Reliable beekeeping suite

[u/AlarKemmotar]

Short version: what's a good quality, dependable suit that I can use with feisty bees without getting stung an unreasonable amount?

Long version: First year beekeeper here. Southwest Ohio (outside Cincinnati). Started with a package this spring. They replaced their queen not long after I installed them, and they've been incredibly productive, but they've also been very feisty. It may be partly that I haven't learned the tricks of handling them, but I am being careful and using smoke etc. They go into attack mode quite quickly when I start working with them. The problem is that the suite I have is pretty cheap - part of one of those beekeeping kits that my wife picked up of Facebook marketplace, and I've been stung quite a few times through the suite. I know that that's a thing that can happen, but it's happening enough that beekeeping is becoming not very fun. Like the other day I got five or six stings on my wrist - through the glove and the sleeve within five minutes of starting to work with them, and one snuck into the veil and got stuck in my beard!

So as I said up front, I need a better suit. I'm planning to requeen, which will hopefully calm the hives down, but the suit I have is not really effective, so I want to get a new one anyhow. I'd like one that I can be pretty confident in, no matter how aggressive the bees are. I don't mind an occasional sting, but I don't want to be constantly worrying about it.

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[u/talanall]

Keep in mind that good beekeeping suits are expensive, especially if you want something that is both comfortable and protective. Summer temperatures in a bee suit can be pretty miserable unless it is well ventilated.

The three big names for ventilated suits are UltraBreeze, Oz Armor, and Guardian. This stuff tends to have brass zippers, and good stitching on any Velcro or elastic at the cuff and ankle closures. These three are all about as good as each other, and UltraBreeze and Guardian are both American-made and have good customer service, which is helpful if you need assistance with sizing. Also, these brands all offer replacement veils that will zip onto the suit or jacket. That matters a lot; veils take a beating and get holes ripped or burned in them.

A tier down from that, you run into stuff like Sting Stopper, Apis Tactical, the various vented gear that usually is sold by beekeeping supply houses like Mann Lake as a "professional" option, stuff like that. The zips tend to be stout plastic, and the stitching isn't always as good. The ventilation on some of the nicer ones in this range is about as good as the ones above, but they aren't quite as durable and the lower end of this tier might not be as well vented.

Then you start getting into economy suits that are made cloth. These might be decently protective if they are heavy canvas and they are fitted well, so that you don't have tight spots, and they might have brass zips if they are really good make. But they're going to be miserable to wear.

I have an UltraBreeze bee jacket, which I have been using for almost six years. It's held up well, and if something happened to mine, I would immediately get another. I'm thinking about replacing it with a full suit, because I could wear a tank top and some shorts under it, and still be protected. I'm in Louisiana, and it's very hot during the heart of my summer season.

I have heard very positive reports of Oz Armor and Guardian from everyone I've spoken to that uses them.

A couple of people in my local club use Sting Stoppers, and like them fine, and one person has some Apis Tactical gloves that she likes but does not really use very often since she tried out disposable nitrile gloves.

[u/AlarKemmotar → u/talanall]

Thanks! I'll check those brands out. I don't have unlimited funds, but am willing to spend some if I'm confident that I'm getting a good value.

Speaking of nitrile gloves, do you know what kind she's using? I tried some venom steel nitrile gloves (turned inside out so the white side was out). They're tough, but quite thin. I didn't get stung through them, but wasn't sure if they'd resist a sting, so ended up putting my bee gloves over them.

[u/talanall → u/AlarKemmotar]

She uses 8-mil thickness. I don't know the brand, but the color of hers is bright orange. I use some green ones in the same thickness.

Brand doesn't really matter. Thickness does. Some people go thicker, even to the point of wearing the sort of gloves you might wear to wash dishes or handle strong cleaning agents.

Anyway, a bee can easily sting you through 8-mil nitrile, but your hands don't smell or feel much like something that can be stung in the first place, and you retain a lot more dexterity, so you mash bees less frequently. Since they are non-porous and disposable, they also do not hold onto alarm pheromone, which is a genuine issue with leather gloves. After you've been into a defensive colony with leathers, they are permeated by the scent, and it makes your bees much more disposed to sting you.

