Beekeeper suit with round veil

01 · THE FABRIC

290 g/m² of combed cotton, and why a synthetic will not do

The heavy weight is what keeps the sting off your skin when a worker brushes past. Combed cotton has the short fibres taken out: it comes out softer, breathes better through a 30 °C day and does not catch on gloves. And there is one reason that is not comfort but safety: cotton does not melt or drip if a spark from the smoker lands on it, which any synthetic fabric will.

02 · ZIPS AND VEIL

YKK® zips and 360° vision

The veil zip is the part that suffers most: tugs with sweaty gloves, wax, propolis, grit. A cheap closure goes out of line in two seasons, which is why this carries Japanese YKK, with a velcro flap over it that seals and acts as a second barrier. The round veil gives full vision all round and keeps the mesh off your face, which is what you appreciate two hours into an inspection; and it is removable so you can wash the suit on its own. The honest weak point is the collar: it closes, but it is the area most people would tighten — check it before you open the first hive of the day.

03 · THE SIZE

It goes over your clothes: that margin is already in the size

It is the most repeated question, so it belongs here and not in an FAQ. It is meant to be worn over your clothes, and the sizing already carries that allowance: if you plan to wear it over a T-shirt, your everyday size will feel roomy and you are probably better off one down. Where the allowance tightens is at the large end: if you are a big build, do not come up short — sizes run from S to XXXL, in white or yellow. If you are between two, write to us with your height and chest before ordering: that gets it right more often than guessing.

04 · HOW FAR IT PROTECTS

No cotton suit is sting proof with the fabric pulled tight

Worth saying plainly: the weight stops the sting as long as the fabric is not stretched against your skin. At the knees when you crouch, at the shoulders carrying a super, or anywhere the suit pulls, a determined bee can get through. The fix is the usual one and costs nothing: clothes underneath, above all where you know it pulls. And with very defensive colonies, a cotton suit is not a substitute for a three-layer ventilated one.

05 · BEFORE YOU BUY

It arrives with the round veil fitted. Wash it inside out with the veil detached; cotton shrinks a little on a first hot wash, so use warm water and dry it in the shade.