Anyone have any experience

[Livefreeordie]

With these bee suits? Looks to be really inexpensive, will this work for a newbee?

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-XL-FULL-BEE-SUIT-BEEKEERPERS-HOOD-/190421438922?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2c560091ca

[John Schwartz]

If the material is thick fabric, I'd say it's a decent/good price. You might try just gloves and veil to start with and see if you're comfortable with that? I'm rarely stung with that setup. The full-body suit is a bit overkill unless you're working all day on lots of hives.

[Livefreeordie]

If the material is thick fabric, I'd say it's a decent/good price. You might try just gloves and veil to start with and see if you're comfortable with that? I'm rarely stung with that setup. The full-body suit is a bit overkill unless you're working all day on lots of hives.

Thank you, that is how I was leaning, but all this talk of bees turning on folks, and hot hives has me a little concerned, I look at these videos and pictures of people checking hives with no protection and begin to wonder if I would ever get that comfortable around them.

[John Schwartz]

Ya, no worries! It's more common to have nice, docile bees. Get yourself some gentle Italians and you should be set. :)

[tandemrx]

looks nearly identical to Dadant full suit ($67) except that the ebay suit ($60) does not appear to have elastic around ankles, or zippers at ankles while the dadant suit does not have the "sleeve keeper" (straps that go over fingers so that when you put on gloves over sleeves they don't ride up or if you aren't wearing gloves then it keeps wrists better covered).

I have the Dadant suit and I like it a lot.  I like full suits because the heat doesn't bother me and I can wear shorts or whatever I want to the bee yard and get instant full coverage without worrying about covering my legs.

I like the zipper at the ankles to get in and out with shoes on and I like the elastic at legs because bees see to go for ankles, so its an easy task to walk up inside of pants  :shock:  Otherwise I would have to put a rubber band around the ankles on a suit like the ebay suit and that is a pain.

I don't care about the sleeve keepers because the elastic there works fine on the dadant suit.

Sometimes I will just wear a veil, but often, since I don't know how deep I am going to go into a hive I just prefer to put on the full suit - it takes about 10 seconds and I am ready for anything (and I have gentle bees).

I could work without gloves and have, but if I get stung in a finger it will swell up (not allergic, just the nature of bee stings) and that can be a bother when I work the next day or try to practice piano or whatever.  Its just not worth it to me. (though I did get stung through the leather of my gloves for the 1st time in 3 years just yesterday, though I was wearing my wifes size small gloves that fit much tighter than my own, so they had easier access to my skin in those gloves).

[iddee]

My recommendation....

https://www.dadant.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=723

The Hooded jacket

[tandemrx]

I also have the pull over suit like the one iddee recommends.  (not as nice of a hood as the iddee links too, I like this hood better than the one I have as this is the same hood on the full dadant suit I recommend above . . . . link to full suit is https://www.dadant.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=672)


I like the pull over suit and will use it when (a) someone is using my full suit or (b) when I already have long pants on and don't really need full suit at the time.  Only draw back is that it can ride up in the back and if I forget to tuck in my shirt then my back can get exposed - not a big deal.

Another great thing about having a full suit is that when you have visitors to your hive you can have them put on the full suit (no matter what they are wearing at the time, so nice for spontaneous visits to hive) and then they will feel much more confident about approaching a hive. (and you can worry less about them having a good experience at the bee yard).

[scoobee]

I agree with Iddee on the suit. That's what my son and I wear, although, with the heat here I don't wear the suit. I just go with veil and smoke. I don't wear gloves but I'm considering using the latex dishwashing gloves. I've been stung 3 times, 1 on the right index finger, 1 on the tip of my left index finger only because I caught her under a frame when pulling it up, and 1 on the back of the right hand from my friend putting a frame back and brushed it against the back of hand. My son isn't that comfortable as of yet, I pack him full of ice packs and cold bandanas.

[Livefreeordie]

Thank you all for the replies. I think you talked me into the Dadant full suit to start with. When I get more comfortable I will get the jacket and ease my wife into the action with the full suit.

[slacker361]

I too would recommend the dandant,I have it and love it , and the price is the best

[tandemrx]

one tip on either the Dadant full suit or half-suit.

Although I don't want my face pressed against the front mesh, the hood on these suits is huge and it can make looking for eggs or inspecting harder when your head gets lost in the back of the hood so far from the mesh (just makes it that much harder to see).  I found myself pushing the hood back a lot to get my face closer to the mesh - but that of course used one of my appendages that I need to hold frames and such.

I have taken to clipping together a bunch of the fabric in the back top of the hood or rubberbanding a chunk of fabric  (kind of like in a little bun :-D) such that it brings my face closer to the front.

I have tried wearing a baseball cap backwards to have the bill of the cap push the hood back, but that didn't work. 

Just clipping it with one of thos big black document clips or a rubber band works like a charm.

I guess it would take me all of 5 minutes to cut off some fabric and sew another seam, but I just leave the rubber band on all the time and have forgotten about it.

I do not like as well the dadant sold suits that are mesh all the way around with a central cap (cricket style) https://www.dadant.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=1111.  Unless you are wearing a safari type helmet then thiese hoods don't work near as well as the other ones we have mentioned linked to in my opinion

[hardwood]

I have both the Dadant hooded jacket and the "cricket" style. I use the cricket style mostly. It's much cooler in the summer and you can look up without having to pull the hood back...much better for bee removals.

Scott

[Jim134]

With these bee suits? Looks to be really inexpensive, will this work for a newbee?

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-XL-FULL-BEE-SUIT-BEEKEERPERS-HOOD-/190421438922?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2c560091ca

Livefreeordie............
 

  Do you see the Size  :roll:
X-LARGE
 
Chest 29"
Arms 24"
Waist 25"
Legs 34"
 
 These are taken across not around, so double the waist and chest

 But 24 " Arms

     BEE HAPPY Jim 134  :)

[annette]

I have the Dadant full suit and half jacket.  I use the full suit when I am really going to get into them or perhaps for a cutout.  The half suit is wonderful for most of the times when I am going to visit the bees.  I find if I am wearing a really good pair of thick jeans, no worries about getting stung.  They have tried to sting me through my jeans, but the stinger cannot get through.

Although it is true about the veil being very wide around on the jacket,  I feel prettier in it (some bee vanity there :roll:)

I can see the eggs better with the veil from the full suit which brings me closer to the bees as most have said.

[glenn c hile]

Order larger than you think you need!  I am only 5'8" (my wife says I exagerate that:)) around 190 and I ordered the XL and it is none too big. 

[Livefreeordie]

Order larger than you think you need!  I am only 5'8" (my wife says I exagerate that:)) around 190 and I ordered the XL and it is none too big. 

Good to know, I am 6' and 190, so maybe I will be ok with XL.

Jim, I measured from top of shoulder and 24" comes to just over my wrist. I guess it makes little difference as I am going for the Dadant suit, but what were you getting at?

[HomeBru]

Extreme-Noob experience, but my son and I do 90% of our visits with veils only. We get tagged when we do something stupid like grab a bee, but haven't had problems. When we're going to get deep in a hive, I have a few sets of Tyvek coveralls that are hotter than anything, but do the job well but we only have two hives right now

We're on an extremely limited budget, so right now $60 for a bee suit isn't in the picture, I'm sure that once we can start selling some honey, they'll be on the short list.

Jay