Beekeeping suits

[Griffo]

My wife wants to get involved in the apiary. Recommendations needed for a suit at a reasonable price

 

[Sutty]

Depends whether you want her to keep at it!

 

[Norton Caff]

What would you buy for yourself?

 

[Wilco]

Simon the Beekeeper Professional.

 

[lindsay s]

At the other end of the price range, does anyone out there have a Sherriff BeePro suit. My current suit is coming to the end of its life and I’m considering a BeePro because I would now like to have maximum protection and the cost isn’t an issue.

 

[ericbeaumont]

Have one Sheriff and several BBWear, and the Sheriff is in the airing cupboard all year.

Reason is that that while the BB fencing hood remains extended after years of use, the Sheriff collapsed even when new. I tried putting a BB hood on the Sheriff, but the zips are incompatible.

Sheriff may have acknowledged this hood flaw inadvertently when desiging the BeePro, stating on the website: A unique bone-structured hood with extra adjustable and removable bars holds the veil well away from the face.

 

[Wilco]

I have a Sheriff suit too... The Simon the Beekeeper ones are as good as the Apiarist one and I can't recall being stung through it.

The Bee Pro looks very warm.

 

[Garry R]

Have one Sheriff and several BBWear, and the Sheriff is in the airing cupboard all year.

Reason is that that while the BB fencing hood remains extended fter years of use, the Sheriff collapsed even when new. I tried putting a BB hood on the Sheriff, but the zips are incompatible.

Sheriff may have acknowledged this hood flaw inadvertently when desiging the BeePro, stating on the website: A unique bone-structured hood with extra adjustable and removable bars holds the veil well away from the face.

I have a BBWear jacket. I find in the summer a suit is too hot for me so a jacket and my thick trousers seem fine - jacket tucked into the trousers and then a belt. However I also wear a baseball cap which serves two purposes. First it keeps the veil off my face/nose and secondly it mops up any sweat running onto my specs. I also found that with some veils that the front segment was quite floppy so I sewed the front frame and second frame a bit closer together at the top so that the frames were about an inch apart at the top. Seemed to stop the front of the veil flopping about so much. I did get a loan of the three layered type but although cool I found it bulky but I know that many people like them and swear by them.

 

[lindsay s]

I have a BBWear suit with a round veil that’s coming to its end after being patched a few times by my other half. The only downside with the round veil was that it was quite cumbersome when working in confined spaces removing wasp and bumblebee nests. A free service that I’ve now restricted to friends and family. I also have a few Sherriff jackets that I loan to anyone who is interested in seeing my bees. Getting too hot in a bee suit won’t be a problem here. I carry out many inspections in inclement weather (because I have no choice) so a thicker suit would be a bonus. The main reason I am looking at the BeePro suit is because I’ve had anaphylaxis in the past as a result of being stung and I now take an EpiPen to the bees.

 

[Ely]

I wear a beejacket and jeans. I used to wear wellies but it just makes beekeeping unenjoyable wearing too hot clobber.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

My wife wants to get involved in the apiary. Recommendations needed for a suit at a reasonable price

I started with El cheapo eBay suits. Which I still have for visitors but i swapped to an abelo lyson Bee jacket with round veil about 5 years ago. I've threaded fresh elastic in the wrists and waist a couple of years ago. I wear cheap asda jeans with it. Works for me.

 

[Roger.Wilco]

abelo lyson Bee jacket with round veil about 5 years ago

Unfortunately, the quality may have changed over the last 5 years? Or maybe my suit was manufactured last thing on a Friday?

I have the Abelo Lyson Double Thickness Pest Control Bee Suit which is only a year old. Last weekend my aggressive colony of bees got me half-dozen times on the face and neck. It wasn't user error as after the 1st sting - I made doubly sure that the zips were done-up and the Velcro secured. After the 2nd sting I gaffa taped over the front zips and Velcro flap. Yet the stings kept coming. Only after wrapping gaffa tape around the neck of the suit did the bees stop getting into the veil. The best I can figure out is that the fabric has stretched with use & washing over the last year where now the overlapping zip ends at the neck rear flex when bending & lifting etc... providing that "one bee space" for them to get in.

I also wear a cap to keep the veil off the face when bending and lifting supers etc... I now tape over both ends of the zips when using the suit. Seems to fix the problem - but the problem shouldn't exist. I also think that the fabric over the back of the neck should be thicker as I think some of the stings were through that (I only recovered four bee corpses from inside the veil but had six stings).

Otherwise - I would have said the Abelo suit was fine. But after spending the last three days waiting for the swelling to reduce enough to be actually able to see - I will be looking for a more bee proof suit.

 

[Amari]

I have a BBWear jacket.

I've never felt safe wearing a jacket: you bend over and the jacket rides up leaving a gap between it and trousers. BB Wear suit with fencing veil for me.

 

[Murox]

I am currently using a castle farm jacket and never had a sting through it, zips seem good too. I bought a simon the beekeeper defender full suit with round hat viel and a spare hat for peanuts when he had his big closing down sale a while back and that too seems to be excellent. A bit spacesuit michellin man in its fitting but it works and was never meant to be a fashion statement.

 

[The Poot]

I have a Sheriff and a BB ventilated mesh job. I much prefer the Sheriff, which is comfortable and effective and I have not suffered veil issues. I regret buying the BB suit.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

I've never felt safe wearing a jacket: you bend over and the jacket rides up leaving a gap between it and trousers. BB Wear suit with fencing veil for me.

Your jacket is too small/short.

 

[drex]

I've never felt safe wearing a jacket: you bend over and the jacket rides up leaving a gap between it and trousers. BB Wear suit with fencing veil for me.

I too had that problem until I bought a larger jacket. We are both in the territory of " middle age spread" .
It is so convenient for quick jobs and I still feel well protected

 

[peterbees]

Simon the Beekeeper Professional.

I've just bought a Simon the Beekeeper Professional bee suit as a spare, based on your recommendation. It arrived overnight.
What temperature do you wash your StB suit please? Care label says 30C, which will not clean propolis.
I wash my Sherriff Apiarist suit at 60C.
Thanks

 

[protheroe]

I wouldn't wash the hood on the professional unless you buy a can of starch as the hood looses its stiffness and lays on your neck.I got hammered lots of times last season around neck area before buying a can of starch.All good now.

 

[pargyle]

I am currently using a castle farm jacket and never had a sting through it, zips seem good too. I bought a simon the beekeeper defender full suit with round hat viel and a spare hat for peanuts when he had his big closing down sale a while back and that too seems to be excellent. A bit spacesuit michellin man in its fitting but it works and was never meant to be a fashion statement.

Exactly what I have - I have two Old Castle jackets and they are very good. The Simon suits I bought were very good value when he retired and I have a number of various sizes for visitors and a couple for my grandchildren - we will never see them again at those prices.