# Hello! New-bee, SAHM supporting craz-bee hub



## chrissv (Oct 12, 2008)

You'll find a treasure trove of good information on these forums. I'm sure you aren't the first to have these types of questions!

The key is read, search, read, search again, and then ask. 95% of the time I find the answers by searching.

Good luck!

-- Steven


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## indypartridge (Nov 18, 2004)

Hello and Welcome!

Lots of beeks here have Top Bar Hives - there's even an entire sub-forum dedicated to TBH topics.

Ask your local club members if there are any nearby suppliers of bee equipment. There may be nearby distributors for one of the major suppliers. For example, Mann Lake has a distributor about an hour and half west of you in Columbia:
http://www.mannlakeltd.com/infopage.asp?idPage=78

As for protective gear, I started out with several old white shirts I bought at the re-sale store. Those, with jeans, a veil and gloves were all I wore for several years (although I stopped wearing gloves my 2nd year). I also have some old painters overalls that I've worn a very few times when the bees were cranky.

And you'll need a smoker and hive tool.


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## Gibbus (Apr 22, 2009)

Welcome - 
There are lots of top bar folks out there, and even though I'm not one of them, you are still in good company.
The only equipment you REALLY need (after your hive) is a veil for when they get a bit testy, though a smoker _does_ come in handy a bit. An old chisel is a great hive tool, rubber bands if you're wearing shorts and dont want any suprises when you sit down in the car, crush and strain is pretty effective as extraction, etc. (But these are just my suggestions. There may be others)


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## AmericasBeekeeper (Jan 24, 2010)

Welcome, they do make bee suits in super extra large healthy man size!


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