Pierce Premium Frame Grip - Cast Aluminium USA

One hand on the frame, one hand still free

A frame loaded with honey, brood and bees is heavier and more awkward than it looks, and lifting it by fingertips over an open hive is where accidents happen. A slip means crushed bees, damaged comb, and in the worst case a rolled queen. Fingers also need a gap to get into, which is exactly what a propolised box refuses to give you.

This frame grip is made in the USA by Pierce Beekeeping Equipment, machined from cast aluminium with stainless steel fittings and backed by a 2-year warranty. Clamps onto the top bar of a frame, and lets you lift it straight up with one hand while the other stays free for your hive tool.

Why one-handed lifting changes an inspection

Squeeze the handles, set the jaws over the centre of the top bar, and the frame comes up vertically and level. There is no tilting, no shuffling of fingers under the lugs, and no putting the hive tool down between every frame. The frame stays steady while you inspect both sides, and it goes back into the box the same controlled way it came out. Inspections get quicker, and the bees get handled more gently, which they repay in temperament.

Built like a tool, not a gadget

There are cheap stamped-metal frame grips around, and the reason this one costs more is visible the moment you pick it up. The body is cast aluminium, so it is light in the hand but does not flex under a full honey frame. The nuts and bolts are stainless steel, the dual springs are steel, and the pivot point is guided so the jaws open and close smoothly and meet squarely every time. Pierce backs it with a 2-year warranty, which is not something you see often on a hand tool, and it tells you how they expect it to hold up.

Using it well

A grip is not a crowbar, so let the hive tool do the breaking. Crack the frame loose from the propolis first, nudge it a little clear of its neighbours, then clamp the grip on the centre of the top bar and lift straight up. Used that way it handles frames with heavy wax and propolis buildup without straining the comb or the tool.

Specifications

• Body: cast aluminium
• Fittings: stainless steel nuts and bolts
• Springs: dual steel springs with guided pivot point
• Operation: one-handed, spring-assisted open and close
• Made in the USA by Pierce Beekeeping Equipment
• Warranty: 2 years
• Suits standard frame top bars