The point was made that an unwashed bee-suit incites the bees to sting
because it gets loaded with stings and alarm pheromone.  The thing I'm
wondering about is whether this problem can be reduced by using a suit
that doesn't retain stings.  For example, I use a "bug baffler" mesh
shirt.  Not only have they so far not been able to sting me through the
shirt, but the open mesh also doesn't seem to allow them to leave the
stinger behind.  At least, I have yet to see a stinger stuck in the bug
baffler shirt, but back when I used coveralls, there were stingers stuck
in them all the time.

As added benefits, the bug baffler is a *lot* cooler to wear than
coveralls, because the wind can blow right through it, and it also
keeps off the black flies and mosquitoes (which are, arguably, more
of a problem in my apiary than the beestings).  On really hot days,
I can even wear the bug baffler with no regular shirt under it at
all, which is even cooler than wearing just a T-shirt. The mesh is
pretty rugged, and plant burrs don't stick to it very much at all.

So, is there some benefit to the conventional bee-suit that I'm missing?
Or is a bug-mesh suit actually a superior protective garment?

--
Tim Eisele
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