3 Layer Ventilated Mesh Bee Suit

Has anyone bought the FlowHive Bee Suits wanted to know what they think of the Ventilates Mesh Bee Suit.

I am looking for bee suit and would like to get one that would be long lasting.

I have a 3 layer vented suit & I don’t like it. You need a breeze for them to be effective. Without a breeze, I found it heavy & hot to wear. Also bulky around the groin area. I don’t use it.

We know a lady who loves hers.

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@paras I have a 3 layers ventilated full suit since the beginning of the last season (not a FH brand, no brand in fact, from my local bees supply shop and it is made in India) … it worked a treat, never copped a sting as it has outter and inner velco at the top zip joins so no chance for any creatures to get inside my veil, very thick metal mesh hoot compare to my old cheap cotton suit that cost me half the $ of the vented suit but lasted only 1 season … The layers are thick enough to not being stung thru (I did upset the bees a few times from no smoker being used for a quick sneak) … hand wash is pretty easy with warm water and detergent to get the propolis stains off.

I am in much cooler climate down south in Melbourne Australia but do have many 35-40C days in summer. I even stripped down to a singlet inner layer at some inspection and experience no sting.

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I am based in London and wondering what suit to get.

I use a Jacket for my own bees which are not aggressive but have had bad experience with other people’s bees which are far more aggressive and managed to get in the jacket and sting me several times.

https://www.brushymountainbeefarm.com/Ventilated-Suit

This one: Lighter in weight than any suit I’ve ever had, especially the Ultra-Breeze, zero stings after several years.

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Interesting looking suit. Looks much different to the Flow mesh suit. Doesn’t look like it breaths at all, but maybe the holes are just much finer.

It breathes like an expensive sport shoe = very well. Quite stiff though, makes me look like I weigh about 200 kg. :smiley:

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Well, I guess I’ve never had the fortune of owning an expensive sports shoe. Just some Dunlops or cheap Newbalance on sale, one day.

Would love to see a photo Dawn :stuck_out_tongue: Don’t be shy :kissing_heart:

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Before my knees and hip let me down, I used to run quite a bit. The fabric is like you find on a $150+ pair of high-end Brooks shoes. Just lifting your foot you can feel a breeze across the top of your foot.

The only photos I have are with an unfortunately placed smoker, that makes me look like I am peeing smoke. Not gonna post. Sorry!!! :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye: :stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes: :rofl:

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Oh go on… you know you want to.

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It breathes quite well and weighs half as much :wink:

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Good to know. I used my mesh Flow suit for the first time the other week, and I found myself not sweating as much compared to my cotton suit.
I hardly sweated at all. I didn’t feel the weight so much, I was just happy to be cool and not stung. One tried to sting my through my glove - no success. I’m not sure if any tried to sting me through the suit part.
Good to know about the other type of ventilated suit though. Did you also try the Flow mesh suit?

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Nice: I didn’t feel the weight of my Ulta-Breeze until I got the Brushy Mountain suit.

Haven’t tried the Flow mesh suit.

I started with the ā€˜basic and cheap’ cotton suit but a few months ago with sweating up when working in my hives and this then being still our winter I lashed out and bought the OzArmour 3 layer suit. Its cost was much lower than the Flow Hive suit and 3 times at least the cost of the cotton suit.
It is cooler to work in and I have not been stung through it as had happened with the cotton suit, although I have really angered the bees with my ā€˜fumbles’ none have got through to sting me.
The Oz Armour suit has some advantages over other suits and I only have replaces the cotton finger pulls on the zips with metal rings to make suiting up easier. It was frustrating trying to feel for the cotton pulls.
It has given me more confidence that I won’t get punished by my bees so it was worth every cent of the cost.
Regards

Dawn ! Is 200 kg a lot ?! Not a clue. Yesterday I wished I’d put on my ā€œFat Suitā€. My girls got really aggressive in Maple Hive (my flow n nailed me thru my single cotton one. Aaaaaoohie ! Got at least 15 sting thru my suit n gloves … Got the pollen trap off n flow-Super but payed for it.

I’m okay but my arms had a bunch of welt for about 1/2 or so n then disappointed ! On Saturday I hope to finish my first full Autumn in style … ā€œFat Suitā€ style !

Now back to cooking, eating n then dishes.

Cheers,
Gerald

You really got hammered Gerry. I prefer to suit up fully them do a strip, of gear, if the hives are calm. Steady Dawn, Faroe, Eve and the rest of you girls.:sunglasses:
Been a while since I got mass stings like you got.
Regards

What does it weigh compared to normal cotton suit?

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Hi Jerry,

How nice to hear from you! You must have been super busy, because it has been a while, and I have missed you. Hope all is well with you and Vera. :heart_eyes:

Around 440lb. :blush:

Ouch on the stings, Jerry. Be careful, if you get too many at once, you can feel quite unwell from them. Be sure to have some antihistamines available.

Hope you enjoyed your dinner. It looks nice. We had homemade chicken cordon bleu (flattened breast stuffed with Italian ham and Swiss cheese), with a white wine sauce, potatoes and french beans. I made a honey mustard dressing for our salad too - yummy good!

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About two or three times that of a cotton suit but once it is on it seems lighter. It is certainly bulkier but very comfortable.
Regards

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Well I think that would depend on the size of the suit, as the material will increase with size and therefore weight.
Having a quick look, the medium organic cotton suit is: 1.66 kg, the medium 3 layer mesh suit is: 2.15 kg.
I liked the feeling of the suit being bulkier around me (I upped my size as well), and the material not sitting flush on my skin, although they say a stinger can still get through. Where I have gotten stung easily in the past is on the shoulders where the cotton has sat on my shoulders, with the weight pulling from below.
So, I got a bigger suit for bending, kneeling, and with the hope the suit wouldn’t sit on my skin. My idea now is to renovate my suit with some shoulder pads, to lift it up off my shoulders.
The other thing to mention is, due to my sweating issue, it’s terribly hard for me to wear thick heavy shirts etc under my suit. Last time, I just wore my dress to the garden, and chucked my suit on top. (a strappy dress with no shoulders on it).
My beehive isn’t in my garden, so I often have to ride a bike, catch a bus etc, so being able to throw a suit on top of a dress, and have it breathable is important for me.

@Paras I guess you would have to contact the other company and ask for their bee suit weight if the weight of the suit is really important to you.