First suit

[3bees]

I bought my jacket on ebay for under £40 in 2010 and it is still going strong. (Cornwall - Heather Bell Honey Bees)

The seams are all ok. Zips are perfect.

The elastic round the waist has been replaced.
I have replaced the elastic round the sleeves - and resown (badly!) the stitching.
Added velcro closers to the pockets.
The veil which is a plastic mesh is becoming brittle and starting to require repairs - but not in direct line of sight

Just shows how different people's experiences can be. My suit from this company was awful and their customer care was even worse. The veil lasted just two washes, when I asked for a replacement the guy was, well frankly - rude.

Since then I have had a smock from Simon The Beekeeper, cheap and cheerful but does the job. I will, however, treat myself to a BBwear smock with fencing style hood next year. Time to treat myself!

 

[3bees]

I bought my jacket on ebay for under £40 in 2010 and it is still going strong. (Cornwall - Heather Bell Honey Bees)

The seams are all ok. Zips are perfect.

The elastic round the waist has been replaced.
I have replaced the elastic round the sleeves - and resown (badly!) the stitching.
Added velcro closers to the pockets.
The veil which is a plastic mesh is becoming brittle and starting to require repairs - but not in direct line of sight

Just shows how different people's experiences can be. My suit from this company was awful and their customer care was even worse. The veil lasted just two washes, when I asked for a replacement the guy was, well frankly - rude.

Since then I have had a smock from Simon The Beekeeper, cheap and cheerful but does the job. I will, however, treat myself to a BBwear smock with fencing style hood next year.

 

[enrico]

I started in the 1980's with a veil on a round hat and loops that went under your armpits. Big mistake, I had more bees inside the veil than outside. The best advice I got was to buy a bombproof suit so I got one. All in one, straw hat with wide brim and a stiff square shaped veil. That lasted me until last year, thirty odd years. Then I knocked a hive over and realised how thin the suit had become.... Ouch....so I bought a sherif suit with a fencing type veil. It is far hotter than my old suit, much thinner and bees can sting through it if they are cross so I can't go naked underneath! The veil is far better for slipping back and driving. It took a while for me to get used to the head part of the veil actually being round the back of my head and having bees right next to my ears rather than a few inches away as with my old veil but now I am used to it it is ok. I think it is well worth spending all the money you can on a good quality suit. It will last you years and give the best protection. I believe in being prepared for any eventuality even though you may not need it.
E

 

[pargyle]

And the answer is...? ☺

The answer is, as always, in beekeeping.... there is more than one answer !

I have a Fragile Planet jacket with a round veil and it's very good - but I bought it second hand and it's a good few years old. Their current wear is nowhere near as robust or as well made.

BB wear make good suits which will last well but you are looking at over £100 for a full suit.

Sherriff are even better quality and design but they start at about £135 so you are looking at a serious investment.

Simon the Beekeeper on Ebay does some 'Buzz' suits for about £36 - I've heard both good and bad about them ... material is pretty good but there's a question over their durability.

I'd avoid the really cheap ones that come in from China as they are usually very thin material and rubbish zips that break immediately.

I've seen a suit that was bought from BeeBasic.. just over the £70 and that looked pretty good value .. nice stitching and good quality zips.

So ... decide how much you can afford and then have a look at the suits or jackets that fall within your budget - fit is important and besides being beeproof it is important that the suit is comfortable to wear and fits your shape. Sizes vary tremendously from manufacturer to manufacturer and so what is classed as Large from one supplier may well be considered XL in another.

There's only so much that anyone else can advise - it's very much down to your personal preference.

 

[Robbo8916]

I've got the jacket with round veil. I wear a cap underneath as I don't like being touched on the head let alone stung on it.

I have long riding boots that zip and fit really snug round my calves so don't have to worry about anyone crawling up my legs.

I paid about £12 for it and its still going strong 3 years later.

 

[REDWOOD]

I had two ebay suits and they don't last more than a year if you do a lot of beekeeping, you pay your money.

