Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum
BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => THE TRADING POST => Topic started by: teebo on October 14, 2010, 01:42:04 pm
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I went to Honeymoon Apiaries web site and contacted them by email. Their web site is now back up and running and taking orders. Just thought I'd let everyone know. Here is their web site, honeymoonapiaries.com
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Thanks for the update!
...DOUG
KD4MOJ
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That's good news. Thanks.
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That's good to know, Bill made a good product in the past hopefully whoever is making them now will keep up the quality.
I see the price went up a bit, but isn't everything?
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Someone fill me in on this suit. I am in need of a new one, my budget mann lake jacket/veil is getting kind of ratty looking.
Specifically, I do alot of cutouts and wonder how this design would hold up to rugged use. Is it prone to snagging and/or tearing in the rough enviroment of a cutout? BTW, I take all comers and am often 30+ feet off the ground or up trees. If it is more of a beeyard type suit that's fine too, as I could use one of those as well since the canvas of the mann lake gets me to sweating like a hog in Georgia heat.
Another thought in light of the recent discovery of AHB here is that I may need to step up my level of protection I like to work bare handed and only wear the veil to keep the ladies out of my hair (they seem to have a penchant for nailing me on the top of my head). Opinions?
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David go to there web site and look I just got mine but it will be next year before I use it alot to know how it will hold up. I can tell it will be a whole lot cooler.
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Cooler is GOOD.
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The guy who invented the UltraBreeze beekeeping suit was a beekeeping CPA from Tulsa, OK. He died unexpectedly this past year. His wife and child have now moved to Connecticut to be with family. Apparently they had a family confab and Bill's family (Aunt ?) has decided to continue making the suit/jackets.
Two of his family members were at the Oklahoma State Beekps meeting here in OKC yesterday promoting the product and they gave the above update. They had lots of samples of the product there so I got to "handle" one for the first time. It is made out of 3 layers of a very open weave fabric that when worn is supposed to be much cooler than the traditional suits we all have, but provided the best sting protection you can get, even when wet. The vice-pres of my local club gave a testimonial saying he has 3 different bee suits and the UltraBreeze is the only one he will wear now.
I think they were selling the jackets for about $146 and the full suits a bit higher. Here is their website:
www.honeymoonapiaries.com (http://www.honeymoonapiaries.com)
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They're a little pricey but cool would be worth it. My only concern is durability as I don't replace equipment every year and am rough as all get out on my equipment. The mann lake product has served me well but is warmer than I like down here in Georgia. I'd do cut outs au natural if I could get away with it in the heat.
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The Ultra Breeze was copied from a Golden Bee suit. They both use the same material for the main construction of the suit. The major differences are the hood and the pockets.
I have three of the Golden Bee suits and have had one of the Ultra Breeze. The UB is a good in the yard suit and sometimes has better vision unless the sun is at your back and on the inside of the veil.
I do three to five cutouts per week all season long and found that the UB hood did not fit in floor joices and tight spots I needed to get into. It also did not move with my head so looking straight up was also a problem.
The GB suit used to be made with a white veil material that I would touch up the inside with a black magic marker for better vision. The newer ones are made with a black screen and painted white on the outside. I found that this is not an improvement as the paint will peel off. Susie is ordering white material to replace my veils on our new suits and the one I bought for OKiequeenbee.
As for durability, I have no holes in any of my suits including the one I bought in 2002. Unfortunately, OKiequeenbee is a little rough on stuff and has torn hers on a barbed wire fence. One should be careful when walking close to telescoping tops with nails working their way out. I have caught mine on those nails but have not torn my suit yet.
I also have a UB jacket that is nice for light work or early/late in the year when I wear long pants. With the full suits I will wear nothing but shorts, socks, and boots, and an occasional sweatband.
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Anybody wash theirs? How many times?
I like to wash my suit a few times a year. After sweating, and I mean SWEATING, my jackets take on a stiff feel from all the salt and dirt. I'll wear a jacket sometimes 8-12 hours a day.
