Ask many beekeepers and they will tell you in no uncertain terms that the beekeeping suit one of the most important tools that they rely on every day out in the apiary. No-one wants to get stung up, but on the other hand, no-one wants to be stuck wearing an uncomfortable bee suit. This is why today we will go over the best beekeeping suits that money can buy (at the time of writing anyway!).
Before we start, be aware that you can view any of these beekeeping suits over at Amazon by sinply clicking the image of that suit.
What are the Key Factors When Buying a Beekeeping Suit?
To start, I think it is vital that we talk about the key elements that any beekeeper should look into closely when buying any beekeeping suit.
Material
The most important factor I look at personally when buying a beekeeping suit is the material it is made out of. If you live in a hot and sticky climate, you want to look for something that can keep out the bee stings whilst also providing some element of breathability or ventilation. On the flipside, if you live in a colder climate you want to look for something that is well insulated, keeps out the bee stings but doesn’t weigh you down in the field (literally!). Sounds easy, right!
Quality
Quality is a big factor for me too (if not quite as big as material), as I don’t want to be buying bee suits every year or two. I want something that is well constructed and will last me a good while. Poor quality seams that start to unpick themselves in a few years are a no go for me!
Price
I think most normal people won’t buy anything without first considering it’s price. Yes, you want a quality bee suit made out of appropriate material, but you don’t want to pay over the odds. Although this section is more personal preferences than a hard and fast rule. I wouldn’t recommend that you go for any beekeeper’s suit under $50, as there is no way such a suit can be made well for such a low price. Above that, you need to decide how far you are willing to go in terms of price.
Our Best Beekeeping Suit List:
Suit 1: BEEATTIRE – Bee Suit with Round Hood
This suit is the goldilocks for me personally. It seems to balance all of the three factors above perfectly. It is comes in at a competitive price, but not too cheap as to raise quality concerns. It comes in a quality material that is sting proof (with an Indian cotton base). Add to this reliable YKK zippers and a suit that won’t just fall apart after a years, and it is very tough to beat this particular suit.
Another key factor that this BEEATTIRE suit gets right that many don’t is the design and ergonomics of it. I can’t tell you how many suits have veils that don’t have enough clearance on your face and end up with bee stings. You won’t have such design flaws with this suit; the whole thing feels well thought out. And this suit comes with my preferred round veil, which gives excellent visibility.
The only slight downside is that the sizes are way undersized (leading me to believe that this suit may have been produced with Asians in mind or something). So be sure to look at the BEEATTIRE sizing chart and select the appropriate size before you pull the trigger on this purchase.
This bee suit shows me that you don’t have to pay the earth these days to get a solid and usable product.
Suit 2: Natural Apiary Apiarist Polycotton Suit
This suit is on the pricier side of the bee suits recommended here, but for these extra dollars you will get a step up in quality over cheaper bee suits. For example, those plastic TKK zippers are replaced with metal ones. And those single stitches are now replaced with some good old double stitching loveliness 🙂 The term ‘you get what you pay for’ certainly applies here.
And if you are a beekeeping fashionista, this is a good suit to go for. It actually has a decent cut for a beekeeping suit, so you won’t look like a frumpy mess wearing this suit 🙂 And it comes in all kinds of colors from pink to camouflage. If you want to stand out from the beekeeping crowd, you will love this suit 🙂
Another thing I love about this suit is the number of deep pockets it gives you for keeping all manner of hive tools in 🙂 Your beekeeping tools will always be in easy reach with this suit.
If you need a quality and well-designed suit, and are willing to pay a little more, this would be the suit I would recommend. It will be tough enough for any beekeeping job, and you can look cool (and feel cool) whilst doing it!
Suit 3: The Ultra Breeze Beekeeping Suit with Veil
Another pricier bee suit here, but again you are buying quality. It comes with brass zippers and is made out of layers of breathable mesh fabric. In fact, I would say that this is a great option for any beekeeper that needs to keep cool in the warmer climates, but still wants to have top notch sting protection. This is exactly what this suit will bring you.
The layers of breathable mesh fabric really do their job here and you will struggle to find a suit with similar protection, yet so breathable and cool to wear.
This suit also comes as machine washable as standard, which indicates to me that the manufacturer has a great deal of confidence in the construction of this suit and how it will hold up under the stress of a washing cycle.
The funny thing with this suit is the fact that the multiple layers of mesh construction may seem a tad light and easy to break. I mean, you can see right through it pretty much! Don’t let this deceive you though, as it is the magic of these layers that gives you excellent sting protection whilst giving the breathability to not get all steamed up 🙂 And, as with the last suit, this one also has an excellent range of pockets to store those bee related tools 🙂
Suit 4: OZ ARMOUR Beekeeping Suit
This is another premium suit along the same lines as the Ultra Breeze above. It has the layered mesh material that gives you excellent sting protection whilst also helping you stay cool on a hot Summer’s day. It also comes with the metal zippers and an ample amount of pockets.
Why not just buy the Ultra breeze then? (I hear you ask). Well this Oz Armour suit has a few tricks of its own up its sleeve that you don’t often see in bee suits. Firstly, it comes with both a fencing style veil and a round hat style too. This makes a massive difference, as you don’t have to choose which veil to buy and can have the best of both worlds.
Also, the fencing veil has a unique zipper feature that allows you to open up the front section. This allows to easily take a sip of water, clean your glasses or blow your nose without having to remove the veil. What an awesome idea, right!!
Another interesting feature is the leg high zippers on the pants that allow you to easily take off and put the pants on without having to slip them over your ankles. Perfect for beekeepers that are wearing additional clothes underneath the bee suit (which is probably most of us!).
Again, this suit is on the more expensive end, but what you will get in return for your hard-earned dollars is a reliable and dependable bee suit with some really unique features.
Suit 5: Professional Beekeeping Suit and Goatskin Gloves
I have a feeling that some of you might not be happy seeing so many suits on this list that are in the mid to higher price range. So here is another lower end bee suit that still offers a lot of great features. This bee suit by Buzz Beekeeping Supplies is around half the price of a lot of the other suits in this list, but still has a lot to offer.
Firstly, it is the only suit to come with its own matching gloves (and goatskin gloves no less!). At this price point you can’t expect all that multi ply woven material like you see on the more expensive suits, but what you do get is a solid cotton and polyester blend. So expect this suit to wear a little hotter that those more expensive suits, but it does help that the sleeves of this suit are ventilated at least.
You will be surprised at how good the construction of this suit is, considering its lower price. It will certainly last you several seasons without breaking a sweat! Although don’t expect those high quality zippers found on more fancy suits 🙂
All in all this bee suit does exactly what you need for the price. It is sting proof, has a decent construction and fits surprisingly well for the price. It is good to know that such suits exist at this lower price point. Perfect for the beginner beekeeper just starting out!
