Butterfly and Bee Garden

Butterfly Bee Garden

Choosing the Best Beekeeping Suit: Factors to Consider

Bee keeping suits are vital for any beekeeper—amateur or professional. The best beekeeping suits keep you safe from bees and allow you to collect honey without any risk of stinging. Bee suits should have a veil, sting-proof material, various pockets, and elasticated ankles and wrists. Some of the best suits for beekeepers also have ventilation panels to keep you cool on hot summer days as you attend to your beehive.

 

Anyone taking up apiculture (beekeeping) needs to buy a high-quality beekeeping suit. Even professional ‘honey farmers’ need to wear protective clothing when looking after their bee colonies. Apart from a bee suit being well made, it should also provide excellent visibility and ease of movement. But the most crucial factor of any outfit for beekeepers is that it keeps bees out.

 

Summary Table of the Best Suits for Beekeeping 

 

ProductAverage RatingBest Feature Price
Ultra Breeze Large Beekeeping Suit4.6High-quality and comfortable to wear 

Bee Suits


 
Humble Bee Ventilated Beekeeping Suit 3.9Breathable synthetic ventilation panels 

Bee Suits


 
Forest Beekeeping Supply Ventilated Jacket 4.2Jacket only for quick beehive inspections 

Bee Suits


 
Oz Armour Beekeeping Suit Ventilated Super Cool 4.7Complete with two hat styles and gloves 

Bee Suits


 
Pest Mall Bee Keeper Suit 4.3Protection from all types of insects 

Bee Suits


 
Mann Lake Beekeeper Suit 3.6High-quality material and proper ventilation 

Bee Suits


 

Six Best Bee Keeping Suits

 

Finding the best bee keeping suit can be challenging. Although most bee suits perform a similar function, there is a wide range in price, quality, functionality, and durability. In this bee keeping suit review, you’ll find unbiased comments on each bee suit, as well as the pros and cons of each item.

 

1. Ultra Breeze Large Beekeeping Suit with Veil

 

One of the best beekeeping suits for durability and quality is this bee suit from Ultra Breeze. This ventilated suit keeps you cool due to its three layers of mesh material for breath ability and protection.

 

The suit features brass zippers that make putting the suit on or taking it off effortless. The detachable hood and veil have plenty of room for ease of movement and excellent visibility.

 

The Ultra Breeze bee suit is available in various sizes and is suitable for men and women beekeepers. Choose this beekeeping suit for its protection against stings while collecting honey.

 

Pros:

  • Lightweight, comfortable, spacious suit that allows for plenty of movement and visibility
  • The detachable hood and veil give plenty of visibility
  • Keeps you cool in hot weather
  • Elasticated waist, ankles, and wrists for protection and comfort
  • One of the best-made bee keeping suits

 

Cons:

  • Poor peripheral vision
  • High cost

 

Beekeeping outfit

2. Humble Bee 431 Ventilated Beekeeping Suit

The Humble Bee unisex beekeeping suit is a high-quality ventilated suit that keeps you cool in hot weather. This suit for beekeepers has cushioned knee pads, long pockets, and a collapsible fencing veil.

 

The protective material keeps you safe from bee stings, and, at the same time, is highly breathable. Many beekeepers say that it’s easy to put on and take off the suit and is exceptionally comfortable to wear.

 

The beekeeping suit is made from a blend of cotton and synthetic material. Also, the thumb and foot holds, as well as the elasticated wrists and ankles mean the suit protects you from bee stings.

 

Pros:

  • Ventilation panels for optimum breath-ability
  • Suitable for men and women
  • Heavy-duty brass zippers and Velcro fastening for security and protection
  • Cushioned knee-pads
  • Deluxe carrying case
  • Excellent price

 

Cons:

  • Poorly designed veil

 

Beekeeping outfit

3. Forest Beekeeping Supply Ventilated Jacket

 

The ventilated bee jacket by Forest Beekeeping Supply offers maximum protection for beekeepers. The jacket features ventilated panels to make the protective clothing highly breathable.

 

There are multiple pockets, a detachable hood and veil, and high-quality YKK zippers. As this is just a protective jacket, you’ll need to ensure that your legs and ankles have suitable protection.

 

Some professional beekeepers prefer the versatility of a beekeeping jacket rather than a suit. However, the protective mesh jacket is ideal for amateurs and experienced apiarists.

 

Pros:

  • Highly durable jacket made from good-quality material
  • Unisex jacket
  • Thumb holds to keep the jacket secure

 

Cons:

  • The veil sits too close to the face, which could lead to bee stings
  • No protection for the lower half of your body

 

Beekeeping outfit

4. Oz Armour Ventilated Super Cool Beekeeping Suit

 

The Oz Armour suit for beekeepers is one of the most versatile and well-designed suits in this review. The three-layer mesh suit allows for air circulation and ultimate breath-ability in hot weather conditions.

