The hive-tool is a multipurpose instrument made of steel.
It usually has a flat blade at one end, the other being bent at right-angles to form a scraper.
It is specially designed for prizing hive units apart, for scraping wax from the top-bars of frames, for separating frames from one another preparatory to lifting them out for examination and for other jobs where a stout lever or scraper is needed.
This most useful tool should be as much a part of the basic outfit of bee appliances as the veil or smoker