Tighten Up: Bee Frame Wire Tensioners for Sturdy Hives

Using wax foundation in beehive frames is a common practice in beekeeping. The foundation requires beekeepers to wire frames to add strength to the foundation. Wiring frames also keeps the foundation straight so bees have an easy time drawing comb on the foundation. Bee frame wire tensioners find their use in installing foundation on beehive frames. Here are the best bee frame wire tensioners that are worth considering.

What is a Bee Frame Wire Tensioner?

A bee frame wire tensioner is a small hand-held tool designed into a U-shape, that is used to tighten wires on beehive frames before installing wax foundation. After wiring the frame and installing foundation, the wires are then embedded into the foundation. Properly tightened frame wires make a twanging sound when plucked.

Overview of the Best Bee Frame Wire Tensioners

8. C-Pioneer Beekeeping Wire Cable Tensioner

The C-Pioneer beekeeping wire cable tensioner is made of plastic.  It comes from a relatively new company with few products for beekeepers. This plastic bee frame wire tensioner has a spring in its midsection and features metal wheels at its top. This wire tensioner is lightweight and easy to use. It is also comfortable in your hand when you are using it to tension and crimp bee frame wires. The wire cable tensioner is 13 centimeters long. It has a cross section of 6 x 2.5 centimeters. The tensioner grips your bee frame wires well and tightens them onto the frame. It also crimps the frame wires in the same movement you use to tighten the wires. This is a great tool for beekeepers using wax foundation in their beekeeping operation.

This wire tensioner is a great learning tool for beginner beekeepers. It is also a great spare for experienced beekeepers. It is plagued by the problems facing plastic wire tensioners. In use, beginner beekeepers are likely to damage the tensioner, yet in the process they will learn how to use it effectively. Experienced beekeepers may get more life out of the tensioner, but even then, it will not last long.

Pros

• The C-Pioneer beekeeping frame wire tensioner is light and easy to use. It has a plastic handle that is comfortable to hold. The handle does not chafe or cut the skin on your palms or fingers when using this bee frame wire tensioner. The tensioner is built in the popular U-shape for frame wire tensioners used in beekeeping.
• The metallic wheels on the tensioner grip frame wire tightly and crimp it. This gives beekeepers nicely tensioned bee frame wires when they use this wire tensioner. The tensioner wheels are nicely mounted on the top of the tensioner and rotate freely in use.

Cons

• This is a plastic wire tensioner. It has a plastic handle and is not very reliable in heavy use. This bee frame wire tensioner is only ideal for small beekeeping operations or beginner beekeepers. It does not last long under tough conditions of use. Frequent replacement costs are likely to be incurred if you use this wire tensioner in your beekeeping.

Check Price

 

7. Baosity Beehive Frame Wire Cable Tensioner

The Baosity Beehive Frame Wire Cable Tensioner is a duo function beekeeping tool for wiring bee frames. It tensions bee frame wire and crimps it. The tensioner is made using stainless steel and comes in a bright yellow color. It features a spring at the handle section that makes using the tool a lot easier. The handle of this tensioner is made of plastic while the wheels are metallic. They are not easily damaged or cut by frame wire. The metal used to make the tensioner is stainless steel that does not rust. This high quality beehive frame wiring tool for beekeepers has a long service life.

This tensioner is approximately 13 centimeters long. Its length makes it easy to handle while being long enough for excellent transfer of the mechanical force you apply on the tensioner. The tensioner is easy to use by beekeepers of any skill level. It delivers on its promise of being light and effective in tensioning beehive frame wires. Beekeepers using wax foundation in their beehives will find this tool quite useful.

Pros

• Food grade materials are used to make this tensioner. It makes sure that the beehive products you harvest are safe for human consumption and use. This is great, despite the fact that the tensioner has little likelihood of coming into contact with honey and other beehive products.
• The plastic used in making the handle section of the tensioner gives it a nice color and excellent grip. It also holds in place the metallic parts of the tensioner. The tensioner is rustproof in its metal parts so it lasts a long time and is food safe.

Cons

• The tensioner has plastic on the handle and other sections. This lowers the overall quality of the tool despite the tool being made with great craftsmanship.

Check Price

 

6. Janolia Beehive Frame Wire Crimper

The Janolia beehive frame wire crimper is a plastic wire tensioner with metal wheels. It is made for use by beekeepers in tensioning bee frame wires. This plastic and metal frame wire tensioner is made with metallic wheels on a plastic handle to keep it light. It is comfortable in your hand and does its job well. The tensioner is placed on the wire and gripped tightly before pulling the wire. The wheels on the tensioner are not easily cut or damaged by frame wire you use. This tensioner is great for beginner beekeepers learning how to go about wiring frames. It can also be used by experienced beekeepers as a spare tensioner. Its plastic handle makes it prone to breaking or not working properly after use over time.

