The Use of a Beekeeping Suit
Before anyone can go out and start beekeeping the correct set of gear and equipment is required to ensure that all safety aspects of beekeeping are adhered to. Bees are gentle but they can be very dangerous to the extent of causing death should they attack, so it's highly advisable to have proper beekeeping equipment that's in line with safety standards. Anyone who's a beginner must acquire all the necessary knowledge, at least at a basic level before heading out to harvest from the beehives.
We can never over emphasise safety in beekeeping so the first thing to have is a good quality beekeeper's suit that consist of a long sleeve jacket and a long pair of pants that can be tied at the bottom, a hat that has a veil, gloves and boots. Having pants that can be tied at the bottom will ensure that bees don't crawl up your legs and possibly stinging you.
All sensitive parts of the body like the face, neck & nose must not be easily accessible to bees, so a veil ensures that contact is minimized to reduce the risk of being stung in these parts. There are various kinds of veils available, tie down veils, shoulder veils and zip up veils to choose from and they're not expensive.
Working on a hive requires slow and steady movement any sudden movement may scare the bees and get them on attack mode to defend their territory. Whenever bees believe they're being attacked they will die defending the colony. Should a bee sting it dies as the sting is released, so you can just imagine how serious this creatures are about the safety of the colony.
The suit, hat and veil must be washed regularly after each and every hive inspection, but before you wash these. Examine them for stings and whenever you find any remove them because the sting has a venom sack attached to it, this emits a pheromone that attracts other bees and signals a warning for an attack. That's why it's important to examine and wash your suit regularly after hive inspections; this must be done to prevent future attacks.
It's always good wearing proper protective gear, but all beginners are set to make mistakes and agitate the bees. As a further measure of safety, always use a smoker whenever you are going to work on the hive more especially if you're still acquiring experience on beekeeping, this act will calm the bees down and reduce the aggression levels thus ensuring that they won't attack you.
We can never over emphasise safety in beekeeping so the first thing to have is a good quality beekeeper's suit that consist of a long sleeve jacket and a long pair of pants that can be tied at the bottom, a hat that has a veil, gloves and boots. Having pants that can be tied at the bottom will ensure that bees don't crawl up your legs and possibly stinging you.
All sensitive parts of the body like the face, neck & nose must not be easily accessible to bees, so a veil ensures that contact is minimized to reduce the risk of being stung in these parts. There are various kinds of veils available, tie down veils, shoulder veils and zip up veils to choose from and they're not expensive.
Working on a hive requires slow and steady movement any sudden movement may scare the bees and get them on attack mode to defend their territory. Whenever bees believe they're being attacked they will die defending the colony. Should a bee sting it dies as the sting is released, so you can just imagine how serious this creatures are about the safety of the colony.
The suit, hat and veil must be washed regularly after each and every hive inspection, but before you wash these. Examine them for stings and whenever you find any remove them because the sting has a venom sack attached to it, this emits a pheromone that attracts other bees and signals a warning for an attack. That's why it's important to examine and wash your suit regularly after hive inspections; this must be done to prevent future attacks.
It's always good wearing proper protective gear, but all beginners are set to make mistakes and agitate the bees. As a further measure of safety, always use a smoker whenever you are going to work on the hive more especially if you're still acquiring experience on beekeeping, this act will calm the bees down and reduce the aggression levels thus ensuring that they won't attack you.
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