 

The professional bee suit has deep pockets, elastic wrists and ankles, elasticated thumb holds, and heavy-duty zippers. Unlike most other bee suits in this review, the Oz Armour suit comes with protective beekeeping gloves.

 

One reason why the Oz Armour beekeeping suit is one of the best options is that it comes with two types of veiled hoods—a fencing hood and a round brim hat.

 

Pros:

  • Excellent range of sizes from X-Small to 8X-Large
  • Comes with two types of hoods and protective gloves
  • Veil provides maximum visibility
  • Full-length leg zippers
  • Professional-grade beekeeping suit that’s also suitable for beginners
  • Excellent value for money

 

Cons:

  • Not ideal for beekeepers who are working in cold climates

 

Beekeeping outfit

5. Pest Mall Bee Keeper Suit

The Pest Mall is a high-quality beekeeping suit that is reasonably priced and ideal for beekeeper beginners. The protective material is a blend of cotton and polyester to provide breath-ability and comfort.

 

There are plenty of pockets for beekeeping tools and other equipment. A large veiled helmet gives adequate protection to your face from bee stings.

 

One drawback of the Pest Mall beekeeping suit is that there are only three sizes. This means that it can be difficult to find a bee suit that fits you comfortably.

 

Pros:

  • Large self-supporting square veil
  • Elasticated ankles, wrists, and thumb holds
  • Reinforced pockets
  • Well-made bee suit that offers plenty of movement

 

Cons:

  • Limited range of sizes
  • Not the best cost-effective bee suit

 

Beekeeping outfit

6. Mann Lake Beekeeper Suit

Mann Lake produces a wide range of high-quality beekeeping equipment, and their bee suit doesn’t disappoint. The highly durable layers of woven netting provide the ultimate protection from stinging bees.

 

The self-supporting, collapsible veil gives excellent visibility. One of the benefits of this Mann Lake suit for apiarists is the number of large pockets for hive tools and other equipment.

 

The lightweight, breathable design of this bee suit means that you can attend to many hives without getting too hot.

 

Pros:

  • Heavy-duty elasticated wrist and ankle openings
  • Comes in a range of sizes
  • Vented hood to prevent you from getting too hot
  • Reinforced knees for long-lasting use

 

Cons:

  • The veil can sometimes sit close to the face, increasing the risk of stinging

 

Beekeeping outfit

FAQs About Buying Beekeeping Suits

How can you choose the best suit to buy if you have a passion for beekeeping? Here are answers to many questions about selecting the best bee keeping suit to buy. Click Here to read more about Beekeeping Protective Clothing

What features do I need to consider when purchasing a beekeeping suit?

 

The five essential features of a good quality bee keeping suit are the hat, veil, type of suit material, number of pockets, and elasticated protection. The best beekeeping suits need to ensure that no bees can sneak in under the protective material.

 

Most beekeepers recommend buying a suit where the hat and veil attach to the outfit with zippers.

 

The hat and veil are one of the most critical features of any beekeeping suit. Here are some helpful tips on choosing the best bee suit the appropriate veil:

 

  • Round veil—This type of veil gives the most visibility, and the veil stays well away from the face.
  • Hooded veil—Sometimes called a fencing hat, hooded veils are quite common on bee suits. However, they tend to restrict visibility if they don’t fit right.
  • Square hat and veil—Usually found on cheaper beekeeping suits, a square veil has a mesh that attaches to a hard hat.

What clothes do I wear under my bee suit?

 

You can wear regular clothing under your bee suit, so it’s usually best to buy a suit that is one size larger than usual. You should also pay attention to the bee suit’s breath-ability. When inspecting hives and collecting honey in the summertime, you can get hot under the suit. So, choose an outfit that has suitable ventilation panels to allow plenty of air to circulate.

 

What are beekeeping suits made of?

 

Cotton or finely-woven mesh are the usual types of material used to make bee suits. Traditionally, cotton was the go-to material to make protective bee keeping suits. This thick material makes it difficult for bees to sting the beekeeper.

 

However, cotton bee suits can get hot in the summer heat. Some of the best, and most expensive, bee suits use several layers of mesh. This creates a layer of material that is difficult for bees to penetrate, while at the same time being breathable.

 

Why do beekeepers wear a white suit?

 

Beekeepers wear white suits because they don’t cause bees to become defensive. Wearing white bee suits reduces the chances of bees becoming aggressive and attacking the beekeeper. Scientists think that dark clothing makes bees believe that a large animal—for example, a bear—is approaching to steal the honey.

 

Best Bee Keeping Suits-In Conclusion

 

Buying the best beekeeping suit means that you can enjoy keeping bees for many years without getting stung. From this review, our top recommendation is Oz Armoured beekeeper’s suit. This suit is super-ventilated, comes with protective gloves, and two types of hand and veil. Also, due to the wide range of sizes, anyone can find a bee keeping suit to fit.

 

 

(Visited 276 times, 1 visits today)