The beekeeping tools all belong to the farm. Sharing the tools hasn't really been a problem... and there are very few tools involved really. I have been provided with a bee suit, "hive tool" and smoker. The only tool we ever share is the scratcher (I'm assuming your comment is related to my reference to him not letting go of it for awhile after we disagreed on its use), which I was thinking in general I should put in a request for a second one anyway because if two of us are going to be in there we should both be using one.

Though this reminds me of an incident a few years ago back in California where I had an assistant (in this case no question I was his supervisor) who refused to give me the lighter to light the smokers, because he objected to my decision not to stop before we got to the bee yard to put the bee suits on. Turns out it was his personal lighter I guess. The company had lighters but.. he loaded that equipment and apparently didn't load a lighter that wasn't his own. Anyway in that case it was a simple resolution -- I recommended he be terminated and he was. (: