When it comes to staying safe in your apiary, beekeepers have wide-ranging options of protective gear from which to choose the best. Thus, you should always put money on the best product for the money.
But before doing so, here are some questions people keep asking:
- Do you know where to find the best beekeepers veils and hats?
- How much will you spend on a good veil, hat and other vital accessories?
- Does your apiary supplier stock the best and top quality accessories?
The truth is that these questions could go on and on. But in the end, only a good review will give you trustworthy and reliable leads to the best suppliers.
Here at fromscratchmag.com, we always endeavour to help you locate the best beekeepers protective gear. In this, we have sampled the best beekeeping veils and hats for you.
We will, therefore, walk you through the following:
- Top selected veils and hats that will protect you from bee stings.
- Features to look for in the best beekeeping veils and hats.
- A guide on tying a beekeepers’ veil.
- We will also provide answers to questions that apiarists ask frequently.
Table of Contents:
Top 7 Best Beekeeping Veils And Hats To Prevent Stings:
Are you ready to get started with shopping? Well, dive in with us to choose from our top selected hats and veils.
Natural Apiary Apiarists Beekeeping Jacket Suit Outfit With a Fencing Veil, Non-Flammable
We always love beekeepers accessories from Natural Apiary. It is because the company manufactures and supplies some of the best products in the market. So, you would ask, why do we recommend its beekeeping jacket with a fencing veil?
Well, after comparing is veils and hats with similar products, the fact that this suit features a mixture of cotton and polyester fabrics makes it outstanding among many. Material blend is in the ratio of 65:35, offering extra durability and strength. The jacket is thick to protect you from bee stings, something that makes it an outstanding outfit among many.
We also noted that this protective gear comes with a veil mesh that is non-flammable. It means your face is always safe from flash flames when harvesting honey. The mesh offers clear visibility of the beehive, or if you like, the design emphasizes visual prominence.
YKK zippers, which are the strongest in the market, further offer your extra protection. The suit is tamper-proof.
We noted that Natural Apiary employs the best traditional tailoring techniques; hence the suit and veil are products of astute craftsmen who know how to mix strong elastic materials with adhesive Velcro.
Thus, when you put money on this product, that is notwithstanding affordable, you are signing up for a long-lasting protection. It weighs only 2.1 pounds, hence lightweight.
Humble Bee 310 Polycotton Beekeeping Jacket with Round Veil
Humble Bee is another leading supplier of beekeeping accessories in the market. In its collection of top products on leading e-commerce stores, the company’s Polycotton jacket with veil caught our attention.
It features a self-supporting veil, with stitched pockets, durable brass zippers and a canvas casing. You can choose from a blend of synthetic and cotton yet still realize maximum protection from bee stings.
Humble Bee 310 veil and jacket has elastic fits on wrists and waist, perfectly securing you from stings. It has a removable veil for easy storage, not to mention the jacket is unisex. It also features ballistic nylon pockets for storing beehive tools and only weighs 2.5 pounds.
Forest Beekeeping Jacket with Round Veil Hood with YKK Zippers-Premium Quality
Forest Beekeeping Supply in a household name in most e-commerce stores, thanks to top-of-the range accessories that the company manufactures. It is why; we chose this round veil with hood. It is a premium quality beekeepers jacket with YKK zippers.
Moreover, it is a hundred percent cotton blend and available in different sizes for every beekeeper.
When you decide to put money on this product, you will notice the double layering of the jacket for extra protection. You can chose from varying sizes such as small, large, extra large and medium.
It has three pockets with Velcro straps and a slot for queen bee marker. Weighing only 2 pounds, this jacket is the ultimate choice for most keepers given the good rating it enjoys on leading stores.
The fact that it is unisex makes it a perfect for both men and women, not to mention that double stitching prevents breaking of YKK zippers. It is affordable and ships worldwide.
Woodland Bee Natural Cotton Professional Beekeepers Hat-Veil, Medium/Large
Our search for the best beekeepers veil and hats further led us to Woodland Bee Supply, a top seller in the United States.
Woodland Bee enjoys excellent rating and a good reputation worldwide, something that became evident when we tested its beekeepers hat and veil. It features premium cotton fabric with glass fiber coating. It is hand washable.
With this hat and veil, there is an assurance that bees will never sting you when attending to your hive. The lightweight fabric makes your work easy and fast, while offering extra protection. Woodland Veil and hat is one of the most affordable items in leading stores.
Beekeepers say they are durable and provide protection against wild African bees.
Kocome Beekeeper Beekeeping Veils with Round Cowboy Hat with Face Protector
Who would reject a beekeepers veil with a cowboy-styled hat? We guess everyone would love to own one. That is what you get by putting money on Kocome veil.
It comes with a round cowboy hat and a protector for your face. The material make is denim material and has steel locks plus a steel ring.
The design of the hat-back and front nets- should keep cool when attending to your beehives.