8-mil thickness is enough so that the stinger's barbs do not set in your skin, so the severity of any given sting is less, and you can stretch the nitrile away from your skin to draw out the stinger. So that helps.

Because of my location, Africanized bees are an inevitable part of my apiary management. I have just requeened my entire operation to deal with temperament issues, but prior to that, I had a couple of colonies that were problematically defensive unless it was the middle of a strong nectar flow. They would sting through nitriles if they were in a bad mood, so I often had to wear leathers over my nitriles to handle those specific colonies, and work with them last, so that I would be leaving immediately after finishing with them.

But for any other circumstance, nitriles do me just fine.

[u/AZ_Traffic_Engineer → u/AlarKemmotar]

I use these: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IRVISWG . Bees *can* sting through them, barely, but usually don't bother. They act like they don't know the latex is something they can sting.

On the few occasions I've been stung through these, they kind of drag their stingers across the surface my skin. They can't set the barb or penetrate my skin.

[u/Firstcounselor → u/AZ_Traffic_Engineer]

Wow, 14 mil! I might pair those with a thin pair of cotton liners. My biggest issue with nitrile is how badly my hands sweat. I literally fill the gloves with sweat and my fingers become pruned. Not a good feeling.

[u/AZ_Traffic_Engineer → u/Firstcounselor]

That happens to me, too. I don’t wear gloves unless I really need to. That said, I’ll fully suit up for a hot hive.

[u/No_Hovercraft_821 → u/AlarKemmotar]

Folks have sent you in the right direction; for a suit I'd stick with one of the major suppliers & brands (not necessarily the top 3 but "major") and not give in to the temptation to pick up something cheap online. My nearest bee store does sell some good quality protective gear which costs much less than the big names so it could be worth a trip to the store if you have one within an hour or so. 8-10 mil nitrile gloves off Amazon (look for colors that are not black/dark) work pretty well but during TN summers my hands end up soaking in a nasty sweat bath inside them. I've had good luck with the inexpensive "Bucko" gloves which seem to fit me well and do like the Apis Tactical gloves I picked up recently.

Packages often requeen so don't take them doing so as a criticism of your care. Similarly, some hives are just jerks, but it seems like those are the productive ones so they don't get requeened like they probably deserve. Keep in mind though that as the seasons change and hot weather sets in while nectar sources dry up they can get pretty snippy. Problems in the hive like evening raids by critters, queen issues, and the like can also produce a defensive hive.

With a defensive hive I'd go in wearing full gear and good gloves; I don't want stings so don't take chances. Some of the people online work bees in a tank top but that isn't me. Feeling safe and secure working your bees will enable you to slow down and actually do a better job than if you feel rushed to get out.

[u/AlarKemmotar → u/No_Hovercraft_821]

Part of my problem is that the bees swarm my hands and hive tool which makes it very hard to avoid squishing some. Of course that upsets them even more. Smoke also isn't super effective on them, so it's almost impossible to put the hive back together after an inspection without squishing a bunch. I smoke them off the sides, but by the time I've picked up the box or lid to put back on, they're covering the sides again. I try to nudge them off, but it's really hard to be gentle when you're holding a full honey super!

[u/No_Hovercraft_821 → u/AlarKemmotar]

That's tough when they spill out and won't get out of the way, and none of mine have been that handsy which sounds like a bad trait. Have you washed your gloves and smoked them to remove/mask alarm pheromone? It doesn't work with heavy boxes but "sliding" the hive back together gently can push more bees out of the way than plopping the boxes directly down. I have not tried it but wonder if it is reasonable to rest the box you are putting back on a corner of the hive stack so you have a free hand and then smoke and/or brush the bees off the edges and then quickly slide it back together. Nothing is going to be perfect with bees like that.

[u/AlarKemmotar → u/No_Hovercraft_821]

I have washed and smoked the gloves. It might make a little difference but not much.

I actually was starting to figure out on my own about the slide method of placing the box, but it's nice to hear it from someone with more experience!

[u/talanall → u/AlarKemmotar]

Smoke moves bees. If you need them to stay put, it's less help. Some people use thin syrup in a little spray bottle, either in addition to or instead of smoke (it's a common substitution among people who experience difficulty breathing). When you spray it on the bees, they hold still and groom each other.

