How to wear clothes (for bee-keepers)

At T&TVBKA, we are often asked what to wear for beekeeping...

Start by thinking about the natural predators of bees:
BEARS.
Anything that makes you look brown and furry is A BAD THING.

Veils
These are Essential.
NEVER work with bees without one.
We have some for loan, but you should get at least a ‘boy scout hat’ type veil as soon as you can.. If you want to make your own, be as inventive as you like, but use black mesh – white curtain net is opaque when you are in it. In very hot weather, a tennis sweat band is a good idea, especially if you wear glasses.

Clothing needs to be:
Light-coloured and non-furry. Old duffle coats and so on are not a good idea.
Beetight. If you are using a combination of trousers and jacket, remember you’ll be bending over a lot.
Old. Beekeeping can be a messy business.
Washable. To remove dirt and the smell of other bees, ideally to a boil-wash standard.
Expendable. If your colony get a serious disease it may be best to burn clothes to remove a source of contamination.
Sensible. Bees instinctively climb upwards into dark places. Flares, skirts and ‘liberating your belly button’ are thus ‘unwise’.
‘Proper’ bee suits are expensive and you should defer purchase until you are sure this is for you. White decorator’s boiler suits are a good compromise, but make sure the front can be made bee-tight (Velcro is a good idea) and remember that the pockets are often just openings and need to be sewn up.
Never buy second-hand beekeeping clothing.
Above all, you need to be confident in your chosen kit. It is all too easy to imagine that a bee ‘has got in somewhere’ and panic, all beekeepers go through this phase!
Cover your feet and ankles. Sandals are not a good idea, wellies are better. In hot weather shoes & some padding in socks to protect ankles works well.

Gloves
Please do not be tempted to buy the classical long beekeepers gauntlet with chamois leather palms. They are very expensive, unhygienic and impossible to clean of disease. In a bad case they WILL have to be burnt. ‘Marigolds’ are ideal. Bees can sting through any glove material except chain mail and thick leather - the purpose of gloves is to disguise the fact that you are a living predator, bees have not evolved to regard plastic as a threat. If you feel confident, we provide free disposable latex gloves at the Apiary.

Smells.
Bees do not like the smell of beer or gin.

Please DO NOT wear or use strongly scented perfume, soap, shampoo, hair gel or deodorants etc. Modern chemistry is very good at imitating natural chemicals and some act as alarm pheromones for bees. These can be detected by bees even when you think all has been washed off. The bees might mistake you for a flower and act accordingly!
On the same point, clothing that has been washed or dried with a scented fabric conditioner can produce hilarious effects if you are watching, but are not so much fun for the victim.

Also, please DO NOT wear leather, as the natural smell upsets bees. Motorcycle suits and watch straps are not appropriate. Bees have also evolved to target eyes as a defence, so items that glint like eyes (e.g. jewellery, watches and metal watch straps) are also upsetting to bees.

Finally, if you wear rings remember that if you do get stung and the finger swells badly, you may find that the casualty department has little choice but to cut the ring off. Please remove rings if you can or as soon as you get a sting that looks like a problem.

Chris Deaves, Honorary Tutor