So how many of you always wear your bee suits? When I started out I was jacket, Vail, and gloves every single time I went out to the bee yard. In about a year I dropped the gloves in about two years I dropped the jacket, by 3 years often I don't bother with a Vail.

Now I keep a Vail and long sleeve near in the truck for the times they get hot. And if course won't go out with out them on during the Darth or if I have to work then and it's a chance of rain but 70% of the time I'm working them in pants and a t shirt, at times shorts but that rare.

I was wondering if I'm just an odd ball of if others have progressed to less gear over the years. It's hot and I have trouble seeing through a Vail and it's worse when my glasses get streaked with sweet. Couldn't feel with gloves and smashed more bees wearing them.

Sure I get a few more stings now and then but it not a real issue. I get less reaction then I have in my life so it seem I have built up a tolerance.

Jacket vail and gloves every time. I don’t like getting stung. Maybe my bees aren’t as friendly.

Veil just to keep them out of my face. Don't even bother with that for quick work.

Just keep the jacket in the truck and let the bees tell me if I need it.

vented jacket and gloves 80% of the time - I have 2-3 HOT hives that greet me with kisses when I get about 10' from them. THis time of year, I roll with a jacket, gloves, brush, extendable pole, duct tape and 2 nuc boxes in my truck daily. Learned from last week of April to first half of May to be swarm minded.

The guy that keeps bees here on my land hardly wears anything protective. He tells me that he waves his hand over the hives a few times slowly and the bees recognize him by smell and seldom sting.

mostly my bees are well behaved but usually still gloves and always veil. mostly wear a jacket

It all depends on what needs done. Catching a swarm…just a veil. Adding boxes, or just pulling a few frames for inspection, jacket with veil, no gloves. Taking off honey, especially in the Fall….jacket, veil and gloves.

This is my 50th consecutive year keeping bees. One thing I learned a long time ago….if you’re gonna take off an inner cover, you need to have a smoker lit. Many times you won’t need it, but there are gonna be days, for no apparent reason, they’ll come out with a vengeance. If you’re gonna hold your ground and continue, you’ll need smoke.

It’s been a while since I had to reset a hive after a bear tore things up. But if I do it again, you can’t wear too many clothes. They’ll tear you apart if you give them a chance.

If I have a lot to do I wear a veil, never gloves. I reversed brood chamber boxes the other day and that required a veil. It was way too cold but I needed to get the mite medicine off, so I went ahead. I did get a few stings on my wrists and a few up the pant legs. Doesn't bother much though.
Always fire up the smoker.

I need a new smoker two weeks back the wire tab for opening broke off leaving holes where the spot welds were. It usable but hard to open now. I wanted a bigger one that would not need filled as much now that I have so many more hives than when I started. I could probably just tig something back on the one I have. Infact I probably will . Since the wife and oldest son are getting more involved we need more than one smoker anyway.

Anyone else have trouble sleeping up with their hive knife? I think I have bought about 10 in the last few years and know where one is at right now.


One thing is for sure on a bad day the kids get a good laugh watching ne running across the field waving my arms.

Once I had one crawl up my nose…waited for a moment to see if it’d crawl out. I couldn’t take it anymore and tried to blow it out….I got stung inside my nose…couldn’t stop sneezing for a long time! That cured me from not wearing a veil.

Another time I was installing packages with only a pollinator coat on. I came across a bad batch and got stung through my jeans so many times I thought I was going to pass out!

Today was a bad day to work bees. Cloudy, overcast day….everyone was laid up in the hive with nothing to do. The minute the inner cover came off, I gave them something to do.

When my Dad was alive we were working with the bees and I saw him keep shaking his pant leg. Several hives later it was like someone punched him and knocked the air out of him. I asked what was wrong and he finally said, barely able to get the words out, "Stung me in the (private part)" He hobbled off into the woods to drop his pants.
A good friend of mine told me he was stung in the eyeball while working the bees. I can't even imagine that. As yet I have nothing that comes close to those.

I was stung not on the eyeball but on the edge of my eyelid a few years ago. Couldn't see through that eye for three days. It was a cloudy cold day and all were home with nothing to do but focus on me. Now if I'm at the hive I have a veil on.

Made a pass by some of my hives last week with a bush hog. 18 stings later on the ears, face, neck, and hands , I will now wear a veil not only when working bees, but also when mowing

I miss my gentle bees, but they just didn't have it in them to survive. My current bees are pretty aggressive, so I always wear my gear.

Well since I am allergic to bee stings I guess you would know what I look like in the bee yard. As of yesterday I have caught 11 swarms last week.I wish I did'nt have to ware that hot garb but it is what it is.

My daughter and I ,worked our bees yesterday, We took a couple of stings, but weather was overcast and most were home . Smoked them for mites. Weather has been very cold and backward . Our trees and buds are just starting, to come out , so not a lot of anything for them,to find/ They are brooding up so soon bee flying.

There are many factors that can turn a docile hive into a stingfest overnight. I just wear my jacket/vail for those situations right out of the gate. Many days I don't need it, however.

Might have 20 hives that you can work in a T shirt with no issues, but then you hit that one that's going through something and things change quickly.

Around here Skunk depredation is the #1 cause of a docile hive turning into what you think are Africanized bees.

And somedays you have to work in the rain. Nobody happy in the rain. Bees included.

Truth right here. My out yard got hot, friends that own the place lost a bunch of chickens to coon. I took over a box trap and some dog proofs to avoid problem with the daughters cat. 7 or 8 coons later and a few weeks they were calmed back down.

Same thing at the farm same results several coon and one skunk removed and things were back to normal.