NZBF: What do you wash your suits with
- Thread starter Wknz
- Start date
My suit says "Give to your mother...... she knows what to do"
we don't do anything special for suits (just a regular wash for cotton or synthetic depending on the suit) but the key thing is that they are washed on their own with no other regular clothes included.
For gloves finger tips always go prematurely so I wear safety gloves underneath. When getting all sticky with honey I rinse them under the tap while wearing them to rub off and dissolve honey.
For gloves finger tips always go prematurely so I wear safety gloves underneath. When getting all sticky with honey I rinse them under the tap while wearing them to rub off and dissolve honey.
I have spent time with a beekeeper who is particular about suits not having residual perfume after washing. Use the minimum laundry powder required and keep separate from other washing.
but the boss complains when i do that.
we have a separate washing machine at work for them.
i'm always wary of "beeks" who have clean suits. (much like that mechanic ad)
Use your leather gloves for gardening and that buys some PVC gloves and use cotton inners to soak up the sweat. I have a dedicated machine for washing veils and overalls which get washed daily in summer and at least every three or four days in spring and autumn. Clean gloves every day and a spare pair behind the seat in case of a disease find. I remove the hood from the veil before it goes in the machine and hand wash them every now and again. I find ordinary washing powder fine.
Propolis does tend to stick at times but I'm more interested in having my clothes clean than spotless.
Never wash wool socks with vails with Velcro bits!
Over the years I've known a few beekeepers that appeared to never wash anything and that also works as long as you don't have too get downwind of them. Maybe it helps to control the varoa.
Propolis does tend to stick at times but I'm more interested in having my clothes clean than spotless.
Never wash wool socks with vails with Velcro bits!
Over the years I've known a few beekeepers that appeared to never wash anything and that also works as long as you don't have too get downwind of them. Maybe it helps to control the varoa.
I have tie dyed all my suits because I’m a girl & it makes me happy. I always have darker knees because that’s the dirtiest part of my suit. I wash in soap powder, not floral, and a bit of homemade liquid. @tristan my suit never looks clean!
only downside is when they start to rot they tear more easily. Nothing some patching won't fix. Oh, and they stink. Tempted to add a photo of my default-use beesuit
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I had been using nappysan but then the wife bought some which smelled like eucalyptus and lavender
Not sure the bees appreciated it or worse appreciated it too much. I dont want end up like @Mummzie photo
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I would rather wash the staff suits weekly than patch them when they start to rot.
I never used too then had that really aggressive hive. Guess I gotta suck it up and trust again.
But I'm not wearing shorts again....once was enough
Is this the human equivalent to marking the queen? Easy to spot and identify?
I really don’t care! I’m happy! In a job like this which can go from sublime to completely feral at a drop of a hat, I’ll take anything that makes me happy. Tie -dyed suits, colourful patches, fabulous lunches, ice cold coffee! One of my suits is green, I used to be able to lie down camouflaged in the grass & watch Dale work... (She’s only a part time worker these days & we don’t often work together anymore as I have the babies if she’s at work with Himself.) Maybe next year.
Our old trucks ID us easier as they are a bigger target. We’re not often visible from the road, except in a few of Dale’s yards. There’s so many beekeepers in Gisborne I’ve given up trying to keep up with their shiny utes, let alone who is driving them. We keep very different hours to most beeks anyway.
E
Earthboy
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When not washing after work, keep them outside the house like in the cab of your pickup; otherwise, the bee venom on your suit, in the form of micro aerosol particles, will make your family member hypersensitive, if not allergic, to bee sting in the future.
Earthboy