Last updated: August 21, 2026
Use of this website
The information on beegearwise.com is provided as general guidance about beekeeping and the gear people use for it. It does not replace the label on a product, the instructions that came with your equipment, the judgment of a qualified professional, or the rules that apply where you keep bees.
Specifications are yours to verify
Every colony, hive and bee yard is a different combination. Frame capacities, drum dimensions, fabric weights, mesh layers, motor ratings and battery figures all depend on your specific equipment, and we never invent a figure for it. Where we mention a number, it comes from a manufacturer table, a product label or an official source and is named as such. Check it against your own gear before you rely on it.
Varroa, treatments and the product label
Miticides and other hive treatments are regulated products. The registered EPA label on the product you are holding is the legal instruction, and it sets the dose, the concentration, the temperature range, the treatment interval and whether the product may be used with honey supers on the hive. We do not restate those numbers here and nothing on this site authorizes a use the label does not. Read the label in full every time, including the version that ships with the batch you bought, since labels are revised.
For thresholds, timing, sampling method and anything about brood disease, use your state extension service or a university bee lab. Suspected notifiable disease, American foulbrood in particular, goes to your state apiarist, not to a website. Nothing here is a diagnosis or a treatment plan.
Local rules and stings
Whether you may keep bees, how many hives are permitted, how far they must stand from a property line and whether colonies must be registered depends on your state, your county, your city and sometimes a neighborhood association. Rules change. Check them before you order bees, and treat anything we describe in general terms as background rather than permission.
Bees sting. Protective gear reduces the number of stings but does not eliminate the risk, and no article can tell you how you will react. A severe allergic reaction is a medical emergency: call emergency services. Talk to a doctor before you keep bees if you or anyone in the household has ever reacted badly to a sting.
No product testing
We do not physically test the products we write about. Our guidance is based on published manufacturer specifications and on reported beekeeper experience. Descriptions of how a product performs are therefore an interpretation of available information, not a measured result, and your own experience may differ. Safety related figures such as fabric construction, capacity, dimensions and standards references are repeated as the manufacturer states them; always confirm them on the product listing and in the manual before use.
Colonies, weather and your own judgment
Gear has to hold up in your bee yard, in your climate, not in a general article. Follow the manufacturer instructions for assembly, cleaning and storage, and get experienced help when you are not certain what you are looking at in a frame. Forage, weather, mite load and the temperament of the colony make the difference between a product working and a product failing, and only you can see the hive in front of you.
Accuracy
We take care with our content, but we cannot guarantee that all product and specification information is always complete or current. Product lines are revised and specifications change between model years. Always check the manufacturer and retailer information before you buy.
Liability
We are not liable for any damage resulting from the use of the information on this website. You use our guidance at your own discretion.