It also offers protection against other insects like flies and mosquitoes, hence a perfect accessory for hikers, gardeners and golfers. For extra tight protection and tight fit, elastic loops at the bottom give you an assurance of safety. It only cost a few bucks to acquire this accessory.
Moreover, buyers have the assurance that putting money on this premium quality product is the best thing to do.
Novo Beekeeping Veil with Square Hat, Thickening and Encryption Veil, Woven Hat Straw, Wheat Hat, Black Veil
Novo is not a very popular brand in beekeeping. However, after testing the company’s veil, we know it is only a matter of time before it edges out popular brands. You will spend less on this product but still enjoy extra protection against beestings.
The clear veil that comes with a square hat, gives a perfect view of the hive while offering you extra protection.
It is easy to wear and a perfect accessory for adults looking for premium products worth their money. The front veil is black and it is just what you need when looking for a top quality beekeeping accessory.
Mann Lake CL121 Stingless Binding Round Veil, Elastic
You will notice that our topic picks of the best veils and hats for beekeepers feature accessories come from respected brands. Thus, Mann Lake is such a brand that we could not afford to ignore. The big question is what does the company’s veil have to offer?
First off, we noted it has a stingless binding and features elastic straps for securing your cover. While it provides clear vision of the hive, you should wear a helmet when using this veil to protect your head from stings.
The price is good for the money and at only 4.8 ounces; you have one of the most lightweight veils in the market. You may have to contact manufacturer for warranty terms but it is one those all-round perfect veils you need all season.
Features to Look For
Do you find it difficult identifying the best beekeepers’ veils and hats? Well, that shouldn’t be case, especially after going through the following guidelines:
Brand
We know there are more than a dozen brands of veils and hats. But that shouldn’t be a cause for worry. Popular brands are easy to find given that people keep talking about them.
You can visit online bee forums or ask an apiarist nearby for the best advice. But from our end of the bargain, Forest beekeepers, Mann Lake, Humble Bee, Woodland Bee and Natural Apiary as some of the best and biggest names in the enterprise.
Visibility
You should always emphasize putting money on a veil that provides a perfect view of bees and the hive. It makes your work easy.
Straps
Most veils have straps that make it easy to attack them to a beekeepers jacket or suit. Most importantly, the straps should be elastic so that you can stretch and wrap them around your torso for extra protection.
Material
You should also emphasize buying a hat and a veil that features ideal material blend. The most common blends are Poly-Cotton, which denotes polyester and cotton. These fabrics are not only easy to clean/wash but also comfortable.
Moreover, they offer sting-proof protection even against very sneaky bees.
Extra safety features (zippers)
The sole purpose of a veil-hat for beekeeper is to protect an apiarist from bee stings. Thus, apart from straps that secure the veil tightly to the suit, extra safety features equally play significant. Always put money on a veil with durable zippers such as YKK. (pdf)
How to Tie a Beekeeper’s Veil
How to tie a beekeeper’s veil is a question we come across almost every day. We would like to state that it is not rocket science.
Whether you have one with front strings, there is no definite way of wearing veils. But we would also like to state that if your veil does not have strings or straps, you may have to improvise one.
For extra protection, it is important that you attach veils to a jacket. There are many videos online offering a stepwise guideline.
The following steps should help you tie a veil correctly:
- Connect the zippers on both the veil and suit/jacket on the backside. However, it always depends on the design or make.
- Put on the suit/jacket the pull over the veil on your head.
- Secure the veil to the jacket tightly around your neck, but not to too tight to make you feel uncomfortable.
Tips:
FAQs:
Q: How do I clean my Veil and jacket?
A: Cleaning beekeeping veils is easy. They are hand washable. However, jackets are either machine washable using cold water. You should, however, check product packaging for manufacturer’s guidelines because there could be variations depending on material blend.
Q: Are veils 100 percent sting proof?
A: Veils should protect you from bee stings, which is a good thing. However, we cannot say all of them guarantee a hundred percent protection.
It is always going to depend on amount of time you spend at the hive. Often, stings are inventible, so veils on reduce frequency of it happening.
Q: Do bees recognize people?
A: Honeybees, according to studies, have about one million neurons, which is far than 100 billion in a human’s brain. Researchers have, however, made an interesting observing suggesting that bees can recognize faces like humans do.
Should that be a reason to worry about getting near the hive often? Well, not all provided you have the right and tight fitting veils, jackets and gloves.
Final Thoughts
Fromscratchmag.com is always here to help you put money on the best beekeeper’s accessories. In this review, we made sure to select the best veils and suits based on many factors that we have equally explored. It is, therefore, our hope that you have finally put money on a befitting accessory.
As always, we welcome your queries, suggestions, views and opinions. Feel free to also ask any questions in the common section below and we will be more than happy to assist.
Do you have a friend or relative who would wish to get started with beekeeping? Please feel free to share this post across social media.
See Also: