are there a beekeepers suit that keeps the bees out?

searcher30

are there a beekeepers suit that keeps the bees out?
we are keen to have a stab at it but are told that there are no suits that keep the bees from stinging anyway. does anyone know if there is alternative suit? thanks

Zziggi

I doubt you'll find a suit that will guarantee against stinging. Most suits will give you protection but sooner or later you will get stung - part of the territory really. Suits start at about £20 which is just a top with hood& face gauze. The wrists are elasticated and the waist band is elasticated. Wear jeans/thick trousers and you could try putting the bottom of your trousers in your socks/wearing wellies. How about wearing gloves/washing up gloves (yes really!) on your hands.

Obviously make sure all the zips/elastic are tight before use. Make sure all the bees are away from you when you take the suit off.

If you are interested in bee keeping how about seeing if there is a local bee keeping association? There's more to it then there seems....

searcher30

Zziggi wrote:

I doubt you'll find a suit that will guarantee against stinging. Most suits will give you protection but sooner or later you will get stung - part of the territory really. Suits start at about £20 which is just a top with hood& face gauze. The wrists are elasticated and the waist band is elasticated. Wear jeans/thick trousers and you could try putting the bottom of your trousers in your socks/wearing wellies. How about wearing gloves/washing up gloves (yes really!) on your hands.

Obviously make sure all the zips/elastic are tight before use. Make sure all the bees are away from you when you take the suit off.

If you are interested in bee keeping how about seeing if there is a local bee keeping association? There's more to it then there seems....

Thanks for your advice and help!!

kittiwoz

My dad wears a full bee-keepers suit and thick gardening gauntlets. He still gets stung sometimes though. It depends on how docile or agressive the hive are really. He had to get rid of a hive once because it got too agressive so he gave it away. The more agressive hives normally make more honey but my dad isn't too bothered about that. It's more of a hobby for him. He likes the bees.

I have sometimes heard a myth that bee keepers become immune to bee stings but that isn't true. Being stung by a bee always hurts, however often you get stung. It really isn't that bad unless you get stung somewhere particularly sensitive though and certainly not nearly as painful as a wasp sting. Another popular myth is that you should pull a bee sting out at an angle. In fact you should carefully scrape a bee sting out with your nail rather than pulling it. The sting is like a tiny hypodermic needle with a sack of poison at the end so if you pinch it you will squeeze the sack and inject the poison.

maering

Look up your local club. http://www.bbka.org.uk/

Most have a begineers session, ours started 4 or 5 weeks ago, but you can still go. Buy docile bees ! But nothing will stop you ever being stung. Reducing the incident is the thing really.

My 8 year old quite happily gets in with the bees. Last lesson they couldn't make the bees sting they are such a docile lot !

searcher30

Thanks everyone for your comments!