Bee suit colours

[BeeJayBee]

I've read in several places that mid to dark blue is not a good colour for bee suits, same with blue denim trousers beneath a jacket or smock because bees don't like it. I don't know if this is true or if it's one of those myths that is handed down.

Has anybody worn dark blue and been stung more than wearing any other colour?

Also, as far as I can see, nitrile gloves tend to be a fairly darkish blue. They seem to be recommended over other gloves, but I'm not entirely sure why.

 

[susbees]

My nitriles are orange: great except in autumn when the bees think they are flowers (as they do with our kayaks etc...lol). The rest are mid-blue. Reason for use: skin tight, seal the wrists perfectly (as in the longer ones used by the SBIs) and can feel what you are doing without crushing bees.

As for dark clothes, had my dark muckboots outside my suit once last year and several bees took grave offence to the neoprene: so not the colour but the texture in that case as never had problems with the foot and ankle (rubber) bits - same colour.

We have a beekeeper friend who insists on wearing a smock and dark chocolate cord trousers on our apiary. The bees don't like dark chocolate cord trousers. Twice.

One of my daughters helped with some grafting last year (not here). Walking away from the apiary several bees dive-bombed a dark thermos cup of black coffee and a few others the black scrunchy in her hair. Nothing else.

Light coloured all in one suits are a good idea

Half answered the question

 

[louiseww]

Denim jeans do not protect you from stings, it is better to have two layers, a lighter one over normal trousers. My nitrile gloves are a mid blue and the bees don't bother with then. There appears to be a lot of 'coloured' bee suits around, but most experienced beeks think beige or white are best.
Louise

 

[YorkshireBees]

My gloves are also mid to light blue and never had a problem.

In terms of suit, my chosen colour is light khaki, which I chose twice for the fact that it doesn't appear to be as dirty as fast as white and also that it doesn't stand out as much when I am in the fields!

My only experience with dark colours is when I wore dark wooly type ski socks up over my trousers when using only the bee jacket. They took exception to either the colour or texture and I received several stings in the ankles.
Also the same (rather aggressive hive) seemed to attack a blcak light weight sweatshirt that I had on after taking the beesuit off away from the hive. Luckily I managed to remove sweatshirt and watched in awe as one bee repeatedly tried to sting the material!

I must mention that this colony was very aggressive and has since been re-queened!

 

[madasafish]

I have a camouflage tunic. And wear blue Workwear trousers - thick with knee pads. Virtually impenetrable to bee stings.

Yellow marigolds or blue or green vinyl gloves or bare hands.. makes little difference to bee attitudes.

 

[Capella]

Always bear black trousers, white jacket and black gloves and never had any problems with the black.

Only problem I have is when the bees try and 'burrow' up my sleeve where the glove meets the jacket.

 

[Queens59]

When feeling too lazy for a full suit i wear a smock and jeans - no probs and no stings more than usual...

 

[BeeJayBee]

There appears to be a lot of 'coloured' bee suits around, but most experienced beeks think beige or white are best.

Bees aren't meant to like dark colours and I've read that they particularly hate blue, but I don't know if it's inherited wisdom or based on experience. That's really why I asked the question.

You can buy camo bee suits, and you can buy bright red ones ... which seems to fly in the face of reason because we're told that red looks black (no colour) to bees. http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/gen06/gen06114.htm

I'm trying to work out if the lighter colours are best because they really are best, or if it's because "that's what's always been used" ... or at least are what have been used since beekeepers started wearing special clothing, and maybe chose white because white boilersuits were available and look nice and clean.

Videos of 1950s and earlier beekeepers show them mostly wearing tweed, which is thorn proof, so is probably also sting proof, but it's rarely white.

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

Dark=hotter=not good

 

[YorkshireBees]

Dark=hotter=not good

Very good point, I was hot enough this year in my full suit!

 

[Travelator]

I thought the indigo dye traditionally used in denim and some other dark blue fabrics was supposed to upset bees. (Sorry - can't remember where I got this from!)

Modern jeans might use different dyes, and lots of synthetic materials aren't dyed at all, so the problem might be much rarer than it used to be.

 

[susbees]

Very good point, I was hot enough this year in my full suit!

Microfibre suits can be worn straight our of the washing machine for the temporary aircon effect

 

[Cazza]

I wear a white full suit which has never attracted stings before. I once left a piece of black tape stuck to it which was then heavily attacked. Pale tape of the same type did not have the same effect so I concluded it must be the dark colour against the white which caused offence?
Cazza

 

[YorkshireBees]

I wear a white full suit which has never attracted stings before. I once left a piece of black tape stuck to it which was then heavily attacked. Pale tape of the same type did not have the same effect so I concluded it must be the dark colour against the white which caused offence?
Cazza

Even though some people disagree that bees do not like black, I have one older pair of white leather gloves that I generally only wear when moving hives or during autumn feeding and I have on more than one occasion observed bees attacking the little black size label that comes out of the seem on one of the gloves!

 

[Hombre]

It seems that bees have rarely been attacked by polar bears.

In my first year beefarming I was having a minor problem with my back - spinelessness - I bought a black body belt for support and put it on over my suit. It collected no end of angry bees. The belt got the heave ho and my back strengthened as the season wore on, courtesy of the SaltwayHoney fitness-at-work exercise plan.

It's a structured fitness plan, built on modules. Most of them being Langstroth modules of course, with a few National ones to throw about too. . .

 

[oliver90owner]

Pupils are black (not being racist here).

RAB

 

[chrismcd]

I have both white and beige bee suits. When working in teams it is noticeable that the white suits attract more bees on them - but not attacking.

I also have a dark blue anorak that I wear to work in the garden near the bees - but have stopped since I get repeatedly pinged.

I have also noticed that when I hang it up outside the greenhouse it attracts a lot of attention.

I suspect that the bees are clearly attracted by the colour and hope it might be a big bunch of flowers, then they get confused when if it starts to move about - and in my experience a confused bee gets stroppy.

So light colours are good, I find beige better than white and dark blue is a bee magnet!

 

[For want of a better word]

It's a structured fitness plan, built on modules. Most of them being Langstroth modules of course, with a few National ones to throw about too. . .

Double deeps of course 14 x 12s ?????

 

[Rich0909]

I normally wear a dark blue boiler suit and white veil, the bees don't seem bothered by the colour. When SWMBO wore knitted cuffs the bees weren't happy and stung them repeatedly. From observation I think texture is more likely to provoke a reaction than colour.

Richard.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I thought the indigo dye traditionally used in denim and some other dark blue fabrics was supposed to upset bees. (Sorry - can't remember where I got this from!)

Modern jeans might use different dyes, and lots of synthetic materials aren't dyed at all, so the problem might be much rarer than it used to be.

I've also read somewhere that it was the dye not the colour. I wear denim and a navy blue T shirt - and sometimes a navy fleece (seem to have a good supply of work stuff that colour!)when I'm working around the hives (not suited to go into the hives, just pottering around) and never had a problem.

I have both white and beige bee suits. When working in teams it is noticeable that the white suits attract more bees on them - but not attacking.

Noticed that at the beginning of the year when OA'ing at the association apiary - quite a broad spectrum of suits from beige and olive to pink and baby blue! I had my old white suit on and by the end of the session Iand I alone was absolutely plastered in bees (only one stinger though!)