Ok, I'm in. I think that Mici only wears a hat when he works his bees :roll: :-D
I wash my bee suit about every 2nd time that I wear it. I like the feel of really clean clothes, and I know how dirty my bee suit gets. I am always on my knees out in the apiary when I do stuff, that is inevitable. I always look around the hive bottoms, and all sorts of things. Anyways. My bee suit is is washed in cold water with a little tiny bit of soap only. That way the propolis or whatever else in on the suit does not transfer to other clothes in the next laundry load. And to be on the safe side, after bee suit washing, I don't wash the white, always the darks, then if there is any orange stuff that comes off the suit, it is not as noticeable. Actually I have never noticed anything, so the cold water must work.
I have the Duet by Maytag, this washer is a front opener and has a drum that turns around. It is not the agitator design, so less "banging" of the clothes against the side, maybe this creates less mess for the next load of laundry after the bee suit. Perhaps, maybe. Anyways, wash your bee suits. You will feel better and the bees won't smell human sweat as much. Have a wonderful day, great life, great health. Cindi