So how do they hold up being hand washed in the sink?
Thanks.
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Since I do three to five cutouts per week during the season I get mine really dirty and sticky, so I will wash mine at least once a week depending if the job is overhead where the honey and dirt rains down all over me or in a wall where I don't get very soiled.
I didn't like the veil in the Ultrabreeze so I didn't use it much or have to wash it much either. The hood didn't fit well in the washer and had to be hand washed. The suit washed as well as a Golden Bee suit but since Bill didn't backstitch the ends of his stitching I was a little weary of washing it too often.
My Goldens just get thrown in the machine and washed in regular detergent hoods and all, then thrown over a drying rack in the basement. I have been treating my oldest suit this way since 2002 and is still my favorite.
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Both are fine suits and are about as sting proof as suits get. I really haven't had the need though to wear either one, which I have one of both, since our bees here 99.9% of the time are nice and gentle.
...JP
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jp have watched 2 of your ytube videos and you must truly be a bee whisper or some thing how do you do cut outs with out even a hat and veil i dont think my bees would let me do that it seams if i get one sting then all her sisters want to jump on the boat
do you have cut outs where the bees are more aggresive or do i just not have the right technique
Dave
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Dave, its not me, really, well, maybe me a little, but mostly its what we have currently, which for the most part are pretty cool bees.
Now you will notice how I use my smoker, I don't do a cut out without it!
...JP
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Dave you gotta understand what JP has in that smoker that mellows out the bees he is working with. Also he has a magic flute, but he will not admit to it. :-D
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I don't even wanna hear about his "magic flute".
Scott
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Well, I don't want to hear about your "hardwood". :shock: :-D
...JP
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Anyone want to hear about my magic umbrella??
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Yes Annette, do tell! ;)
...JP
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I once had a magic umbrella that gave me great powers including the power to attract whatever I wanted. But after enjoying the magic umbrella for several years, the umbrella told me it had to go away to another person. I felt a bit sad, but I was very happy for the new recipient. I have heard great stories about the umbrella helping this person attract honeybees. You see, whatever you wish for when you hold the umbrella, well that is what you receive.
The umbrella decides when it stays and goes!!
sorry for hijacking topic!!
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You see, whatever you wish for when you hold the umbrella, well that is what you receive.
Sounds like you should have wished for all us us to get a magic umbrella :-P
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Sheesh...magic flutes, hardwoods and umbrellas....talking about a Led Zepplin "Stairway to Heaven' flashback 8-)
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Annette, the red umbrella (parasol :-D ) has indeed brought me very good luck this season and I'm hoping to put it to good use again this upcoming season.
However, as I mentioned before, if you somehow make it over to Bud's this upcoming April I will hand it back over to you. I think it misses you sometimes, some days when its really quiet, you can hear it crying out "Annette, Annette..." ;)
...JP
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A talking magic umbrella?
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do like the umbrella and jp's parasol well jp any thing special in smoker i once read in an old book by walter kelly about using ammonia nitrate in smoker and it was supposed to make nitrous oxide (laughing gas) :evil:
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Annette, the red umbrella (parasol :-D ) has indeed brought me very good luck this season and I'm hoping to put it to good use again this upcoming season.
However, as I mentioned before, if you somehow make it over to Bud's this upcoming April I will hand it back over to you. I think it misses you sometimes, some days when its really quiet, you can hear it crying out "Annette, Annette..." ;)
...JP
If I can't come to Bud's, maybe the umbrella will fly home to me, of its own accord of course.
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a talking magic umbrella?
Stick around here long enough and anything is possible :-D
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You see, whatever you wish for when you hold the umbrella, well that is what you receive.
Sounds like you should have wished for all us us to get a magic umbrella :-P
Reminds me of the story of the genie in the lantern, when you get 3 wishes, one of them should be to get more wishes.
Lets all wish for an ultrabreeze suit!! :-D
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I picked a bad day to stop sniffing glue...