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What's In Your Honey House? Tips On Buying Used Beekeeping Equipment

What would you do if you ripped a hole in your beekeeping suit while you were working with your bees? What if you extractor stops working just before the bulk of the hive returns to find their combs empty? Buying used beekeeping equipment can make an already dangerous hobby very dangerous. Make sure that both your safety and the safety of your hive is considered before you purchase used beekeeping equipment.

You should always strive to purchase the best equipment you can afford, but that sometimes means buying it secondhand from a classified ad. Here is the basic shopping list for a beginning beekeeper: beekeeping suit, hat, and gloves, a smoker, an extractor, and of course the bee hive itself. Purchasing everything at once can get very expensive, especially if you purchase high quality items. For instance a high quality professional beekeeping suit can cost at least a hundred dollars, probably more. With these types of prices, buying used equipment seems like the way to go. If you know what to watch for you can get some great deals.

Where should you look for used beekeeping equipment? Head down to your local beekeeping supply store if you have one. Most of the local beekeepers will frequent the store, which provides you with an opportunity to make new friends and possibly get some great used equipment. The store itself will also have a catalog available, this will help you do some price comparisons on different brands and types of equipment to make sure you get what you need and nothing that you don't.

After you get back from the store, jump online and do some price comparisons as well. Make sure you factor in shipping costs before you purchase equipment online. There is also a danger in purchasing used equipment on the Internet because you can't inspect the equipment prior to purchase. Craigslist is another great resource for used equipment, and the sellers will usually let you inspect the equipment before you buy it. If anyone refuses to show you his or her equipment, move on to someone who will, as it is probably not very good.

When purchasing used equipment remember that this is something that somebody else no longer needed. It is likely to not last nearly as long as something that is purchased new. Carefully insect anything you intend to buy for obvious signs of wear and tear so you can anticipate the failures and make the required repairs ahead of time. Sometimes people discard perfectly good equipment that has many more years of life in it, and sometimes the stuff just needs to be thrown out or recycled.

When cash is tight, buying used equipment can definitely keep your wallet happy. Knowing what is good equipment, what needs a little TLC, and what needs to be thrown away will save you even more money in the long run. Try and buy new equipment if you can, it will last you a lot longer and eventually cost less than something you buy used that breaks after just a few uses.

About the Author

Chris Shireman is a beekeeping expert. For more information on used beekeeping equipment, visit http://www.beekeepinginfocenter.com