subject: Will The Beekeeping Suit Improve the Experience? [print this page] Will The Beekeeping Suit Improve the Experience?
When people think of beekeepers they have the image of someone wearing the beekeeping suit together with a hat and veil.
But it must always be remembered that a beekeepers first line of defence is a reasonable understanding of bee behaviour and how best to access them. Complete understanding will not eliminate the possibility of stings so you must always wear protective clothing. Suffering violent allergic reactions to bee stings is dangerous and as such people who suffer this way should not attempt beekeeping. There are medical tests available to determine whether you are allergic or not and if you suspect that you might be please take the test. Some experienced beekeepers believe that you should get stung every year because you develop antibodies that reduce the effect of the bee venom over time and make a sting far less unpleasant. I think they still hurt and would prefer not to be stung!
The beekeeping suit, the hat and veil and gloves make up the various parts of the protection. Probably the least important are the gloves which make some of the essential work very hard and many beekeepers never wear them. By removing the sting in the hand with a fingernail significantly reduces the effect of the sting by reducing the venom injected, also the skin in this area is far less sensitive. Washing the hands with vinegar reduces the attention of the bees.
Bees are attracted to the breath of a person and will most likely attack in this area if they feel under threat. The skin of the face is very sensitve to the sting and there will considerable pain and swelling. The sting will take longer to withdraw as it cannot be seen and therefore more venom will be pumped into the wound. It is therefore essential that this area is well protected. The most efficient and cost effective method of providing protection has always been the hat and veil. The basic aim is to keep the bee far enough away from the face so that it sting cannot reach the skin this has always been achieved by a broad brimmed hat supporting a hanging veil. This hat and hat has produced an almost iconic image of the beekeeper in most people' view. In recent years another design not unlike a spaceman's helmet has been introduced.
The protective suite is a white all in one jump suit sometimes with a hat and veil attached. Bees definitely do not react defensively against light colours in the way they do to dark colours. This is related to the bees natural predators who are normally dark eg bears. A bees instincts built over thousands of years still govern bees behavior even if the danger does not exist today. Shorts are not recommended when visiting the hive especially with the ever more popular jacket. The suit or jacket should be made of a smooth close woven cloth that resists the penetration of the bee sting. It should also be washed regularly to rid it of the pheromone that is released by a bee sting that will attract bees believing they are under attack.
Visitors especially children will want to visit the hive. Protective clothing, hat and veil should always be kept in a range of sizes. This will increase the pleasure that can be derived from beekeeping for the beekeeper and their visitors. The lives and well being of fellow creatures is something that children should be encouraged to take an interest. As the bees entire civilization is contained within the hive it makes it easy to study what makes it so successful.
