Cleaning bee suit

[BernardBlack]

What method do you advise for cleaning your bee suit? (Top half)

I don’t want to put the veil part in the washing machine in case it’s damaged.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I put the veil down a sleeve and zip the front right up.

 

[victor meldrew]

I put the veil down a sleeve and zip the front right up.

I tuck the veil into the body of the suit, zip the suit up and bang it in the washing machine .
air dry and Bobs your Uncle !

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

put it in the washing machine without the spin cycle, then remove the veil to drip dry and spin the rest

 

[madasafish]

I remove veil, stick in a bucket with Bio washing powder overnight.
Rinse three times. Hang to dry.

Always have done.

 

[BernardBlack]

I put the veil down a sleeve and zip the front right up.

I tuck the veil into the body of the suit, zip the suit up and bang it in the washing machine .
air dry and Bobs your Uncle !

And there should be no damage to the veil, even when you put on the spin wash?

 

[Cuckmere couple]

just doing mine this week....veil in body of suit and zipped up...may get a soda crystal scrub on the neck

 

[Erichalfbee]

And there should be no damage to the veil, even when you put on the spin wash?

I still have my first suit from Sherrif. It’s 13 years old.

 

[enrico]

I still have my first suit from Sherrif. It’s 13 years old.

My first one got to the age of 25 and then I did my pack of cards trick with several beehives, I realised how thin it had got and how many hidden entrances there were! I had to gaffer tape plastic bags round me to go and sort the fallen hives out. I am on my second suit now !! Not counting the under arm veil thing I started with that lasted one inspection!

 

[Antipodes]

What method do you advise for cleaning your bee suit? (Top half)

I don’t want to put the veil part in the washing machine in case it’s damaged.

If you've got other non-beekeepers in the house, hang the suit on the clothes line outside and give it a light spray of water with the hose to dampen the sting dust down (leave it a few minutes), before bringing it inside to wash in the machine.

 

[BernardBlack]

If you've got other non-beekeepers in the house, hang the suit on the clothes line outside and give it a light spray of water with the hose to dampen the sting dust down (leave it a few minutes), before bringing it inside to wash in the machine.

Can you explain the sting dust thing? I remember coming across the term before, but can’t recall much

 

[Antipodes]

Can you explain the sting dust thing? I remember coming across the term before, but can’t recall much

https://www.beeawareallergy.com/resources/beekeepers/high-risk-allergy/
If you read the article above, they actually recommend not using the household washing machine, which seems prudent.

https://www.beeculture.com/bee-venom-chemistry-ouch/
The above article mentions the dust as "grayish- white crystals" formed after the venom is expose to air.

Also, have a look at the following too, in particular, the last section.

http://lindsaysapiaries.ddns.net/allergies.html

 

[Garry R]

As I am given to understand it, the potential risk to non-beekeepers is that venom dust brings about the production of a different immune response through inhalation. The antibody produced can be IgE which is the cause of allergic reactions eg pollen, dust etc. but occasionalluy the anaphalactic shock which is the more worrying side effect. Bee stinging is akin to an injection and produces a different class of antibodies (IgG) which result in a different and less dramatic reaction. Thus I keep my jacket outside and dampen it before bringing it in to wash in the machine as my wife is a non-beekeeper.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

The above article mentions the dust as "grayish- white crystals" formed after the venom is expose to air

I think this lot are just blowing up the issues to ridiculous proportions.
What next, the beekeeper should totally isolate themselves from the rest of the family unit at all times?
If there is that much 'venom dust' on the bee suit I suggest you need to look at getting less aggressive bees.

 

[Murox]

I think this lot are just blowing up the issues to ridiculous proportions.
What next, the beekeeper should totally isolate themselves from the rest of the family unit at all times?
If there is that much 'venom dust' on the bee suit I suggest you need to look at getting less aggressive bees.

I tend to agree; overstated, exaggerated and put together in a dramatic way. Its the age-old art of over-analysing everything.
How about including a few risk factors like race, sex, age, life style, nutrition, environmental factors and heredity of other allergic disorders and then lets throw in a statistic or two like “approximately 5-7% of people will experience a severe allergic reaction to insect stings in their lifetimes. In beekeepers, this risk rises to 32%.”

 

[Garry R]

I agree with the sentiment as regards blowing up the issue but as a biochemist working with antibodies for many years it takes very little of an antigen to elicit an immune response. I was only trying to explain why some people are hyper allergic.

 

[victor meldrew]

And there should be no damage to the veil, even when you put on the spin wash?

And there should be no damage to the veil, even when you put on the spin wash?

Mine has been treated in this way for donkey’s years . No damage . Some of the older suits sustained veil damage or rather the hoops supporting the veil becoming brittle and fracturing on the spin cycle but they are history!

 

[Etton]

I tie a carrier bag tightly around the hood and chuck in the washer... works for me and avoids rezipping the hood back on.

 

[Wilco]

As I am given to understand it, the potential risk to non-beekeepers is that venom dust brings about the production of a different immune response through inhalation. The antibody produced can be IgE which is the cause of allergic reactions eg pollen, dust etc. but occasionalluy the anaphalactic shock which is the more worrying side effect. Bee stinging is akin to an injection and produces a different class of antibodies (IgG) which result in a different and less dramatic reaction. Thus I keep my jacket outside and dampen it before bringing it in to wash in the machine as my wife is a non-beekeeper.

I thought, as inhalation would lead to contact with some form of mucosa, it would be IgA (the antibodies typically expressed on mucosal surfaces) being preferentially produced (hence why the intranasal flu vaccine is used)?

 

[polymath]

Talking to Sherriff it is the hoops that become brittle over time when used in the washing machine hence recommending hand wash. Sure i know Seasonal bee inspectors who just wrap it inside as they wash their suits after every apiary inspection. Personally i do now take mine off, but i also find the hood only needs washing every now and again plus i bought a spare hood just in case.