# Autozone hive tool



## WWW (Feb 6, 2011)

I visited Autozone just the other day to purchase a new car battery and while at the parts counter I happened to look down at the small shelves about knee level and there was a stainless steel hive tool, they must have these stocked to sell as gasket scrapers. I can't remember what the exact price was but something in the range of $6.00 to $7.00 comes to mind, not too bad a price if you needed one real quick.


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## Vance G (Jan 6, 2011)

That is worth checking out. Does it have the good usable nail puller? Most new hive tools have it but the hole is not dished to allow you to get under nail heads.


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## Barry (Dec 28, 1999)

I have a hunch that what you're calling a hive tool is actually a pry bar/scraper.
I can't say for sure, but my guess is that this tool was first used in the construction industry before it was adopted by the bee industry. Anyone know for sure?


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## mathesonequip (Jul 9, 2012)

my local ace hardware had a stainless pry bar/scraper for 5 or 6 dollars, not as nicely polished as my mann-lake one but nearly identical. they both work identically


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## WWW (Feb 6, 2011)

Yes I think it did have the nail puller and it was very well polished and sharp edged. Barry, the one you have linked is very similar to what I seen at Autozone.


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## FlashGordon (Jul 15, 2013)

I call mine a windshield scraper. Works great for getting the ice off the windshield and rear view mirrors!


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## jmgi (Jan 15, 2009)

FlashGordon said:


> I call mine a windshield scraper. Works great for getting the ice off the windshield and rear view mirrors!


Wouldn't that be kinda hard on the windshield, steel on glass?


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## NCbeek (Mar 23, 2011)

I went to one of the "cheap tool" places on vacation once. Found the tool I use, which is a stainless steel molding pry bar. Looks the same as some hive tools and works great. I found it in the section with the other pry bars for $6.00, Looking around more, I found the same tool in the womens section for $3.00. Was it because it had a pink sticker on it? Didn't matter, pink sticker came off and I got a two-fer.


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## EastSideBuzz (Apr 12, 2009)

looks like a hive tool to me.


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## KBaker (Jul 15, 2013)

Yes, I'm fairly certain the tool was intended as a pry bar before beekeepers adopted it. I owned some before I ever kept bees. Used them for removing trim and woodwork in my old house. Worked great! Now it has a new life covered in propolis


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## High-On-Burlap (May 6, 2013)

Near identical tools are often sold as paint scrappers as well, though they don't always have a nail puller hole.


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## Levi's Bees (Feb 7, 2014)

I went to walmart and found the hive tool that's American made 9 1/2 inches and comes with a 7 1/2 inches To for the price of about $8.00 both have nail puller on them not bad!!!


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## Vance G (Jan 6, 2011)

I believe rather firmly that the original hive tool was a Red Devil Paint Scraper. It was and is the handiest tool ever invented in my opinion. I have two hive tools bought in the early seventies and they clearly gives a patent number and has the red devil logo of the time. I have one in every tool kit in the house. Plumbing, sheet rocking, automotive, carpentry and of course my bee box has several. The two survivors from long ago have perfectly functional nail pullers. The mann lake ones are just clubs in comparison.


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## Bush_84 (Jan 9, 2011)

I bought two packs of these small nail pry bars from menards. Good price and my wife bought me a ton. Can fit two easily in my suit pocket so I always have a few on me. I have a large hive tool I got from Mann lake. I use it to scrape but otherwise I don't use it a lot. 

http://www.menards.com/main/tools-h...-bars/5-1-2-mini-pry-bar/p-1465858-c-9170.htm

Pretty sure that's it, but I got them in two packs and on sale. Handy, but they don't scrape well.


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## Barry Digman (May 21, 2003)

I like the Italian style with the j-hook on the end. For those of us who don't get into the hives as often as perhaps we should, those tools are great for prying off propolized inners and then separating and lifting stuck frames.


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## Vance G (Jan 6, 2011)

I have never tried the hooked ones, I can do what I need with the old traditional. It is an all the time all season tool at my house.


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## Gilligan (May 8, 2013)

Used mine to rip out a bit of ceiling that needed replacing in a repo we picked up.

