Storing your bee suit

Hi, we’ve recently purchased a flow hive along with the bee suits, which are the 3 layer ventilated ones. The info sheet that came with the suits mentions they are best hung up, not folded. I was thinking about getting a couple of breathable and moth-proof garment bags with the front zipper.? Has anyone else used something like this? My husband is over 6ft so I was thinking of perhaps just pulling the legs up and attaching to the suit somehow.

1 Like

I hang mine up in the garage because of the humid climate here in Tennessee. It dries out better. I don’t think I would put that much worry into it unless it’s not in use.

1 Like

Thank you Martha, appreciate sharing your thoughts. Kind regards, Ann

1 Like

Like @Martha, we just hang ours up in the shed. I put a heavy duty coat hook on the wall, and they hang on it, well clear of the ground. Once they are sticky with honey and propolis (doesn’t take long), you probably won’t want them in the house or in a garment bag. :blush:

1 Like

Thanks Dawn, good points. The shed sounds like the place to hang them. Kind regards, Ann

1 Like

I also washed mine with a little bleach and it came out just fine. I did not put it in the dryer though. :smiley:

1 Like

I wash mine about once per year, when it gets really sticky. After all, it is a work suit, meant to protect me and my clothing, it isn’t a fashion item that should look pristine! :rofl: In fact, when I wore a new suit during a visit to a hive in our community garden, the gardeners were suspicious that I was a new beekeeper who didn’t know what they were doing! :blush:

I use a small amount of cold water detergent, but no bleach. I always remove the veil before washing. I do tumble dry on low, but my suit is marked as being tolerant of tumble drying. Gloves are a bit more tricky. I have goat skin gloves, and I hand wash the fabric gauntlet parts of those, but I use saddle soap to clean the leather. I don’t do a really thorough job, I just get the sticky honey and enough of the propolis off to stop them from going stiff. I try not to use anything strongly scented, given bees’ sensitivity to powerful odours. :wink:

Probably more than anyone wanted to know, but the lovely @Martha started it! :heart_eyes:

1 Like

I use bleach or I look like I’ve rolled around in Grey Poupon mustard. But I don’t dry it in the dryer because of the plastic zippers and elastic on my suit. I wish I had metal zippers!

1 Like

I agree with Martha. We did the same thing with our suits. They are OK. By the way, I also think metal zippers would be great.

1 Like

One concern with metal zips is that they could rust more easily and also become jammed more easily with wax. I will pass this feedback onto our product manager though. :slightly_smiling_face:

I alternate between a soak in nappie sand or a gentle wash in the machine. When I put in the machine I’ll fold the veil into the jacket and zip it up.

I tend to wash mine when I have done an aggressive hive to remove the pheromones - seems to be every few months…

Is there a concern for propolis coming off in the washing machine and sticking or is it fine in a cold wash?

My bee-suit is the most expensive garment in my wardrobe so I take it to the dry cleaners every month.

:crazy_face:

And BTW metal zippers don’t rust, and mine are brass so will outlast the suit, and me. Far superior than plastic zips.

1 Like

Hasn’t been an issue to date. The propolis tends to be on my gloves rather than the suit.