Beekeeping jacket with round veil

01 · HOW IT DOES UP

Bottom zip first, veil zips after

This is the thing worth knowing before you first wear it, because the order you close the zips in changes the result. Close the jacket zip first — the lower one — and only then the veil zips. Start at the top and the veil zips run out of travel too early, leaving a gap at the throat join that a bee will find. Done in the right order, the two zips sit overlapped and the velcro flap covers the whole seam. Before you walk down to the apiary, run a hand across that area: if you can feel the step of the velcro seated flat, it is properly closed.

02 · WHICH SIZE?

Go by height, then adjust for build

Height is the reference; build moves you up or down a size. And allow for what you wear underneath: if you use it in winter over a jumper, size up.

03 · FABRIC AND VEIL

Polyester and cotton, with the veil detachable

The polyester and cotton blend aims at the middle ground between standing up to use and not being too warm: the cotton breathes and the polyester holds the cloth together wash after wash. The round veil is the classic hooped kind, the one that keeps the mesh off your face right around — you appreciate it most when the colony is edgy and bees are landing on the screen. It attaches with a zip, so it comes off to wash the jacket separately or to replace the veil if the mesh tears, which is the first thing to go over the years.

04 · BEFORE YOU BUY

A jacket covers the torso, the arms and the head: below the waist you are in your own clothes. If you work hives at ground level or collect swarms, consider a full suit. And no garment makes you immune to stings — it cuts the risk a great deal, but calm handling and smoke are still part of the kit.