My preference has become the jacket, denim jeans, and goat skin gloves.
Only on hot days where I’m planning to do a very very thorough inspection and take a bit longer do I revert to using my 3-layer mesh suit.
Never been stung through my jeansb that I can recall, suit, or jacket. Only had a grazing sting through my gloves. Major stings have come through my socks so now I always smoke my feet and ankles…
Hi there Eweyfam, I think that although it maybe interesting to know what others prefer, ultimately what matters is what you feel most comfortable in, and what gives you most confidence, especially when the bees decide your inspection is not welcome.
Don’t buy a suit online. Go to a shop and try it on. It does need to be loose fitting, but not too big. Try one with a fencing veil, and another with round hat, and see what you like best. Make sure the zips are of good quality.
In summer I’m not usually wearing jeans, so actually takes me longer to change into a jeans and jacket, than a full suit over the shorts and t-shirt.
Once I got a good suit, it really boosted my confidence during inspections and pretty much changed my beekeeping experience.
I totally agree with you that when your confident and comfortable in what your wearing your more than 1/2 way there. I’m a firm believer that the bees can work out if your nervous and will pay you special attention. If you feel ‘bomb proof’, the bees seem calmer and might fly about still but not trying to sting. I have a couple of mesh suits, a cotton suit and a veil cotton jacket.
In my hot climate I usually start with a mesh full suit but they are so hot I work down to what I’m comfortable wearing and can finish with just a veil over my T shirt and shorts. I haven’t worn gloves for a long time as I’m clumsy in them and found the bees a lot more more workable in bare hands and very seldom get a sting there. Funny, I get a lot more stings around my ankles than anywhere else, even wearing white sox.
Work slow and calm, if the bees are a bit on the hot side give it a break for 10 minutes and it can make all the difference. Smoker your hands or gloves before you start. If the hive is angry when you approach it work on a different hive and go back to the hot hive another day. If the whole apiary is hostile then it is likely a weather issue like a thunder storm so far away you don’t hear it, so take the day off and make up some frames or catch upon some painting. Don’t push the envelope of the bees are angry, they will always win and there is always tomorrow.
Cheers
Inspect the 2 nucs today and sited both queens and confirmed they are mated (both very camera shy though):
Heard one of them pipping when I accidently moved a frame. I thought I may have squished her. But alas, I found her alive and well.
Helped a friend with a queenless hive by donating 2 frames of BIAS.
Whilst taking the frames our of my hive I realised I hadn’t zipped up! Up went 4-5 bees. I walked away as calm as I could but as soon as one stung me, the others joined in. Copped 2 to the head and ear, 2 to the chest and arm pit, and about 3 to the ankle 
After I closed up I went to my friends place. Upon putting the frames into his hive, we noticed a charge queen cell on the side of the frame.
I did notice the queen earlier and noted she looked a bit slimmer… I believe they are preparing to swarm… and I’ve inadvertently taken their new queen.
Any tips? I only performed a pre-emptive split 6 weeks ago 
The super is chockers and likely 1 week away from harvest. They are very strong and they were a bit hot today after the stinging I copped.
Ever feel you should have stayed in bed of a morning? I seldom get a single sting unless I am fast enough with the smoker and heavily puff the area to mask the “hey girls, sting here where I have” scent.
With any luck the parent hive will have made more than one queen cell so it might be ok, otherwise you friend might donate a frame or two back if you really ask nicely Fred.
I think you have already worked out why the bees weren’t impressed with you today, really Fred, that is short of your normal standard but I’m sure I have done similar.
Time to have a wine or three, have a look for another queen cell tomorrow or the next day. If the absolute worst happens you can rob a frame of eggs from your other hive so it isn’t all that bad mate, but I’ll bet you feel it can’t get much worse. 
Cheers Fred
The weather has been nice and cool past few days and also by placing 2 empty frames last week, I believe I bought myself more time to sort this swarmy hive.
So today I transferred out 4 frames without swarm cells into a nuc.
I had a queen clip ready to capture the queen but she eluded me (even though I went through the 10 frames twice), until I placed the 4th frame into the nuc and I heard some pipping (fingers crossed I didn’t a) squish her, b) she was on a frame I transfered).
I checkerboarded remaining empty space in the brood box with fresh foundation. This box contained about 3 capped queen cells.
Fingers crossed they believed they’ve swarmed… and won’t cast secondary swarms…
The super is almost ready for extraction!
Absolutely had that feeling that day.
I’ll be glad to report - zero stings today. Though did have one guard me bump my head after I took my suit off. 
