# DIY Beesuit?



## Synon (Sep 5, 2009)

I'm interested in making all of my tools and supplies for my first hive next summer. I've seen a lot of DIY hive plans on bee source and other websites, but nothing about creating your own bee jacket or other tools.

I was hoping some of you who own bee jackets and full suits could help me understand what's special about a bee jacket/suit? Can the bee's not penetrate the material used? If so, what material is typically used for bee apparel? Is it pretty thick?

I went to a thrift store today looking for ideas, I noticed they had some martial arts pants and shirts and that "idea light" in my head went on. I have an old Judo Gi and pants from college, it's made out of cotton and the Gi is very heavy and thick, the pants are not nearly as thick but a very tight weave and extremely strong (pretty unrippable) and of course they are both solid white. I honestly don't care how silly I look, and it's a good thing, because I will probably look ridiculous! 

I looked at hats too, I found some Indian Jones style hats that seemed to have a pretty stiff brim. Then I would just need some mesh from the hardware store or an old screen door to attach to the hat and make it zip onto the Gi. 

Anybody else tried making their own beesuit? I would love to hear some other peoples ideas on my plan or if they know a better way to go about this. I promise I'll post pictures too!


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## KQ6AR (May 13, 2008)

A lot of guys where white painters pants, & a long sleeve shirt. The vale will be the hardest part. If you're so inclined you can make everything.

Smoker might take some work to build a good one, Someone here has photo's of one they built.


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## treeoflife (Aug 20, 2009)

A lot of GALS wear white painter's pants and long sleeve shirts as well!  I did buy the veil, however. I've never been stung through my stylish outfit.


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## devdog108 (May 7, 2009)

just so you know, you can get the sheriff style jacket and hood for about $30.00. I wear that and bluejeans and have never been stung through either one...


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## davejw (Aug 9, 2008)

The material should be white. Thickness... the thinner the better. The bees will sting through it if you accidentally pinch them in between some material but generally speaking during the warmer weather you will want to stay cool. The veil is easy if you're handy with some window screen and a comfortable hat. The idea here is to have it black (easier to see through than a white screen) and a few inches away from your face. The bees are attracted to your C02 upon exhalation. Just look at some online form ideas about different kinds but keep in mind it should be washable or at least rinsable. It should cover your ears, face, and neck. The hat that you might use to attach this to needs to be very comfortable to wear and snug so if you bend forward it should support the weight of the veil and prevent the whole thing from flopping into your lap or face. I like the veil/jacket combo with a zipper that attaches the veil to the jacket. Easy to wash and easy to wear. The jacket or lower side of the veil should be made with some sort of stretchy material so the bees that do land on your pants, then crawl up your legs and cannot find their way into you belly area or chest. If they get squeezed they fight back with a rather annoying little sting.
I just reread this and forgot to mention your view. You don't need screening 360 degrees all the way around on the veil. You only need about 180 degrees of view on the front and the rest can be a white colored cloth.
As far as a smoker. Buy one. You could make one out of a few coffee cans and some flashing material but the bellows would be the tough part. Two cans placed over one or each other would work but you still need a source for fresh air to be blown in slowly and steady. You need to connect a handle to the contraption due to the high heat and a first time use would need to take place far away from the bees due to the likelihood of paint burning off of the cans. Have the hose standing by in case you set fire to something.
I'm sure you will get a lot of suggestions to this somewhat absurd idea of making EVERYTHING. Good luck. dave


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## PCM (Sep 18, 2007)

Bee keeping is very diverse !

Some wear no shirt, no gloves, no veil !

Others dress for a war with the worlds !

I use a plain long sleve light blue shirt, no gloves, and a home made veil, useing a cowboy hat, and bridal veil material, and a couple yards of elastic from
Walmart !

I build all my hive boxes, bottom boards, tops etc., but somethings are just plain easier & cheaper to buy.

Oh, I like Flagstaff, only don't get a Motel on Old Hwy. 66, Downtown, Train Horns and train crossing signal bells every 5 minutes all night long !

PCM


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## Cactii (Sep 5, 2009)

I'm a new beekeeper.

I just wear normal clothes - khakis and a long sleeve shirt (all cotton). My wife made a simple veil for me out of plastic window screen. Nothing fancy, I wear a large brimmed woven grass hat underneath it to hold it away from my face.

She made herself one as well. Very cheap to make.

Actually today I just finished making some new Dadant style frames for my supers too. I changed the design a little bit and made foundationless frames.

I don't wear gloves either - they make me clumsy which will make the bees madder.


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## Josh Carmack (Dec 19, 2008)

my first suit was a Ralph Lauren(no reason for the brand other than it was a hand me down) white cotton long sleeve shirt. a 2.50 walmart camouflage hat and wedding toole sewn all the way around, and then sewn to the collar of the shirt. It worked fine untill I ripped the toole and decided I wanted a suit. I quickly ditched the suit due to heat. I later bought me a 10 veil and only started using it again when the bee's felt fall nearing and started to get testy even on good days. I only use the suit for cutouts that are taking a long time and the bees have had enough. I usually wait till I get 3 or 4 stings before it goes on though.