The wheels on the tensioner work well and grip wire tightly even when the wire has wax. However, the mounting of the metallic wheels will give way with time and the tightness of the grip will be lower. Beekeepers should explore metallic handles or reinforcement of tensioners with plastic handles such as found on this tool. The tensioner measures approximately 13 x 6 centimeters in dimension and is colored orange.

Pros

• The Janolia beehive frame wire crimper is effective in tensioning bee frame wire. It has great gripping power and is light in your hand. The plastic handle of the tensioner is comfortable to hold and fits well into the hand. Metal wheels used on the tensioner do a good job of gripping wire, tensioning it and crimping it all in one motion.
• This tensioner is made using food safe plastic and metal. It allows you to practice hygienic beekeeping and make sure that all your beehive products are free of contaminants. The tensioner helps you achieve this by removing possible sources of beehive products’ contaminants in the entire production process.

Cons

• Plastic handles on bee frame wire tensioners end up failing almost always. This Janolia wire tensioner has a plastic handle. It leaves the tensioner to be best used as a learning tool or used with the knowledge that it may suddenly fail one day during a frame wiring session and require replacement.

Check Price

 

5. Dophee Plastic Bee Frame Wire Cable Tensioner

The Dophee Plastic Bee Frame Wire Cable Tensioner is a beekeeping tool for when you are wiring frames. The plastic tensioner features metallic wheels on the top it. It also has a spring at its midsection. The wire tensioner helps beekeepers pull frame wire on frames before installation of wax foundation. This tensioner is placed on the wires of the frame, gripped tightly and then pulled along the frame wire. It crimps and tightens the wire in that single movement. Both beginner and experienced beekeepers can use this tool and get great results. The tensioner is colored orange and measures 13.5 cm log. It has a width of 4.5 cm at its widest.

This is a simple-to-use wire tensioner. It is nicely built I the popular U-shape design for wire tensioners. The Dophee bee frame wire tensioner gives you comfortable grip to its plastic handle. It does the job of tensioning bee frame wires well. The tensioner is easy to use and suitable for beekeepers learning to wire bee frames. It is also a great tensioner to have as a spare tensioner in the event that your regular tensioner gets damaged or lost.

Pros

• This tool gets frame wires tensioned properly and with ease. The tensioner works well and does not require the beekeeper to be highly skilled at using it. This makes the tensioner a tool that can be used by all beekeepers to prepare their frames for installation of wax foundation.
• The plastic used in making the handle of this bee frame wire tensioner makes the tool light. It does not feel too heavy in your hand. The handle is also shaped to fit into your hand comfortably for added ease of using the tensioner.

Cons

• A plastic handle on this wire tensioner makes it not very long lasting. Additionally, the spring used in the midsection of this Dophee bee frame wire tensioner may slip and get lost. Beekeepers can at best use this wire tensioner as a spare, not as their regular or favorite bee frame wire tensioner.

Check Price

 

4. Lucky Farm Beehive Frame Wire Cable Tensioner

The Lucky Farm Beehive Frame Wire Cable Tensioner comes in a package of two and is made using high quality plastic and metal to give you a great frame wiring experience. With these two tensioners, you are sure to get through wiring your frames and making them ready for wax foundation installation with ease. Each of the tensioners is made in the popular U-shape design and features metallic wheels. The tensioners also have a spring to help you with tensioning and crimping hand motions.

Having two tensioners sold in a single pack is great for beekeeping operations run by more than one person. Even for beekeepers who work solo, having the spare tensioner is great in case one suffers a breakdown during bee frame wiring. Use these Lucky Farm bee hive frame wire cable tensioners to get the great results you deserve in your bee frame wiring work. The metallic wheels on the tensioners are not easily cut or damaged during the wiring of frames.

Pros

• These wire tensioners are great for beekeepers learning to wire frames. They are low-cost tensioners that are not expensive to replace in the event that you accidentally damage them. The two tensioners included should be adequate as learning tools for beginner beekeepers. You can get the pack as a gift to a beekeeping friend too.
• Having two tensioners makes sure that you do not need to make emergency purchases or delay frame wiring due to a broken tensioner. In the event that one breaks down, you have a spare. The two tensioners sold by Lucky Farm in this pack are ergonomically designed, so they are very comfortable to use in tensioning bee frame wires.

Cons

• The handle and chassis of these tensioners is made using plastic. This makes the tensioners rather fragile with the amount of force you can apply on them. In comparison to other tensioners available in the market, these Lucky Farm beehive frame wire tensioners are not very long lasting.

Check Price

 

3. Uxcell Beekeeping Hive Frame Stainless Steel Wire Cable Tensioner

The Uxcell beekeeping hive frame wire tensioner is made of metal and wood. It is a durable tensioner made using high quality food safe materials. This assures beekeepers that they are producing beehive products that are safe for human consumption and use. This bee frame wire tensioner is made using excellent craftsmanship and lasts for long. It features a stainless steel body chassis with wooden grips down the sides. The wheels of the tensioner are metallic too. They grip the frame wire well and last long without wearing out. This tensioner measures 135 x 22 x 55 mm (this is equivalent to 5.31 x 0.87 x 2.16 inches).

