Welcome!
7LESSON
No smoker without fire (featuring Emily Grace PhD)
Suiting up
Tool of the trade
Flow Hive assembly guide [TEXT ONLY]
Sealing your hive [TEXT ONLY]
Extinguishing your smoker (featuring Chuck Rou)
ASSESMENT (Optional)
Suiting up
2: Tips & Tricks Before You Get Your Bees
As a beekeeper, you will almost certainly get stung at some point. Wearing proper protective gear is essential as a beginner beekeeper, and that’s where your beekeeping suit comes in.
- Read up on beekeeping safety and first aid.
- As a new beekeeper, you should always wear your bee suit when working with your bees.
- Bees only sting when they feel threatened and stinging causes them to die. How gentle they are depends mainly on their genetics.
- Don’t wear dark colours or strong scents when close to bees – they might mistake you for a predator!
- Get a suit that fits comfortably over your clothes, and allows for a good range of motion. It’s also helpful to have a suit with pockets.
- Wear boots that cover your ankle, and use the stirrups and thumb loops if your suit has them.
- Completely close all the zippers and velcro on your suit to ensure there are no gaps where bees can enter.
- If you have a mesh veil, keep it away from your nose; a baseball cap under the hood can help with this.
- Use gloves when you’re starting off and getting to know your bees.