# Stung through a bee-suit



## KeyBeeper

Is it possible? I'm not asking if they can get in, I'm asking of they can sting right through the fabric. 

I saw a reality show that had a moron exterminator in Louisiana - killed a HUGE hive in a wall. He didn't wear a traditional bee-suit because he said he's been stung while wearing them. He wore an odd home made contraption - I can't remember all the junk he put on - but let's just sum it up by saying he wore a ladies boa to protect his neck.

He got stung several times by the way. 

One more question. I'm going to order the ultra-breeze jacket and hood to work my first hive this year. Going with jeans and regular clothes on my lower half. Any recommendations? Will that work?


----------



## beemandan

It doesn't matter what you wear, you're gonna get stung. I've been stung through blue jeans a number of times. But, for the most part, they don't sting through any fabric. The thing that makes stings more tolerable as a beekeeper is that you're psychologically prepared for it. So, when you're working bees, in the back of your mind is the likelihood that you'll get stung. Then, when it happens it still hurts but it isn't a shock.


----------



## BEES4U

There are some styles that allow the bees to walk to the end of the zipper and you will get several stings close to the throat!
Ernie


----------



## KeyBeeper

BEES4U said:


> There are some styles that allow the bees to walk to the end of the zipper and you will get several stings close to the throat!
> Ernie


The Ultra Breeze is not one of those is it?


----------



## JoeMcc

Ultrabreeze has a Velcro strip at the top of the zipper.

JoeMcc


----------



## Beeslave

Bees can and will sting through the fabric. If the fabric is thicker than the stinger is long it will greatly reduce the chance of a sting. Loose fitting suits work best but you will still get stung occasionally.


----------



## Ski

Keybeeper,
The ultra-breeze jacket is the best and you will appreciate it in the Georgia sun, I have been stung through blue jeans as well they, were tight on my leg at the time. I would expect that after a while you will go without gloves as well and you will get stung once in while. Overall the ultra breeze and blue jeans will work fine.


----------



## KeyBeeper

Thanks for the advice Ski. I just got a little birthday money and I'm going to convert it into a bee-suite pretty quick. The big Five-Oh.


----------



## NasalSponge

What happens is the stinger when pulled from the bee does not stop working but continues to slide two barbed sections back and forth pulling it deeper and deeper into whatever was stung, so a minute or so after being stung in the suit or pants the stinger can work thru and begin to contact skin.


----------



## StevenG

Some folks don't bother with the expense of a bee suit. They just use jeans, old long sleeve white shirt no longer fit for public use, pith helmet and veil, and do just fine. Oh, and I worked the gals like that yesterday, no gloves, too cool but had to do it, 4 stings on the hand. Fortunately 3 were on the arthritic hand. "medicine" can be rather painful. :lpf:
Regards,
Steven

Oh! And congratulations on the big 5-0!!! You're not getting old, you're aging like fine wine! :thumbsup:


----------



## franktrujillo

LOL!!!if getting stung is a problem don't kick the hive.........


----------



## Budster

A few years ago I bought an el-cheapo set of used coveralls from EBay. ($3.00)They weren't specific to beekeeping, but they were made out of some thin material of a sorts. I've never got stung through them or my veil, but I've had the occasional bee go up the pants leg. She didn't go far enough up my leg to "visit the boys" thank goodness, but that is all I ever get, is the rare occasion of a bee up the pants leg. The cover-alls are white, which is supposed to be a plus. The coveralls have snaps to tighten them around the ankles, but lazyness prevails with me usually on the snaps on the ankles. Buy a jacket or coveralls your comfortable with and go at it. It wont be that you get stung 5 times everytime you visit the bees. Some beeks wear whatever they have on them for the day, and very rarely get stung.


----------



## CentralPAguy

You will love the Ultrabreeze Jacket -- I am thinking of getting a smaller one for friends who may want to visit with me while working the bees.

I normally wear Khaki cotten pants. It seems that the only time that I got stung with bees climbing up my foot was when I was working the bees at dusk where they land on the grass and crawl up.

When I got stung thru my pants was when I had kneeled down to put some frames of bees into a nuc and it made my fabric snug across the leg and daggone it, they seemed to enjoy stinging me multiple times then.

