A hive tool is a very helpful tool in beekeeping. The bees like to glue the Hive Parts together with Propolis and you will need a hive tool to get the pieces apart. There are three types of hive tools, straight, J-hook, and mixed.

Straight hive tool – This is a small, very thin and sharp version of a pry bar. The flat, straight end of the tool is used to pry Boxes apart while the bent side is used to separate Frames.

J-hook hive tool – This one is very helpful for pulling out stuck frames. The “J” end of the tool can be slid under the lip of a frame which then can be easily pulled up. The other end is almost exactly the same as the flat end on a straight hive tool but it isn’t as thin and doesn’t work as well as the straight hive tool when prying apart boxes.

Mixed hive tool – This tool is a mix of the straight hive tool and the J-hook hive tool, it has both of their unique parts put together. The only problem with that is it isn’t as easily carried around in your pocket.

Here the hive tool with the orange handle is a straight hive tool, while the red handled one is a J-hook hive tool. The mixed hive tool is just a straight hive tool with the “J” end of the J-hook tool on the side

Here is a close up of the end of a J-hook hive tool. The curved part slips under the end of a frame, then the little indented corner at the bottom of the tool here sets on another frame and helps you have leverage to pull the first frame up