Beekeeping Suit: Buying Guide

Most people who want to buy a bee suit have to buy them online and go off terrible photos or an awful size chart. We can help guide you in the right direction so you buy a beekeeping suit that fits your needs.

We have many other guides available, including a very in-depth dive into the beekeeping equipment needed to get started.

At the most basic level, a bee suit should protect the beekeeper from being stung and should fit comfortably while using it. You would think these two basic requirements would be easy to find when looking for a bee suit for sale, but it isn’t.

One of the popular designs is the fencing veil, which provides enhanced protection and comfort due to its spacious and detachable design, allowing for better visibility and airflow.

Beekeeper suits made from these materials are typically the most affordable and commonly available. Amazon is full of these bee suits, and their quality is shocking. 

You would think companies would care more about their product and sell something to protect people from stings.

These single-layer fabrics can range in quality from very thin to thick, like canvas. Bees can still sting through the fabric, so the thicker the fabric, the safer a beekeeper will be from stings. 

Humble Bee and Natural Apiary are two brands that have been making these suits for several years and are popular mid-tier full suits.

These and all single-layer bee suits have a major downside. They are very hot, and when a beekeeper gets hot, they sweat. The fabric will get wet from the sweat and start sticking to your skin or already soaked shirt. 

These suits have become popular over the years with both beginner and professional beekeepers. These suits provide good protection from bee stings, and the best ventilated bee suits are practically sting-free.

A ventilated suit allows air to move through the fabric, cooling the beekeeper. The material is a thick layer of mesh or multiple layers of mesh that is too thick for a bee sting to penetrate but still allows air through. 

One of the best things about ventilated suits is they can be worn without a shirt or long pants. This is a huge plus when it’s extremely hot outside and you have a lot of work to do in the bee yard.

A couple of types of ventilated are used in ventilated bee suits. We have used all of them, and there are significant differences among them.

This material is the best of the best for ventilated bee suits. It has three layers of different types of mesh that together are about 5mm thick. 

This is almost twice the thickness of a bee’s stinger, so they are practically sting proof. There are different types of mesh, and their quality is hard to discern from a picture. 

We have the image of the fabric here for you to see. But again, you get what you pay for in a bee suit, so if it is a full bee suit and costs less than $100, be wary of it.

This was the first material we used in a ventilated bee suit , and it does a fine job of protecting a beekeeper from bee stings. However, the material is not durable and would only last for a beekeeper for a year or two. 

The suit we wore ripped within the first year, while the 3 layer-vented bee suits have been used for several years and still work great.

This material is often advertised as a lightweight option, which is true. They are lighter than the three layer option, but they feel cheap. 

Another negative that we found with this material isn’t very comfortable. We tried wearing this material without a shirt to help stay cool, and the foam was irritating to the skin.

Traditionally, beekeepers wear white-colored clothing when working with their bees. The suits are white, the gloves are white, and even the hives are white. 

The general advice is that bees do not like dark colors. Presumably, because bear fur is dark, bees and bears, well, let’s say, have a complicated history.

In reality, we have found that using other colors with bee suits has yet to make that much of a difference. The only difference we have found is that a darker suit could get hotter from the sun’s rays. But even that isn’t noticed much. What we have noticed with the dark-colored suits is that they don’t show dirt very much.

Our white suits and jackets get very dirty after a year and must be washed. Our olive green suit looks great, and you don’t see dirt on it. So go ahead and get a bee suit or jacket that is a different color than white if you want to; the bees don’t mind.

• Large Pull Rings and YKK Zippers – Make it easy to zip open and close.
  
  

• High-Quality Veil – This is hard to tell from pictures, but a high-quality veil is worth paying for as it is durable and easy to see through. Cheap suit = cheap veil.
  
  

• Triple Layer Fabric – Most durable, coolest, and most comfortable suit.
  
  

• Plenty of Pockets – It’s better to put your keys in a pocket than set them down (trust us).
  
  

• Overlapping Zippers – If you want a truly sting proof suit, you want the chest and veil zippers to overlap.
  
  

• Easy Open Veil – It’s handy to have a veil that opens in the front for a quick drink.
  
  

• Extra Long Leg Zipper – It is so much easier to put a suit on when you don’t have to take off your shoes.
  
  

• High-Quality Velcro and Elastic – Cheap velcro and elastic bands don’t last long and create a place for bees to get in.

These suits are truly the best beekeeping suit on the market. We are proud to have these suits and use them in our apiary. 

We have been selling suits for years, and they have gone through several updates, each time adjusting the fit and adding features.

These suits are so great; they have their trademark and business. The Sting Stopper brand makes a full line of protective gear, including jackets, gloves, suits, and more. 

The features that we are listing above are all included in our suits. 

It may sound like we are just promoting the features of our suits. We are, but that is because we have put the right features in our suits after compiling customer feedback for years.

We aren’t promoting our suits because we sell them; we promote them because they are the best beekeeping suits on the market, and we worked hard to make them that way.

• Poor Pictures – This shows the company doesn’t pay attention to details.
  
  

• Size Chart – Needs to be accurate and helpful; if not, avoid buying.
  
  

• Permanent Veil – If the veil doesn’t zip off, the suit is made cheap.
  
  

• Comes In A Kit – A suit included in a kit with tools, hives, etc… is trying to add perceived value at a cheap price.
  
  

• Generic Company – If the company can only be found on Amazon and there is not business/website associated with it, avoid it.
  
  

• American Flag- This sounds strange, but many bee suit companies put an American flag on it to make it seem like it is made in the USA. But they aren’t, and they often say “Made For Americans” in little letters beside it… How lame is that?
  
  

• Photoshopped – If the company selling it has photoshopped a model into the suit, it shows that they aren’t actual beekeepers and don’t understand what’s important.
  
  

• Carrying Bag – If the product makes a big deal about the carrying bag, they are trying to distract buyers away from a low-quality suit.
  
  

• Not an American Company – When the bee suit is sold from another country, it is typically just a quick, cheap sale, and the company isn’t trying to earn future business.