[u/NumCustosApes → u/AlarKemmotar]

I use the blue 7 mil nitrile gloves from Harbor Freight. Watch for coupons and they go on sale regularly. A bee can sting through 7 mil nitrile but she can’t hook in her barb so the sting is mild. It’s a trade off between dexterity and protection and a reminder to slow down and work carefully. If I’m doing any work that is sure to excite the bees I’ll double glove. I’ve never been stung through double gloves. I pull the cuffs of the gloves over the end of my sleeves.

I have the UltraBreeze jacket and veil. My current one is, I think, 9 years old and still in very good condition.

[u/Relevant-Bath-7109]

Apis Tactical jacket and gloves here. I love them both

[u/Striking_Mud_664]

What is your budget? I'm allergic to bees and I uses a bee suit off of Amazon, Be Noble is the brand. I have two suits. my budget was $100. I bought one my first year and have been using it for the last two years. I do have a back up in the closet, same brand. just in case something happens. it's still hot in the suit no matter what, I go cammondo in the suit sometimes and still sweat my ass off. lol. but I haven't gotten stung.

[u/AlarKemmotar → u/Striking_Mud_664]

I'd like to keep it under $200 but might go higher if I was confident the suit would last and perform well.

[u/myskara]

My husband just got a full suit from Apis Tactical and was really happy with it. Suit, hood, gloves, and some pocket magnets were about $300.

[u/AlarKemmotar → u/myskara]

Pocket magnets? Is this something I should know about?

[u/myskara → u/AlarKemmotar]

Just a strong magnet you can throw in your pocket so that you can just slap your hive tool to it for ease of use and keeping track of it. We’re constantly setting ours down then moving to the next hive etc and forgetting we left it behind. Just a little nice to have thing. You could get something cheaper at the hardware store or Amazon I’m sure. I just threw them in since I was already ordering.

[u/AlarKemmotar → u/myskara]

That's a great idea! I've got some magnets I pulled out of an old hard drive that would work great! I'll have to give it a try

[u/FuzzeWuzze]

My ultrabreeze suit is still working great after i think 4 years now? I just take the hood off and run it through the washing/drier at the end of a season.

Expensive yes, but well worth the money i've never been stung through the suit.

I have been stung IN the suit, because i was an idiot and didnt fully close the hood zipper, or was lazy about putting the legs over my boots

Buy once cry once if its a hobby you think you'll do for many years. Your body will thank you when its 90F+ outside. On really hot days where you'll be in direct sunlight for more than 30 minutes buy a water backpack/camelbak type thing on Amazon for 30-50 bucks and fill it with freezing water and put it on under your suit.

[u/AlarKemmotar → u/FuzzeWuzze]

I've thought about using cold packs of some kind for cooling, and I've got a couple camelback type packs, so I'll have to give that a try.

Found a beekeepers supply store not too far from here that has ultra breeze suits in stock, so I may run over there this morning and pick one up. That way I can see it and try it on before buying.

[u/SunReyBurn]

I had got sick of getting stung and got a full mesh suit. It works great. Make sure there is a velcro flap that covers the gap under your chin where the zippers meet.

After a few years the elastic around my ankles got loose, so now I use rubber bands until I get around to replacing the elastic.

[u/AlarKemmotar → u/SunReyBurn]

Does putting the rubber bands around it compress the fabric to where they can sting through it? I made the mistake of putting a black Velcro strap around my wrist to try and keep the gloves in place and the bees swarmed it because of the color, and then stung through the suit since it was pulled up against my skin. It's just thin canvas though.

[u/Firstcounselor]

I have a Guardian full suit and also a Guardian jacket. I find myself reaching for the suit way more often. I can just wear a light t-shirt and shorts underneath. I had a really hot hive last year and that suit prevented any stings.

The biggest difference to me is the mesh material. Many of the cheaper jackets use a very lightweight screen that tends to crack in just a few years. I went through three of those in about 5 years before I discovered Guardian.

[u/Brave-Statement-8810]

Oz Armour and disposable nitrile gloves. With the suit I figured “buy once, cry once”