This frame wire tensioner is a great beekeeping tool. It is suitable for use by experienced and beginner beekeepers. It does not break easily or stop functioning even with rough handling. Beginner beekeepers can learn with the tensioner and use it for long in their beekeeping practice. High quality of the tensioner makes it a great gift item to gift to beekeepers. It is effective and only requires you to place it on the wire, grip it and pull it along the wire. It tensions frame wires well and crimps them in the single motion. Beekeepers love it for its ease of use and long life.

Pros

• This tensioner is made using stainless steel and wood. It does not have any breakable plastic parts. This makes the tensioner exceptionally durable. Beekeepers buying the Uxcell beekeeping hive frame wire tensioner are sure that they are getting high quality and good returns for their investment.
• This wire tensioner is easy to use. The skill level of the beekeeper carrying out frame wiring is not limiting with this tensioner. Both beginner and experienced beekeepers can successfully use this tensioner when wiring their bee frames.

Cons

• The wheels of this hive frame stainless steel wire cable tensioner sometimes get stuck during use. Adding a washer between the wheel and the tensioner solves this problem. You should also try doing some lubrication if you encounter this challenge with this wire tensioner.

Check Price

 

2. Weichaun Hive Frame Wire Cable Tensioner

The Weichaun Hive Frame Cable Wire Tensioner is made of stainless steel and has a wooden handle and metal wheels. This bee frame wire tensioner is a handy tool for beekeepers around the globe. It is easy to use and comfortable in the hand. The wood used on the handle of this bee frame wire tensioner gives an excellent grip with its ergonomic design. The tensioner is placed on your finished beehive frame wire and used to pull the wire. This tightens the wire to the desired tightness. The tool tensioner also crimps the wire in the same motion as you tighten it.

This wire tensioner and crimper works fine from the minute you take it out of the box. It takes some time and practice to master its use fully, but you will enjoy working with the tool once you are used to it. The tensioner makes wiring beehive frames fun for beekeepers. Weichaun has made thistool in a great design and with excellent craftsmanship. The tensioner delivers on its promise to help you tighten bee frame wires with ease. You can use it on many frames such as in large beekeeping operations without getting tired.

Pros

• The wire tensioner is super comfortable. It does not bruise your hands even if you do not wear gloves when using it. The tensioner works well too and lasts for long with proper use.
• Both beginner beekeepers and experienced beekeeping pros can use this wire tensioner with ease. The learning process with this wire tensioner is fast and beekeepers enjoy working with the tensioner once they are familiar with how to use it.

Cons

• The wheels of this tensioner sometimes become hard to turn. Beekeepers using the tensioner may be required to make modifications to it such as adding a washer between the bottom and the crimping wheels.

Check Price

 

1. Loune Week Bee Frame Wiring Pack

The Loune Week Wiring Pack is a complete set of bee frame wiring tools and materials. It includes everything you need to wire frames, including the wire itself too. In the pack are more than 1,000 eyelets, a tensioner and two differently sized embedders. One of the embedders included in the pack has a short shaft while the other has a long shaft. Both are spur wheel embedders with wooden handles. They are not internally heated. Additionally, the embedders do not have a groove down the circumference of the wheels. The included eyelets are standard size metallic eyelets. A 500g reel of wire is included in the pack too.

This bee frame wiring pack features a yellow stainless steel and plastic tensioner that doubles up as a crimper. It is built in the popular U-shape with two metal wheels at the top. The other items in the pack complement this wire tensioner very well and are a great thought by Loune Week. The wire tensioner is easy to use by both experienced and amateur beekeepers starting their beekeeping practice. This embedder is long lasting and does the job well. It is great for learning how to tension and crimp wire. It is made using food grade materials so you are sure you are producing high quality and contaminant-free beehive products.

Pros

• The Loune Week wiring pack has all the tools and materials beekeepers need to wire frames, tension and crimp them and embed wire into wax foundation. Packaging these items together gives beekeepers a great solution for when they are wiring and embedding their first frames. Beginner beekeepers will find this pack a great purchase.
• The wire tensioner in this wiring pack is a stainless steel tool. It lasts long and works as advertised. This wire tensioner lasts long and is food safe too. The tensioner is a great tool to have with you in your entire beekeeping journey.

Cons

• Having too many items in this wiring pack may not work for experienced beekeepers. Those with eyelets or embedders do not need the included items. Beekeepers looking for a bee frame wire tensioner are not suited to buy the entire pack including frame wire that they may not be in need of.

Check Price

 

Conclusion

Wire tensioners are important tools for beekeepers using wax foundation in beekeeping. The best bee frame wire tensioners will make your job easy. They are durable and easy to work with. Both beginner and experienced beekeepers can use them. Use wire tensioners to make nicely wired frames that will serve your beekeeping needs for long.

Have you ever used any of the bee frame wire tensioners discussed in this article? Leave a comment below and let us know what you thought of it.