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## reneal (Sep 6, 2006)

When I started I made my own bee jacket/veil. It was really a Goodwill windbreaker, a piece of old fiberglass window screen, a scrap of blue tarp & a bit of velcro tape. I took a square of blue tarp & a square of window screen & stiched them together along three sides, making sort of a bag. This needs to be big enough to fit over your head with plenty of extra space (its much easier to make smaller rather than larger). The tarp portion protected my neck & a hat would hold the screen out away from my face. I then took the velcro tape & sewed one side of it around the neck of the windbreaker & the other side of it around the bottom of the screen/tarp veil. The whole thing looked a bit odd, but I never had a bee get inside the veil & only got stung a couple of times through the windbreaker. I used it for 15 years or so until I got married & the wife decided I needed a bee suit. I just bought another white windbreaker the other day & am going to move the velcro tape from the old windbreaker to the new, cause a jacket sure is handier than a full suit a lot of the time.


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## papa bear (Nov 1, 2005)

all of these are good. i broke down this year and bouhgt a bee suit , because of doing cut outs. man , you want to talk about sweating! my great-grandfather that kept bees back in the 30's had long sleeves and he used mosquito netting on his head. that was when they made bee-gums by cutting down the trees. he used a smudge pot for smoke, basically a can with rags in it. i tried a painters tyvek coveralls once, but they didn't last long


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## PCM (Sep 18, 2007)

I should of added with my post above.

I have a hooded suit I wore 3 times I believe !

Hot, Hot, Hot, and could not breath, no air movement thru the hood !

I'll take my home made cowboy hat, and $1.17 Walmart veil.

You can have your bee removals !

PCM


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## garprob (Jan 20, 2009)

THis is my first year and had not been stung during an inspection until last week. I had always worn a veil and a thick long sleeve cotton shirt and blue jeans. This last time they stung me four times in 5 minutes right through the shirt. I assume they have gotten more aggressive with more honey to defend. I plan on wearing a fleece jacket or something over the top of the shirt for the remainder of this year and hope to go back to the plain shirt next spring.


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## bigbearomaha (Sep 3, 2009)

I use a heavy denim blue jeans, denim long sleeve shirt. I broke down and bout the hat/veil. Haven't met a bee yet that can get through heavy denim.

Of course, we must be graced with mostly peaceable bees around here, Either that or I have done a decent enough job of not getting them too fired up.

Big Bear


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## KQ6AR (May 13, 2008)

I found some of the smoker pictures, very cool.
http://www.beesource.com/forums/showthread.php?t=214110&highlight=smoker
http://www.beesource.com/forums/showthread.php?t=214297&highlight=smoker
http://www.beesource.com/forums/showthread.php?t=214392&highlight=smoker


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## Apuuli (May 17, 2006)

A gi is probably a bad idea. They tend to be really thick and therefore hot except for the large loose opening in the front. You might want to try a pith helmet for the hat. They are cool and have very strong brims. However, if you're going to buy a hat, you might as well buy a veil. Of course peasants everywhere weave their own hats: palm fiber, papyrus, rushes, so good luck with that.

In the winter I just wear a tie-down veil and gloves but in the summer it's easier for me to throw on white coveralls than change into trousers and long sleeves. And it's hot. So far I haven't noticed that my honey is extra salty, but I sure do sweat a lot into the hives...

What are your plans for forging a hive tool? Is there much iron ore in your neck of the woods?


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## Synon (Sep 5, 2009)

This is exactly what I needed! Thanks for sharing all your ideas! 

I'm realizing that yeah, the Gi is a bad idea, it's very very heavy and I think I would burn up pretty fast out in the sun. I wasn't sure if the bee suit was more meant to stop bee's from penetrating the clothing, but it sounds like anything white will do. I'll check into the hats and see if I can find some screen door mesh.

The painters coveralls is a great idea, I also found some white coveralls on ebay for $1 plus shipping ($5) used in the medical field, so similar to tyvek. It's got elastic cuffs and ankles and the front zips up. I wonder if I can get combined shipping, I get a couple if they wear out quickly.

That's a cool looking smoker! I might break down a good a good smoker, I don't know where I could get a billow from if I was going to make one myself.

Thanks for the great ideas!


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## waynesgarden (Jan 3, 2009)

If you use mosquito netting, I think the darker the material the better. Due to the mosquitos reaching intolorable levels here in Maine, I bought a cheap mosquito veil. It is a green fabric with a tight mesh which works great for keeping the mosquitos out. If the sun is shining bright though, I might as well be blind for all the visibility it affords.

Take your netting outside on a bright day and peer through it before spending any time working it into your bee ensemble.

Wayne


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## BonnieBee (Jul 29, 2007)

Synon said:


> ... I don't know where I could get a billow from if I was going to make one myself.


I believe some of the major bee suppliers sell just the bellows as a replacement part.


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## NasalSponge (Jul 22, 2008)

If you want something cheap that they can't sting thru....my first bee suit was a windbreaker. Not the best color or material but sting proof, at least I never got stung thru it...but HOT. I mostly wear gym shorts and a ss tee now.


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## Kwin the Eskimo (May 4, 2009)

Flight Suit (left over) = $0
Nomex Gloves (left over) = $0
GI Mosquito Net (Army Surplus) = $5


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