Betterbee

Category: Equipment Also called: Betterbee Inc.; Better Bee; Betterbee Greenwich Last checked: 2026-09-17

What it is

Betterbee is a first-party U.S. beekeeping equipment supplier and Greenwich, New York showroom that opened in 1979. Its official shop (betterbee.com) sells hive woodenware and kits, smokers and tools, protective clothing, Lyson and Maxant honey extractors, bottles and labels, and related gear for hobby through commercial keepers. Home-page copy states the company opened its doors in 1979 in the foothills of the Adirondacks “to serve honey bees, their keepers, and all who enjoy the products of the hive,” and that over the past 45 years it has grown into a leading national supplier of beekeeping education and products — “Beekeepers Serving Beekeepers®.” This listing is for the hive/gear supply shop with an official catalog URL and walk-in showroom, not a honey-only apiary and not a county club.

Who it’s for

New and experienced beekeepers who need assembled or unassembled hive kits (8- and 10-frame wooden, BeeMax, Lyson), smokers, hive tools, suits, extractors, and other colony-care gear ordered from betterbee.com or picked up at the Greenwich showroom. Beginners looking for complete beginner kits that pair hive components with starter tools (smoker, gloves, hive tool, veil, book on fuller kits) without buying bees through this catalog. Gift shoppers and crafters who want the printed store assortment (local honey, beeswax candles, soap/lip-balm supplies) while touring the indoor observation hive. Not a membership club hall and not a university course.

Why it’s listed

This is a first-party Equipment operation with a printed Greenwich street address and weekday/Saturday hours (including a published 2026 holiday closure list), an official online catalog with on-page hive-kit and tool dollar prices, and a walk-in store page — not a scraped directory card, not Amazon, and not an affiliate storefront.

• Showroom / retail address (Hours & Store pages — checked 2026-09-17): 8 Meader Road, Greenwich, NY 12834. Toll-free customer service 1-800-632-3379; fax 518-314-0576. Showroom and CSR hours on the Hours page: Monday–Friday 9 AM–5 PM ET; Saturday 9 AM–1 PM ET; Sunday closed. Footer repeats the same Mon–Fri / Sat hours. Published 2026 closures include New Year’s Day (Jan 1), Memorial Day weekend (May 23–25), July 4th weekend (Jul 3–5), Labor Day weekend (Sep 5–7), Thanksgiving window (Nov 25 closed at noon ET; Nov 26 closed), Christmas (Dec 24–27), Dec 31 closed at noon ET, and Jan 1, 2027. Directions: about one hour north of Albany via Adirondack Northway / Route 87 Exit 14 then Route 29 East to Meader Road.
• Official shop / catalog (checked today): https://www.betterbee.com/ — home emphasizes hive kits, extracting & bottling, protective clothing, Lyson distribution, and beekeeping education. Store page: walk-in destination for beekeepers, gift shoppers, and crafters; periodic beginner/intermediate classes and a summer Field Day; showroom stock includes Lyson and Maxant extractors, protective clothing, observation hive.
• Sample printed hive-kit prices (Beginner Hive Kits / 10 Frame Wooden Hive Kits category pages — checked 2026-09-17): Betterbee Recommended Hive Kit (BBHIVEKIT) — base $327.29; Beginner Kit: 10 FR Assem (BK10A) — base $479.00; Beginner Kit: 8 FR Assem (BK8A) — base $462.00; Preferred Kit: 10FR Assm (BK10AP) — base $616.00; Beginner Kit: 10FR Unassem (BK10U) — base $486.00; Basic Begin. Kit: 10 FR Assem (BBK10A) — base $259.00; Essentials Kit: 10FR Assem (WEKA10) — base $195.00; Increase Kit: 10 FR Assem (WIKA10) — base $305.00; Preferred Kit: 10FR Unassem (BK10UP) — base $648.00. Kits do not include honey bee colonies (bees sold separately under Honey Bees).
• Sample tools / extractors (Tools & Smokers and Honey Extractors pages — checked today): Betterbee Premium Smoker (SMOKEBB) — $89.99; Standard Smoker (SMOKESTANDARD1) — $34.69 (list $39.89); Betterbee Essentials Tool Kit (TOOLKIT1) — base $78.89; 10 Inch Hook-End Hive Tool (HT3) — $12.49; Lyson 4-Frame Basic Extractor (LYEXW233BB) — $299.00; 4FR Tangential Extractor (SN127A) — $249.00; Lyson 20 Frame Extractor 600mm (LYEX21620M) — $1,769.00; W229E 12FR Motorized Extractor — base $1,349.00. Home trending samples also printed SAF Roller Uncapper Kit — $799.99 and Api-Bioxal RTU 1 L — $33.89.

