pay special attention to corners and cracks.

  • Wood should darken to a uniform coffee-brown color, ensuring sufficient heating.

  • Avoid charring the timber.

Polystyrene Hives

• Must be disinfected using bleach:

  • Mix: 1 part household bleach (3% sodium hypochlorite) to 5 parts water to create a 0.5% solution.

  • Soak for 20 minutes, ensuring thorough cleaning first.

  • For small volumes: use a tray to rotate and soak each wall.

  • For larger quantities: use a deep trough.

• Always wear suitable protective clothing when working with chemicals.

Queen Excluders

• Cleaning methods vary by type:

  • Wire excluders: Scrape off debris (best done cold), then scorch with a blowlamp.

    • Avoid melting soft solder joints.

  • Zinc slotted excluders:

    • Must be destroyed by burning if foulbrood has been present.

    • Otherwise, scrub clean using concentrated washing soda solution (same as above).

  • Plastic excluders: Wash with soda solution, then sterilise with bleach.

• Always wear protective gear—rubber gloves, eye protection, and suitable clothing.

Frames

• Only consider frames that are stripped of wax, cleaned, and sterilised in boiling washing soda.

• With new frame parts being so affordable, it's rarely worth the risk or effort of used ones.

• Avoid frames with wax comb unless:

  • You are 100% sure of the seller’s reliability.

  • You know the provenance of the comb.

  • Brood comb especially can harbour disease.

  • Super comb isn’t much better—don’t buy it.

Honey-Handling Equipment

• Plastic gear (buckets, trays, strainers):

  • Ensure it is clean and sterilised.

  • Must be food grade.

• Extractors, sieves, and bottling tanks:

  • Should be made of stainless steel or food grade plastic.

• Avoid galvanized steel:

  • Illegal for honey processing due to toxic solder reactions.

  • These should only be repurposed for decorative garden use.

Final Tip

When in doubt, ask an experienced beekeeper for their opinion—or walk away. The cost of disease or contamination far outweighs any savings from second-hand gear.