Equipment for the new beekeeper

[Brooklyn]

This will be the first year for us Beekeeping. What should we get?

I am looking at

2) Complete brood chambers with frames and wax Foundations.
2) Medium supers with frames and wax Foundations.
1) Hive Stand
1)) Wooden telescoping outer cover
1) Smoker
1) 10 inch hive tool
1) pair leather goatskin Bee gloves
5 sets of 9 frame spacers
1) top feeder with supper
1) screened bottom bottom board with small hive beetle trap
1) Bee brush
1) Wood Bound Metal Queen Excluder
1) metal Mouse guard

1) Frame grip ??
1) Ultra Breeze Jacket
I live in Sc where the summers are hot and the winters are mild

Is this enough equipment for a first time beekeeper, or is it to much? What would you suggest.
Any suggestions on were to buy quality equipment

[PCM]

From looking at your previous posts;
I would suggest visiting your local bee club, subscribing to one of the beekeeping magazines, getting some first hand info.

In the past 2 years we have had a number of people visit our bee club and say
" I did not think it was so involved " and never see them again, however a number have joined and are learning/contributeing lots of info.

The best info. you can get will be Local.
Good Luck
PCM

[alpha6]

Looks like pretty good starting list. I would not get the frame spacers as this are a pain when trying to pull frames. You will get the eye for the space needed pretty quick. You are also going to need an inner cover and really important is a vail. Also the plastic excluders work just as well as the metal bound ones so if you are looking to cut your costs that is one place.

Good Luck...

[ccar2000]

PCM is right, read up first and find out what others are doing in your area. When I bought my assembled kit from Dadant https://www.dadant.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=22 it came with a subscription to American Bee Journal, a copy of The Hive and The Honeybee (1,200 pages of info) and a copy of First Lessons in Beekeeping. I would have been lost without these references.
If you want to browse on the computer, Mr Michael Bush has a very good website http://www.bushfarms.com/bees.htm Check it out. He discusses his opinion on the use of all medium boxes and even shows how he cut them down to 8-frames each. It's a good resource as well.
Ultimately I believe that experience is the best teacher.
I am using two deep brood boxes because I understand that an excluder will not be necessary as the queen likes to be down in the lower section of the hive. Some say that a hive can starve out if the queen cannot get to the reserve honey if all that is left is above the excluder.

[brac]

I find the frame grips I was born with work very well. Both the right and the left.

[ccar2000]

I wished I would have started with a jacket instead of the coveralls. Now I use the veil with a tee shirt and jeans when I check the feeders but still put on the whole suit when I am doing an inspection where I am removing frames. I always use the gloves, smoker and hive tool, not the brush too much.

[KQ6AR]

We found the leather gloves too cumbersome, we're using natrile exam gloves from Costco.
The frame holder or perch, is nice to put the first 2 or 3 frames on when working the hive.
When the outer frames are full of honey, the frame grabber tool is helpfull in getting the first frame out.

[Michael Bush]

Here's the options I'd pick:
http://www.bushfarms.com/beesoptions.htm

Some advice for newbees:
http://www.bushfarms.com/beesnewbees.htm

My basic philosophy and a lot of my equipment choices:
http://www.bushfarms.com/beeslazy.htm

[KQ6AR]

Also in you're location, learn about beetle traps. You'll probably need one.

[brac]

KQ6AR I have not worn gloves while working hive seems to cumbersome, do bees not sting through nitrile gloves?

[SwedeBee1970]

Also, for pollen patty making and weather info. visit my honey bee page. There are some things that are free downloads too. Help yourself...

[KQ6AR]

I think the natrile gloves are more for my piece of mind, they are puncture resistant. They are nice because you can feel when a bee is under you're finger.

I've been stung once when I got a bee stuck between my fingers.