Choosing A Beekeepers Hat

A face full of bees is a very unnerving experience for anyone, and it's something every beekeeper does their best to avoid. However it can happen suddenly and unexpectedly, which is why even experienced beekeepers wear a beekeepers hat and veil.

Even if you not confronted by this kind of alarming experience, the beekeepers hat and veil is a very necessary piece of safety equipment. Stings to head face a neck are more painful than any other area of the body.

Hat

Many people also find that they experience a greater degree of redness and swelling with stings to this area. Not only is the skin more tender but It's impossible to quickly remove a stinger and reduce the amount of bee venom injected, without the aid of a mirror.

Now that you understand why you need to wear you beekeepers hat, you will need to choose a design that's best for you. There are several options available that fall in three general categories.

First there is the helmet style with detachable veil. The helmets are available in a plastic or woven material. This design still allows the beekeeper good peripheral vision as the veil is a very light net with nothing to obstruct your vision.

The downside of this design is that the light net can be easily blown against the skin which will allow the bees to sting you anywhere the net is touching.

Next there is a hat and veil combination, some of these have a regular hat and integrated veil, in others the hat is a formless double layer of fabric to prevent the bees puncturing it with their sing.

The veil of this design is held away from the face by a metal ring or other reinforcing. Some designs of reinforcing do restrict the beekeepers range of vision and you will need to make sure there is a means of preventing the veil from riding up while you work. If there are any gaps in the veil the bees could gain access to inside veil.

Lastly there is the beekeeping hood which is integrated into a bee suit or bee jacket. As the hoods is sewn to the suit or jacket and generally closed with a zip, there is very little chance of any gaps to allow the bees access.

The biggest down side of this increasing poplar style is that the beekeepers vision is restricted by the hood fabric and it's probably hotter to work in. As the best time to work with the bees are bright sunny days when most of the bees are out and about, You want to be as comfortable as possible.

The beekeepers hat is a really important piece of protective clothing and one that is considered the bare minimum by beekeepers. You want to choose one that is comfortable, practical to work in and that gives you good protection.

Choosing A Beekeepers Hat

Need more help with choosing a beekeepers hat, and getting started keeping bees? You'll find lots of articles, tips and advice that will help at www.SecretBeekeepingTips.com. A really good way to begin is by signing up for the 10 part Mini Course.