Well, I decided to open ‘my other’ hive. It was bursting at the seams also. I found and captured the queen:
I discovered one swarm cell. So I did the opposite of the previous nuc. I put the swarm cell into a new nuc. Transferred another 3 frames of food and BIAS. Then checkerboarded 4 fresh foundations into the empty space of the brood box. Finally, I released to the queen back into the brood box. Does this work?
Did exactly the same thing on the 28th September because I couldn’t find the queen lol.
Estimate the queen cell hatched last Friday, still no eggs when I checked on Wednesday but externally the hive looks normal and isn’t acting queenless. I did find what looked to be QCs started after the split with the sides ripped open.
It’s a less effective swarm control method as the old queen is being left with most of the brood and old workers so she won’t feel as though she has swarmed. In saying that, it appears to have quashed any instinct to swarm in my donor hive.
You will just need to make sure the split has enough workers to survive until the new brood emerges assuming all goes well.
Checked them again at Noon, still no eggs, plenty of stores and room to lay with the new foundation being drawn out.
Decided to go back and have a look at the entrance at 14:30, as soon as I knelt down to look the new queen returned from her mating flight, lucky timing.
Lucky indeed. I wonder if new queens perform orientation flights?
Or do they just go on the mating flights?
Queens can do several orientation & mating flights.
Hey everyone, so little off topic but kinda not.
I’m in Mount Helena and just picked up a hive from partners grandmother, no visible signs of disease.
Swapped frames into new brood box, Some comb/frames very ordinary as it had be neglected for a long time, I have replaced 4 frames (checker board) and just wondering if I should feed to help them draw the comb, they had about a 80% frame of honey.
We are getting a flow but not quite sure and wondering what anyone local thinks.
Sounds like they have plenty of resource to keep them going through to winter. There is plenty forage out. I personally wouldn’t feed.
You’ll be surprised how thickly they will draw that fresh foundation and start using it.
Guess who’s hives decided to swarm this afternoon… 
And the worst thing is I don’t have any hiveware left! 
Me convincing them to come down from up there…
Fred, Fred, Fred, I’d have thought you’d learnt by now. For a while I thought that every time I got new gear someone told the bees and they found me so I bought waaaaay more than I needed and I haven’t seen a swarm since…
Not so busy up this way life is a bit slower up here, glad it’s action stations down your way.
Cheers @skeggley - maybe I should have borrowed some from you…
I was up in Darlington today helping transfer a nuc for a new flowhive owner.
I then went and bought some new frames and borrowed another nuc box from @Steve61 
Thanks mate.
Last night I coaxed the bees into some cardboard boxes I had lying around. Must have captured the queen, as by morning bees flying out of the boxes and whatever left over swarm on the tree branch were gone as well. I threw in some old comb to entice them to stay.
There is 2 swarms by the way. 1 the size of a ice cream container whilst the main one is the size of soccer ball. My thinking that these are secondary and tertiary swarms - as I’d moved the queen into the nuc (this is the one I brought to Darlington today - sighted the queen) - am I correct in thinking this would have been the primary swarm?
I inspected the hive that issued the swarm. They were cranky as and I copped 2 stings on my finger and wrist 
I found a capped queen cell on the second frame, by the third frame I realised the hive was too hot to handle, so I closed them up.
I inspected my second hive. They were bursting at the seem and a lot nicer to handle. I took 2 frames of open brood as enticements for the swarms to stay. I put the brood frame in the middle flanked by fresh foundation frame and foundationless frames on the outside (my thinking is if they are in building mode, let them build).
I brought the nuc boxes over to the neighbours place and shook the cardboard boxes into the nuc. I spotted the queen in the larger swarm and she made her way into the frames. I dumped the remaining bees at the entrance and watched them march into the box. It was amazing to watch.
I performed similar routine with the smaller swarm - however, was not able to spot the queen.
Question - should I move the nucs back to my apiary tonight?
My thinking after reading this thread with responses from @JimM is that the bees and queen haven’t orientated to the new hive yet and if the queen hasn’t gone on a mating flight - I should do this rather than later other.
It’s raining today. The swarmed bees will be staying indoors. Hoping when it clears they will commence re-orientating to the new location.
Hi mate, adding the brood frames was a good idea and so is moving them to your apiary asap before orientation. Adding a branch of leaves in front of the entrance, or exit, would also be worth considering.
Yeah rain, all day, may have been a blessing in disguise.
I’ve not been around here lately so don’t know whether there’s much nectar around your area?
Well done on catching the swarms though and yeah they sound like cast swarms.
