More About the Beekeeper Suit
A
beekeeper suit is related to job safety of beekeeping. Prior to working with
bees, you should really understand how the bees are making use of their first
line defense. Even with a clear understanding, a beekeeper should still use
protective clothing just for their safety. There are a lot of people who are
allergic to bee venoms after being stung by a bee. This allergic reaction
usually appears after being stung for the first time. So it is worthy to check
whether you are allergic to bee stings if you decide to do beekeeping.
There
is a belief that the more sting you get you will get more immune to bee stings
in the future. That is why some beekeepers get themselves stung for several
times. Frequent bee stings will stimulate the production of antibodies against
bee venom hence the body becomes resistant and prevent the allergic reaction to
occur.
Even
though the beekeeper has high immunity against bee stings, he still uses the beekeeping
suit that includes a hat and veil as well as using gloves. Some beekeepers
prefer not to use gloves, since gloves might hamper the beekeeper’s delicate
work. On the other hand, bee stings on bare hands can be easily wiped off by a
finger nail, just to reduce the effect of venom injected by a sting.
The
most important body areas, like the face and neck should get the first priority
of protection, since offended bees might be attracted to the beekeeper’s
breath. If bee stings still happened at this area, it will really be painful
and with remarkable swelling. A bee sting on the face will be quite difficult
to be promptly wiped off without the presence of a mirror.
A
beekeeper protective suit is made of smooth material with a light color,
usually white. A light color suit will provide a remarkable distinction with
the dark color of bears and skunks, which are the bee colony’s natural
predator.
A
bee sting on a beekeeping suit is easy to remove. To remove stings and venom
sacs can be simply done using a tug. A beekeeping suit also protects the skin
of being contaminated with the venom and enters the body. The removal of stings
on clothing is necessary, since left stings might continue to function to
release pheromone that provokes other bees to attack again.
Bees are able to recognize the scent of the
beekeeping suit. So, it is important to wash your beekeeper suit regularly.
This is to minimize the possibility of being attacked by the bees to revenge
the dead of their fellow bees. A simple practice to mask the possible
recognized scent, a beekeeper can wash his hands with vinegar.
