Our Chicagoland Beekeeping Showroom
Our family began keeping hives as a backyard hobby two decades ago. We learned that successful apiary management requires reliable equipment and solid local support. That experience inspired us to open our Minooka showroom.
At Meyer Bees, we invite you to visit our warehouse. You can browse our extensive inventory of beekeeping supplies and inspect woodenware firsthand. Our team is always ready to talk bees and help you build a complete hive setup.
Preparing Your Yard for New Hives
First-year beekeepers often ask how to prepare their property before bringing bees home. Selecting the right physical location ensures your colony thrives and makes your summer inspections much easier.
You must address several essential environmental factors before finalizing your hive setup location.
- Place boxes in direct morning sunlight to warm the colony early
- Provide a reliable clean water source within a short flying distance
- Establish a sturdy, level base to prevent heavy boxes from tipping
- Face the entrance away from human foot traffic and play areas
- Create a natural windbreak to protect against harsh winter gusts
- Leave ample working space directly behind the equipment for easy inspections
- Verify local city ordinances regarding property line setbacks
Professional Apiary Maintenance
Managing a thriving apiary takes time and physical labor. Property owners and agricultural farms often want pollination benefits without doing the heavy lifting themselves. We offer professional hive installation and ongoing seasonal maintenance.
Our experienced staff handles the regular inspections and health treatments required to keep colonies thriving on your land. The team at Meyer Bees manages the technical work so you can support local agriculture easily.
Call us today or email [email protected] to start your project.
Beekeeping Supplies ->> click here to visit our SHOP
Meyer Bees is your source for everything related to beekeeping. We stock all common hive setup and beekeeping supplies including:
- woodenware items: 10-frame, 8-frame, 5-frame and custom
- aluminum clad telescoping top covers and inner covers
- solid bottom boards and screened bottom boards
- excluders: woodbound metal excluders, metal and plastic
- feeders: boardman feeders, frame feeder and top feeders
- feed items: pollen substitutes, feed patties (18% protein brood builder and 4% winter), fondant cubes and patties, candy boards, high fructose corn syrup, additives / supplements, etc.
- assembled frames and unassembled beehive frames
- foundation: plastic rite-cell, wax, wax foundation with wire reinforced, wax with hooks, virgin cut-comb wax, small cell, etc.
- swarm traps and swarm lures (vials, sprays and long term attractants)
- queen rearing supplies: cell cups, grafting tools, cell bars, mating nucs, etc.
- complete line of beekeepers clothing including ventilated suits / jackets and gloves
- beekeeping tools: smokers, hive tools, brushes, frame grips, etc.
- complete line of beekeeping treatments for all seasons: MAQS, Hopguard, Apiguard, Apivar, Oxalic Acid, and many more options including treatment applicator tools
- Honey bottling equipment with 30+ styles of honey glass & plastic bottles in stock
- Extracting equipment including manual and motorized options
- Large selection of beekeeping books covering many topics from beginners, advances, honey and wax items
Find the best hive management and pest control tools at Meyer Bees
Our hive management tools include smokers, hive tools, scrapers, brushes, smoker fuel and more. We also have bee pest control / treatments for hive beetles, mites, wax moths, etc. This includes beehive test kits for sale as well as many of the top brand treatments. Beekeeping protective gear available for purchase include veils, jackets, hats, beekeeping gloves, full suits, etc.
Honey harvesting and bottling supplies including both glass and plastic bottles, uncapping tools, buckets, uncapping/storage tanks, extractors, etc.
Want to save more? Get unassembled parts
Hive beekeeping supply parts can be purchased unassembled to save on costs, or can be purchased assembled and painted.
We also offer feed supplements
We carry feed supplements for use with sugar syrup, 4% protein winter feed patties, pollen patties for brood buildup with 18% protein, protein powders and miscellaneous other feed supplements.
Queen rearing supplies
Queen rearing supplies available include queen rearing frames, cell cups, cages, cell protectors, queen catchers, mating nucs, grafting tools, queen marking pens, etc. Keeping strong productive queens is a good apiary management technique.
Find items from the Mann Lake catalog
Meyer Bees is an authorized dealer for Mann Lake, Betterbee, Honey-B-Healthy and others. We have most common woodenware, tools, clothing, honey bee hive health items and bottling supplies in stock. Any bee keeping supplies equipment item from the Mann Lake catalog – big or small – can be picked up from our Minooka, Illinois location. Beekeeping equipment orders are placed and received every week. Custom orders take only a week on average to arrive.
Need help or have questions on hive setup or apiary management of existing hives/sites? Contact us at 815-521-9116 or email [email protected]
Frequently Asked Questions
What is included in a beginner kit?
A standard beginner kit includes a solid bottom board and two deep brood boxes. It also comes with an inner cover and a telescoping outer cover. We highly recommend purchasing a smoker and protective gear to complete your outfit.
When is the best time to purchase equipment?
We recommend buying and painting your woodenware during the winter months. You want your boxes fully cured and ready before your bee nucs arrive in early spring.
How often should I inspect my new colony?
You should inspect a new colony every seven to ten days. This schedule allows you to monitor the queen bee and check for adequate space without disrupting their progress.
How do I protect my equipment during winter?
You should install mouse guards at the entrance and wrap the boxes with insulated covers. We also recommend placing a heavy brick on the telescoping cover to secure it against strong winds.
Can I paint the inside of my boxes?
You should never paint the inside of your woodenware. Paint contains chemicals that can harm the colony. Only paint the exterior surfaces to protect the wood from the elements.
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