Gold Star Honeybees 2013 PRODUCT CATALOG. Orders can be placed by visiting or by calling us at

Transcription

1 Gold Star Honeybees 2013 PRODUCT CATALOG Orders can be placed by visiting or by calling us at

2 D ELUXE H IVE K ITS All of our Deluxe Hive kits are made of solid wood, with no laminated products. Both models ship with their roof already painted. We use Mythic brand non-toxic paint, which contains no VOC s and does not off-gas any harmful chemicals into the hive. All Gold Star Deluxe hives come with a 4 x 36 glass observation window, installed with Safecoat brand non-toxic caulk. Observation windows are standard with all Gold Star hives. The New Englander The New Englander model features a black roof to optimize heat absorption. It is intended for locales with cold winters. $495 Observation window with shutter removed View from rear, roof removed 2

3 D ELUXE H IVE K ITS (continued) The Arizona Our Arizona model comes with a white roof to minimize heat absorption, and features the same non-toxic Mythic brand paint. Our Deluxe Hive kits contain 30 of our onepiece bevel-point top bars, 2 follower boards, and 10 spacers. It utilizes a screened bottom and removable bottom board for mite monitoring. The legs are removable as well. All Gold Star Deluxe hives are designed to accommodate splitting the colony into the same hive body, buying you a few days extra time before you need to have that additional hive ready for bees. Front view $495 Rear view, observation window with shutter removed 3

4 D O IT Y OURSELF K ITS Got a woodshop? Like building things? We ve got kits for you, too! DIY kits make it easy to build your own beehive - from scratch - that will be interchangeable with other Gold Star Beekeepers. We are proud to offer DIY kits for both intermediate and advanced woodworkers. DIY #1 Kit The DIY #1 Kit contains more than just a set of plans. We ve included all the hardware you need to build the same hive as our Deluxe Kit! Gold Star Honeybees DIY kits eliminate the hassle of running between specialty stores and help you save money by containing exactly the materials you need! This kit is recommended for advanced wood workers due to the complex angled cuts required for the top bars. $50 4

5 D O IT Y OURSELF K ITS (continued) DIY #2 Kit Gold Star Honeybees DIY #2 Kit contains the same blueprints and hardware as the DIY #1. It also includes the following materials to save you time: 30 one piece bevel point top bars 2 follower boards 10 spacers Our #2 kit works well for the do-it-yourselfer, but saves hours of advanced wood cutting. This kit is recommended for the intermediate woodworker. $295 5

6 G OLD S TAR H ONEYBEES T OP B ARS Gold Star Top Bars (set of 10) The top bar is the most important part of any top bar hive. The Gold Star top bar is a one-piece, bevel point top bar. When it comes to encouraging your bees to build straight, movable, natural comb, a Gold Star top bar made of clean, clear poplar stock, works best. No screws, no glues, one-piece, bevelpoint - simply the best comb guide around. Our Deluxe kit and DIY#2 kits both include 30 Gold Star top bars - but there are plenty of reasons to want a few spare bars around. What if you want to save some honey in your freezer for later in the season? What if you lose one? What if the dog decides it s a great chew toy? Even better - what if you could give a bar of drawn comb to a new beekeeper to pay it forward, and help them get started? $85 6

7 A CCESSORIES Top Bar Hive Feeder Starting a new colony often means that you have bees in your hive that don t have any resources - no wax, no food, no brood - just bees in an empty box! That s a tough situation for bees, and while we advocate for bees eating only their own honey - in a case like this, if you don t feed them something - they can starve before they even get started. Our Gold Star Top Bar Hive Feeder is a perfect way to offer your bees sugar syrup inside their hive while they start making their own honey. Top Bar Hive Feeder $25 7

8 A CCESSORIES (continued) Top Bar Hive Tool: This top bar hive tool may have been a carving knife in another life - but it does a great job of doing all the things that need doing in your top bar hive. First of all, it can be slipped between the top bars to separate them as you inspect your hive. Secondly, it s long and thin, and the handle makes a great fulcrum - a place to press against while you do the windshield wiper technique that cuts away any comb the bees may have stuck to the side of the hive. Works great for all of a top bar beekeeper s needs! $20 free shipping! A top bar hive keeper s best friend! 8

9 A CCESSORIES (continued) Honey Harvest Kit Harvest the treasures of your hive with our Honey Harvest Kit. The Gold Star Honey Harvest kit includes a long handled crusher and two reusable nylon strainers for crush and strain honey harvesting. $85 The bottom bucket has a honey gate installed for ease in bottling. Simple and sweet! 9

10 A CCESSORIES (continued) Hive Starter Kit This kit contains a piece of naturally drawn brood comb*, a wire to fasten the comb to the top bar, and a cotton ball that s been loaded with lemon grass essential oil. Suspending this piece of brood comb below the top bar, and wiping the oil on the inside of the hive body makes things smell a little more like home in a brand new top bar hive. The year we introduced this kit, it reduced the number of colony starts that absconded from brand new top bar hives to nearly zero. Please note that starter kits are seasonal items. Check the website or call for availability. *Inspected by Maine State Apiarist Tony Jadczak for disease. $15 free shipping! 10

11 A CCESSORIES (continued) Mite Board: White, flexible, reusable plastic - you can cut it with scissors, and secure it in place with thumbtacks. You can coat it with oil, wash it off, and use it again and again. To monitor for varroa mites: Cut the plastic to fit your bottom board and hold it in place on the board with push pins. Make it sticky by coating it with oil, or shortening. Let it collect all the mites that fall from the bees during the natural course of events within the hive - for between 3 to 7 days. Count the total number of mites, divide it by the number of days you monitored. A threshold below 50 mites per day in natural mite fall is considered manageable. $15 free shipping! 11

12 C LASSES Natural Beekeeping in Top Bar Hives: A Weekend Intensive Class A Weekend Intensive class is two full days of concentrated instruction on the how-to and the why-to of keeping bees in natural, sustainable top bar hives. Host a Weekend Intensive in your town! If you re interested in hosting a Weekend Intensive in your town, you can request information by ing classes@goldstarhoneybees.com Check out our website for the current class schedule. 12

13 T HE T HINKING B EEKEEPER The Thinking Beekeeper - A Guide to Natural Beekeeping in Top Bar Hives by Christy Hemenway...the definitive how-to/why-to book about keeping bees in top bar hives. $25 Based on the concept of understanding and working with bees natural systems as opposed to trying to subvert them, the advantages of top bar hives include: chemical free colonies and healthy hives simplicity, sustainability and cost-effectiveness ideal for the urban beekeeper less heavy lifting and hive manipulation Emphasizing the intimate connection between our food system, bees, and the well-being of the planet, The Thinking Beekeeper will appeal to the new breed of beekeeper who is less focused on maximizing honey yield, and more on ensuring the viability of the bee population now and in the coming years. 13

14 Gold Star Honeybees We are proud to be a part of your beekeeping journey...

15 "When one tugs at a single thing in nature, one finds it attached to the rest of the world." -- John Muir Christy Hemenway, founder

16 Gold Star Honeybees Gold Star Honeybees PO Box 1061 Bath, Maine 04530