 

[Robbo8916]

I'll be getting a new one next year when the apiary is finished but for now with sporadic inspections my ebay wonder works just fine.

I think being a Yorkshire pudding makes me naturally tight lol

 

[drex]

When I started the best piece of advice I was given was to get the best suit I could afford - gives confidence in the early days. I bought Full, fencing style suit from BB. Still going strong after 6 years.

 

[manek]

Thanks all for your experiences. It's firmed up what I thought, so I think the Bee Basic astronaut suit looks solid and reasonable value too (though I question its usefulness outside the atmosphere).

 

[Robbo8916]

Thanks all for your experiences. It's firmed up what I thought, so I think the Bee Basic astronaut suit looks solid and reasonable value too (though I question its usefulness outside the atmosphere).

Yep. You'd definitely need to make some alterations before jetting off to Mars

 

[manek]

Yep. You'd definitely need to make some alterations before jetting off to Mars

It was the grid of holes at the front which made me question its air-tightness...

 

[Robbo8916]

It was the grid of holes at the front which made me question its air-tightness...

I know! Go figure! Why does nobody make a space proof suit?

 

[mintmoth]

After reading a lot about suits on here and elsewhere, I got a BBwear one. I chose the fencing veil because when unzipped and pushed back it lies flat on your back, which struck me as more comfortable, if you want to walk about or drive in the suit.

I find the elasticated wrists uncomfortable on bare skin if I'm not wearing long sleeves, so bought a pair of wrist sweat bands as padding between me and the laggy.

i was also in between sizes, the small was a bit too tight, and the medium a bit baggy, but with a neat dart across the neck of the hood to keep it in the correct place, the slight looseness elsewhere of the medium size is no bother.

At my bee class though, there are all sorts, and they all have their good points so it's personal choice. You won't really know till you've tried them, I guess.

 

[Millet]

I have the round hat type veil with jacket what i got from ebay for £35.. it's vision is ok but it is rather thin.. i where a thin wooly hat and gortex coat during inspection or work.. i can take a sting but getting stung in my ear hole several week's ago has made me slightly paranoid.. lol ..

If there's any good folk on here stick some link's up where we can purchase good strong reliable clothing ,

 

[Obee1]

I have the beebasic full suit with the round hat and also their astronaut style jacket. I would say the bigger and baggier the suit the better as stings can't get through to the skin. The round hat is easier to see through- I often forget it's on. I wear the chin strap plus a baseball cap to ensure there is no slippage. I love the Velcro fastening sleeves. Downside is walking round with the hat off and pushed back. It catches in everything. The astronaut style hood has poorer visibility due to the type of mesh but a Velcro tab to pull it forward and keep your face clear of the veil. However I did get stung on the back of the neck through the hood material. I did think the jacket would be easy to slip on quickly but all 3 times I did this got stung through my jeans. I therefore have to wear extra trousers with it which defeats the object of having a jacket.

I wil say having two suits is best. I always seem to have one full of stings and needing a wash before re use so need a spare.

 

[BeeJayBee]

I'd agree that you need a loose-fitting suit - loose-fitting over ordinary clothes. The extra fabric gives slightly more protection from stings, and makes it easier to move.

If the suit is too tight you'll strain the zip and, even if it's the most expensive suit you can buy, there's a risk of the zip's teeth pulling apart open at just the wrong time.

If the suit is too short from head to crotch it can be quite uncomfortable and awkward to bend down.

Arm length is quite important too, you need to be able to stretch and bend your arms without leaving a gap between the end of the sleeve and gloves. You can help make sure that doesn't happen by wearing gauntlets with sleeves, but they can be quite warm.

Another thing to be careful of is to make sure your gloves are a close fit, you don't want loose bits of glove at the end of your hands.

 

[Robbo8916]

Another thing to be careful of is to make sure your gloves are a close fit, you don't want loose bits of glove at the end of your hands.

For some reason that made me laugh a lot more than it probably should have