I have gotten stung on my hand even though there was no bee around to sting it. I think that when they sting your coat, they are leaving their stingers behind and I was stung with no bee around.


----------



## BEES4U

NasalSponge said:


> What happens is the stinger when pulled from the bee does not stop working but continues to slide two barbed sections back and forth pulling it deeper and deeper into whatever was stung, so a minute or so after being stung in the suit or pants the stinger can work thru and begin to contact skin.


You may get stung . But, her sting volume will be reduced
Ernie


----------



## NasalSponge

Quite true...not near as bad as a full on, unprotected sting.


----------



## magnet-man

CentralPAguy said:


> I normally wear Khaki cotten pants.


Khaki pants are what I wear also. They are loose fitting and keeps the stinger away from your skin. I have had the same problem with them going up the leg a few times. I will get a few stings on the thighs and hips at time. You can pick up a pair of Khakis at Target for around $15.


----------



## Ross

If you sweat and it sticks to your skin, they will sting right through. Ultrabreeze fixes this problem. In cooler weather, the plain ones work ok.


----------



## KeyBeeper

Thanks for all the great replies.

I have 4 boxes built. Bought a table saw for the sole purpose of beekeeping. Have to make the bars (warre hive), roof and base and then I'm good to go. I expect to be in bees in early April. I really excited, can't wait to be a REAL beekeeper instead of the guy who has been reading every book he can get his hands on for the last 3 years.


----------



## BillS

I saw that show,and I wouldn't be caught dead in a get up like that . That said, loose fitting is the best. I have found they can sting through just about anything if it is tight against your skin.

Bill Schaefer


----------



## trapperbob

yep there sting resistant not sting proof and if you wear gloves they can get you there to ussually through a seam as a beekeeper your going to get stung just a fact of life.


----------



## hoodswoods

I mistakenly wore my dark carpenter work gloves working my bees & they had no trouble penetrating them. If you're gonna wear just jeans, I suggest taping the bottoms shut with duct tape. Unlike most stings, that if you scrape the stinger off, causes just a day or so of mostly itching, a sting on the upper thigh with the poison sac squished into will bother you for a good week.

Stings around the face or especially eyes can be very dangerous - I rarely NOT wear my hood, but probably more times than I should. It always suprises me, sometimes takes a few minutes to realize it, and (sometimes) actually feels good, in a weird sort of way, especially when you have arthritis.


----------



## TXbeekeeper

I received an Ultra-breeze full suit from my daughters for Christmas. I'm a little sensitive to stings but really enjoy beekeeping. It is without a doubt one of the best gifts I've ever received. I'm tall and slender so there were some modifications required to get it to fit properly. Bill was all to happy to make sure I was satisfied with the fit. Another great benefit is how cool you stay while wearing it. I suppose a sting through is possible, but based on the construction of the suit not very probable. I've used it several times and I highly recommend the Ultra-breeze if you are in the market for a suit or jacket.......A++++


----------



## Chick

The tyvek disposible coveralls, made by DuPont, is bee-proof. There cannot sting through this material. It does not stretch at all and does not breath, at all, but, they are fairly cheap.


----------



## johng

Most of my stings have come from me doing stupid stuff. Like taking a quick peak at them while I'm waiting on my wife to get ready to out to eat or something. I have very rarley been stung when I'm working them. And I just wear a cheap white wind breaker with veil and jeans. I want to get a jacket with a zip on and off viel more for convienence than anything. I have also used a long sleve white dress shirt with good luck.


----------



## Budster

Chick said:


> The tyvek disposible coveralls, made by DuPont, is bee-proof. There cannot sting through this material. It does not stretch at all and does not breath, at all, but, they are fairly cheap.


That's what I used when I started. You can buy them at Lowes, Home Depot, etc. They are bulletproof in the beeyard as far as I'm concerned, but, you'll sweat like you've been at the gym all day long!!!

If you buy a pair, go a little big as the crotch will rip out in a hurry if you dont..


----------



## Denise

In a year Ive only been stung once, and that was by a dead bee I picked off some comb, after a bear got to em. I wear white coveralls and a zipped vail, all loose fitting. I cant wait to be confident enough to go with out gloves! 
Im getting my son his first bee suit, he is 8! He is excited, I am too!

Ive never been afraid of being stung though, cant imagine going in to this fearful, the first time I bought a package of bee's and walked out of the local apiary, I thought how cool is this!!! Not, am I gonna get stung?


----------



## BEES4U

Denise said:


> I thought how cool is this!!! Not, am I gonna get stung?


You might consider wearing those gloves until you have more experience and develop more sting resistance.
I was helping a friend yesterday and his bees stung me 8 times on the left hand and 4 on the right hand. I went back to the truck and put on my gloves.
It/s like I knew better too.
I went back into the hive and found out that they were very much queen less so we gave them a frame of eggs and larvae to improve their moral.
Ernie


----------



## Denise

Oh for sure!! Im not going gloveless anytime soon!!!! Just cant wait till I can is all. My gloves are so bulky, its hard sometimes! But Im keepin em on for now


----------



## throrope

Yea, I get stung through the suit. My hives are all from swarms and I'm sure they lost some of the gentler genetics. Hives also become more defensive when stores are short and/or when forage is not plentiful.

I use a heavy cotton half suit with zippered self supporting vale.

I usually get it at where the elastic of the glove holds the suit against my upper arm and find stings in similar places where the suit is close. I never get them under the vale unless I forget to completely zipper and secure the velcro.

Unless I'm lazy, now I wear a long sleeve medium weight cotton shirt under the suit, nylon wind pants with velcro closure and jeans underneath and rain boots. With that get up the stingers don't reach through the layers and I'm rarely stung but plenty hot.


----------



## berkshire bee

being comfortable and being able to relax are two important issues. Wear what gives you the level of safety and comfort you can live with. If your a nervous and sweating to death fro the clothes you have on, the experience won't be as much fun. I started out with an old pair of loose fitting painters pants, and an old long sleeve loose fitting "dress" shirt and a tie down veil. At first I put rubberbands around the cuffs, but don't bother anymore. This "beekeeping suit" has worked fine. Later I bought a pair of gloves to keep around for when the bees get pissy


----------



## devdog108

I got the Sheriff suit from Mann Lake. I got hit in the shoulder 3 times through the suit this past winter. No big deal, day or so itching, but no swelling any more. I wear loose Jeans and my top now without worry. I plan on getting stung. If they are crawling, watch your ankles. Once they are in, they are in......i took 20 below the belt in the beginning of February.and i danced a lot, but still finished what i was doing then went into the pine thicket and STRIPPED......that was a rough night. Next day, only the one hurt......


----------



## 3pianists

Funny story about stinging through things:
Last summer at the state fair, I brought a single-frame observation hive with some of my girls. Of course, a bunch of kids came up, and I had a great time showing them the workers, drones, queens, etc. One pair of kids was particularly interested. After I answered a few of their questions, they were feeling at home with the bees and started touching the hive--pointing at their favorite bees, examining the jar of syrup on top, poking at the air vents. Dad, not wanting them to knock the jar off or get stung through the vents, decided to tell them a tall tale...

"You know, they can sting through that wood." _Naw_, they think, _he's just pulling our legs._
"No, seriously. Look at what they did to my arm on the way up here! I just laid my arm down on top and BAM! They stung me all over!" (He had a convenient poison ivy rash, which he used to great effect...) At this point the sharper of the two noticed that the wood was thicker than the bees were long. Not perturbed by this, Dad added to his story...
"See those stripes?" (They're Italians...) "Those are actually their curled-up stingers. They're spring-loaded!" :lpf: The poor kids weren't sure what to believe!

Eventually he told them that my bees couldn't really sting through the wood, but there was enough doubt remaining in their minds for them to keep a little more respectful distance!

Hope that brightens your day! 
3pianists


----------



## KeyBeeper

Thanks for all the great replies - lots of good stories. I got more than a few laughs. As for me, I'm not afraid of being stung - I fully expect to be stung. But it helps me to know what to expect. If I'm wearing jeans, Ultra Breeze jacket and veil - and being new I falsely believe I'm bulletproof from the waist up - then it would have been quite a shocker to get a couple of stings in the arms. Now that I've read you're stories, I know better how to prepare and what to expect.

Thanks again for sharing - much appreciated.


----------

