How a Bee Suit and Gloves Work
Affordable Sting Protection

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Well-designed, correctly sized and properly worn bee suits and gloves provide effective and comfortable protection against stings from bees, wasps and hornets.  The BeeCARE Full Body Suit has been used in various demanding situations like beekeeping, bee-swarm and colony removal, africanized ("killer") bee extermination, commercial pest control, utility maintenance, heavy-equipment contracting, and military use.

The Full Body Suit is made from a light, comfortable, breathable blend of cotton and polyester*, for comfort, long-term durability, washability, and minimal shrinkage.  We use the cotton/poly blend, since 100% cotton shrinks and is not as durable over time as the blend we use in our suits.  Nylon suits are not as breathable and are therefore less comfortable in warm weather.  Our Leather Beekeeping Gloves are made from tough cowhide and ventilated canvas, and fully extend to the bicep, providing protection for both hands and arms.

Click here for more detailed information on the Full Body Suit

Please refer to Washing Instructions at the end of this page.

The Full Body Suit and Leather Beekeeping Gloves provide sting protection in several ways:

	Inhibits Stinger Contact with Skin If fitted properly (i.e. not too tight), a bee suit keeps stingers away from your skin.  A suit that is baggy will work more effectively, where a suit that is too small will sometimes allow stings at the areas on the body where the fabric is tight against the skin.  And the upper portion of the beekeeping gloves are baggy to hold the fabric away from your arm; it is very difficult for a bee or wasp to sting through the leather gloves.
	Keeps Insects Out of Clothes A good bee suit and gloves keep stinging insects out of your clothes.  The bee suit's elastic cuffs at the wrists and ankles, the zippers at the collar, torso, and ankles, and the Velcro seals at the front and back of the integrated hood, all keep your body "bee safe", where insects cannot gain access if the suit is worn properly.  And the upper portion of the leather beekeeping gloves have elastic that secures the top of the gloves at the bicep.
	Doesn't Present a "Sting Target" The white color of the suit presents a non-attractive, neutral appearance.  Stinging insects are naturally attracted to darker areas, such as the ears, hair, eyes, nose and mouth.  A bee suit should be primarily white, and you should notice that any bees or wasps attacking the suit will most often hit the screened veil, which is darker; they cannot sting or penetrate the veil.  The veil is darker to eliminate glare, so it is easy to see through when it is pulled over the head, as shown here.  Likewise, the beekeeping gloves are made from light-colored leather and canvas, minimizing the possibility that insects will attack the gloves.

I know of no beekeeper's suit or gloves which are marketed as "guaranteeing" sting protection.  Any responsible beekeeping supply vendor cannot absolutely guarantee sting protection, for several very practical reasons:

1) A material that would provide absolute sting protection would do so by physically preventing stinger penetration of the fabric.  This would require a suit made from a tight, thick weave of impervious material, such as Kevlar or aluminum, and such a fabric would inhibit ventilation, making it dangerously hot to wear.  The danger from overheating in warmer weather would far exceed the danger from stings.
2) A material that could absolutely "guarantee" no stings would also be prohibitively expensive, and could not be marketed by the beekeeping-supply industry as a bee suit.  The liability to which any vendor would be exposed by guaranteeing sting-proof qualities and the associated costs of the materials, manufacturing, and the liability insurance, would discourage any responsible beekeeping supply company from carrying such a product.  The high cost of the bee suit would result in a very few customers buying the suit, making it an infeasible product line when sold to the general public.
3) Even with a proven-effective, "sting-proof" bee suit, effectiveness is also dependent on whether the suit is the correct size and the suit is properly worn.  And vulnerabilities for stings still remain at the ankles, feet, wrist and hands.
4) For the same reasons, leather beekeeping gloves cannot absolutely guarantee sting protection.

Again, regarding the fabric used in a bee suit, if any suit actually prevents stings by physically preventing the stinger from piercing the fabric, that bee suit will likely be too hot to wear, except in the winter, and would be much more expensive.  However, BeeCARE has customers worldwide who are using the Full Body Suit not only for working with honeybees but also for wasp and hornet protection, and if properly sized and properly worn, it provides them that protection.
 
We also recommend you use high-top leather work boots when wearing the suit, especially when combating wasps or hornets.  Pull the elastic ankle cuffs of the suit down over the high top on the boot.  This prevents the insects from stinging your ankles or feet -- some wasps can even sting through canvas shoes!
 
While no vendor of beekeeper suits or gloves should make a claim that guarantees absolute sting-proof protection, following these guidelines when using a quality suit and gloves can usually prevent stings.  However, if you are a person who will automatically go into anaphylactic shock when receiving a single sting, I would strongly recommend you not knowingly work with either bees or any other type of stinging insect.  Neither BeeCARE nor any other beekeeping-supply vendor should give you a different recommendation.  If you are allergic to stings, and feel you absolutely must work with stinging insects anyway, we recommend you properly wear a correctly-sized, full-body bee suit, leather beekeeping gloves, and high-top leather work boots.  We also recommend you carry an epinephrine auto-injection device, such as EpiPen, to use in an attempt to prevent shock in case you are stung.  If you are allergic, even these measures cannot absolutely guarantee your safety.  But if you absolutely must work with aggressive, stinging insects, this may be the best you can do.  Before making any decision in such cases, forward this information to your doctor and get their advice first.

Please also refer to the information in the write-up entitled Sting Protection for further detail on measures you should take to protect yourself.

As a final note, taking extraordinary measures to supposedly "guarantee" you receive no stings, such as wearing thick, insulated clothing underneath a bee suit (like a snowmobile suit, etc.), could prove very dangerous and even life-threatening in hot weather.  The danger from heat stroke, heat exhaustion, etc. would far exceed the danger from stings.  Again, if you know your life would be threatened by receiving a single sting, it's best to just stay away from the stinging insects altogether if you can.

Washing Instructions

Our suits and jackets can be washed in the normal wash cycle and dried in the dryer.  Remove the hood before washing.  Hand wash and drip dry the hood.  If possible, avoid using bleach on the suits, jackets or hoods, as the residual odor of the bleach is irritating to the bees.  If you must use bleach to remove stubborn stains, rinse a second time with clean water after the normal washing to remove any traces of the bleach.

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