Came in a decreasing size 3 pack at HD.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Barry said:


> I have a hunch that what you're calling a hive tool is actually a pry bar/scraper.
> I can't say for sure, but my guess is that this tool was first used in the construction industry before it was adopted by the bee industry. Anyone know for sure?


No, I don't, but I see them in hardware stores sold as window pry bars. I wonder if they are all tempered the same.

The flat j hooked tool is the only one I ever broke prying apart bee boxes. Snapped right off behind the wide end where it narrowed down. That tool is especially handy for working w/ one piece plastic frames that one doesn't want to pry up from under the top bar edge.

It would be an interesting bit of trivia to know when hive tools became hive tool and were they designed for beekeeping or for some other use first. I have seen specially designed knives in old illustrations of 17th century beekeeping. So there have probably always been specialized tools. What did LLL use? If anyone can find the first/earliest Root Co. or Dadant Co. Catalog it would be interesting to see if they sold hive tools along w/ the smokers.


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## Levi's Bees (Feb 7, 2014)

this is the 1 from walmart


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## WWW (Feb 6, 2011)

Looks like a fine hive tool Levi, and its made in USA. It appears these scrapers/hive tools can be found in a number of local locations.


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## Gilligan (May 8, 2013)

Levi's Bees said:


> this is the 1 from walmart
> View attachment 9134


That's the same thing but I got the 3 pack and Home Depot... had another even smaller 3rd piece, which came in handy when taking out some small finish nails.

One of my companies does screen printing and embroidery and in the screen printing word it seems every "specialized" tool is a repurposed tool from another industry... usually used for something not even remotely the same... strapping material used as a locking strip inside of a channel or a tool holder being used as a temp hold on the insides of those same channels by pinching together and then sticking in the channel.

Luckily in this industry they aren't raping you guys like they try to do us. .50 cent locking clip is over $5 each (sold in 3 packs)... strapping material is sold at $3/foot!!!


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## FlowerPlanter (Aug 3, 2011)

Two years ago I bought a few from pigeon mountain on sale for 2.50 ea and they were stainless, now they are 10.00

Saw these on amazon thought about tring them.
http://www.amazon.com/Titan-17005-S...&qid=1392134197&sr=8-12&keywords=nail+pry+bar


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## Gilligan (May 8, 2013)

One of my favorite tools for construction purposes is the Shark.

http://www.amazon.com/Shark-21-2225-10-Inch-Prybar-Puller/dp/B0000224TY/ref=pd_sim_hi_2

Uber versatile and strong!


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## paintingpreacher (Jul 29, 2006)

Noticed Lowes had some small ones in bins for less than $2.00. I bought 3 of them to carry in my pocket, as they are only about 5 inches long. They are not big enough to remove tops but work really well removing frames and are so small they fit in jeans. I have a good supply of larger hive tools because I seem to lose one about every day. I have been known to let them fall down through the frames of tall hives. I will retrieve them some day hopefully.


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## ApisMellifera1 (Jan 5, 2014)

FlowerPlanter said:


> Two years ago I bought a few from pigeon mountain on sale for 2.50 ea and they were stainless, now they are 10.00
> 
> Saw these on amazon thought about tring them.
> http://www.amazon.com/Titan-17005-S...&qid=1392134197&sr=8-12&keywords=nail+pry+bar


The Titan brand ones from amazon look almost identical to the ones sold by AutoZone. The Titan logo on the AutoZone one is printed on the underside with the words "stainless steel". I bought two yesterday for $7.00 each and found them to be quite sharp, much sharper than my Maxant brand J-Hook models, so they should be good scrapers. They are made in Taiwan though.


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## DanielD (Jul 21, 2012)

Bush_84 said:


> I bought two packs of these small nail pry bars from menards. Good price and my wife bought me a ton. Can fit two easily in my suit pocket so I always have a few on me. I have a large hive tool I got from Mann lake. I use it to scrape but otherwise I don't use it a lot.
> 
> http://www.menards.com/main/tools-h...-bars/5-1-2-mini-pry-bar/p-1465858-c-9170.htm
> 
> Pretty sure that's it, but I got them in two packs and on sale. Handy, but they don't scrape well.


I got 2 of the Menard's pry bars free after rebate once and that's all I have used for a hive tool.


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