Hours, stock, kit contents, free-shipping flags, and prices above are what the official pages showed on the check date. They can change. Use the live product or Hours page before treating any figure as fixed.

Official URL

Official shop / home: https://www.betterbee.com/

Hours & directions (address & hours): https://www.betterbee.com/hours/

Store / showroom: https://www.betterbee.com/store/

Hive kits hub: https://www.betterbee.com/bee-hive-kits/bee-hive-kits.asp

Beginner hive kits (sample kit prices): https://www.betterbee.com/bee-hive-kits/beginnerbeekits.asp

10-frame wooden hive kits: https://www.betterbee.com/bee-hive-kits/wooden-hive-kits-10-frame.asp

Tools & smokers: https://www.betterbee.com/beekeepers-tools-and-smokers/beekeepers-tools-and-smokers.asp

Betterbee Premium Smoker: https://www.betterbee.com/beekeepers-tools-and-smokers/smokebb.asp

Honey extractors: https://www.betterbee.com/harvesting-and-processing/extracting.asp

Lyson 20 Frame Extractor 600mm: https://www.betterbee.com/extracting/lyson216-20m.asp

Location

Primary retail / showroom address: 8 Meader Road, Greenwich, NY 12834. Hours of record on the Hours page (2026-09-17): Monday–Friday 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Eastern; Saturday 9:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. Eastern; Sunday closed. Toll-free 1-800-632-3379.

This is a manufacturer / retail supply / will-call showroom address. Do not treat it as a county club meeting hall or a university classroom.

Notes

• Category is Equipment. First-party hive and beekeeping-gear supply shop with official catalog URL and Greenwich showroom. Not a honey-only apiary, not a Local club, and not a Learning pathway.
• Sample kit prices ($195.00–$648.00 range on the cited beginner/essentials/preferred SKUs), Premium Smoker $89.99, Lyson 20-frame extractor $1,769.00, Mon–Fri 9–5 / Sat 9–1 ET hours, 1979 founding, and 2026 holiday closures are transcribed from official betterbee.com pages checked on 2026-09-17 and may change.
• First-party logo saved beside this listing as betterbee.png (from betterbee.com site logo PNG).
• Not affiliated with Beekeeping Plaza.
• No Beekeeping Plaza contact, purchase, booking, or publication action was taken.

FAQ

Q: Where is the showroom, and what are the hours?
A: 8 Meader Road, Greenwich, NY 12834. Hours page (checked 2026-09-17): Monday–Friday 9 AM–5 PM ET; Saturday 9 AM–1 PM ET; Sunday closed. Call 1-800-632-3379 ahead for will-call / stock; confirm the live Hours page for 2026 holiday closures.

Q: What beginner hive-kit and tool prices were printed today?
A: Official Beginner / 10-frame kit pages (checked 2026-09-17) included Recommended Hive Kit base $327.29, Beginner 10 FR Assembled $479.00, Basic Beginner 10 FR Assembled $259.00, Essentials 10 FR Assembled $195.00, and Preferred 10 FR Assembled $616.00 (unassembled Preferred up to $648.00). Tools/extractors samples: Premium Smoker $89.99, Standard Smoker $34.69, Lyson 4-frame basic extractor $299.00, Lyson 20-frame motorized $1,769.00. Confirm the live SKU; bees are not included in kits; prices can change.

Q: Is Betterbee a honey shop or a club?
A: Official home and store pages emphasize selling beekeeping supplies and equipment (hives, clothing, smokers, extractors, etc.) since 1979, plus a gift/craft showroom assortment. Betterbee is listed here as Equipment (first-party hive/gear supply shop with official shop URL), not as a Local club and not as a Learning program.