The first piece of protective clothing for beekeeping is the beekeeping suit. As a beginner with beekeeping, you should understand and prepare against the bee’s first line of defense, their stinger. Even with an understanding of bee behavior, most beekeepers also wear some protective clothing, such as the beekeeping suit. Many people are allergic to bee stings. But, sometimes the only way that someone discovers that they are allergic to bee stings to the first time that they get stung. If you are considering keeping bees, you should first determine whether or not you are allergic to bee stings. Even very experienced beekeepers get stung. In fact, some beekeepers believe that the more stings a beekeeper receives, the less irritation each one will cause to the body in the future. They believe that it is important for the beekeeper to be stung a few times during the season. With frequent bee stings the beekeepers develop higher levels of antibodies due to the reaction of the bee venom which offers them a resistant to stings in the future.
Reducing Bee Stings With A Beekeeping Suit
The best way to minimize the amount that beekeepers are stung, even very experienced beekeepers usually wears gloves, a beekeeping suit or beekeeper hat or veil. Although, some experienced beekeepers sometimes choose not to use gloves because they inhibit some of the delicate work of working with bees, they still wear a beekeeping suit to keep the potential bee stings to a minimum. Plus, a bee sting that is received on a bare hand can usually be quickly removed by scraping it with a fingernail in order to reduce the amount of venom that is injected. A person’s face and neck are the most important areas to protect because defensive bees are attracted to the a person’s breath. There can be much more pain and swelling on the face than a sting received elsewhere on the body. Plus, it is difficult for the beekeeper to remove the bee sting from their face without looking at a mirror. It is important to learn how to approach the bees calmly in order to avoid an aggressive assault from a large group of bees that is targeting the face.
Details About A Beekeeping Suit
As you begin your beekeeping knowing about the beekeeping suit if great information. A beekeeping suit is a full-length jumpsuit and is worn by the beekeeper when they are tending to the bee hive. This beekeeper suit is usually light in color, typically white, and made out of a smooth material. A beekeepers suit that is light in color provides the largest difference from a bee colony’s natural predators like bears and skunks, which tend to be dark-colored and furry. The beekeeping suit also gives the beekeeper a way to remove stings and venom sacs simply with a tug on the clothing. Protective clothing may also hinder or reduce the venom from the bee-stings from entering into the body. The stings that are left in the fabric of the suit will continue to pump out an alarm pheromone that attracts aggressive action and further stinging attacks from the bees. In order to reduce the risk of the bees picking up the sent the next time that the beekeeper visits the hive, the suit should be washed regularly. They can also rinse their hands in vinegar to minimize the bee’s attraction.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/hobbies-articles/gettings-stung-while-beekeeping-not-if-you-understand-the-beekeeping-suit-3357412.html
About the Author
Jason Honey has been digging gardening for more than 20 years. He has used his knowledge of beekeeping to keep himself safe and his garden thriving year round.
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