Why a Ventilated Beekeeping Suit?
Beekeeping is a hot business, and most of it happens at the height of the day when most of the bees in the colony are out collecting honey and pollen. Make life easier for yourself and get a kiwibreeze – mesh Ventilated Beekeeping Suit.
These Ventilated Beekeeping Suits are made with three layers of mesh which allows air to circulate around your body, but prevents bees stinging you.
The Ventilated Beekeeping Suit uses plastic zippers, three layers of mesh fabric, two deep pockets at the chest and two deep pockets on the legs. The sleeves have elastic and the ankle area has either a Velcro strip or zip, so you can secure the bottom of the legs around around your shoes,or gumboots.
At kiwimana we have been using the mesh Beekeeping Suit since 2013 and find them fantastic, no more working in damp sweat laiden cotton suits all day. The kiwibreeze mesh suit makes beekeeping a joy on hot days and when the breeze hits, heaven.
The material sits away from your skin, so the bee stingers aren’t long enough to reach your body.
Gary working in his mesh bee suit
- Features of the KiwiBreeze Mesh Beekeeping suit
- One zipper on hood allows for removal for cleaning
- Excellent visibility through veil
- Knee pads for extra wear
- Two chests pocket and two side pockets
- Jackets are machine washable
- Detachable hood is washable by hand
Measurements for the Mesh Beekeeping Suits (cm’s)
Size | S | M | L | XL | XXL | 3XL | 4XL | 5XL |
(A) Veil to Ankles (HPS) | 161 | 169 | 171 | 176 | 181 | – | – | – |
(B) Shoulder to Shoulder (x2 for Chest) | 120 | 130 | 130 | 138 | 144 | – | – | – |
(C) Top of Zip to Crutch | 76 | 81 | 84 | 85 | 87 | – | – | – |
(D) Top of Zip to Waist | 47 | 47 | 47 | 47 | 47 | – | – | – |
(E) Inseam – Crutch to Ankle | 81 | 81 | 87 | 88 | 88 | – | – | – |
(F) Sleeve Length | 59 | 63 | 65 | 69 | 70 | – | – | – |
(G) Top of Shoulder to Under Arm | 40 | 40 | 42 | 43 | 43 | – | – | – |
(H) Armpit to Armpit | 112 | 140 | 136 | 150 | 154 | – | – | – |
Click HERE for a Full Body Chart that explains the above measurements.
Suits with Plastic Zips are large fitting, use height as indicator for your size.
Please have a read of reviews from people that have purchased the suits. If you have any questions feel free to email or call us (09) 810 9965 (NZ Time)
joyce kennedy (verified owner) –
I absolutely love this suit ,normally im drenched in persperation working my bees but the ventillation in this suit is really extrordinary,and I can be as cool as a cucumber.What a difference it makes.Thanks for the discovery guys.ps love the logo
Peter Braun (verified owner) –
Have the ventilated suit for a couple of weeks now and it’s great. Easy to suit up and nice and airy while working the hive. Highly recommend this to everyone who doesn’t like to be sticky and wet after taking care of the bees.
Also, with the multiple layers of mesh, there’s no chance of being stung.
Thanks Margret and Gary
Wendy – Backyard Bees Nelson (verified owner) –
Working the bees over summer in Nelson, is very hot and tiring. This suit allows your body to breathe, you don’t dehydrate as much and so, makes the days way more enjoyable. We have now bought a second suit, so we will always have one on hand if the other needs to go through the wash. Gary & Margaret are great to deal with, always keep you in the loop with the progress and dispatch of your purchase, cheers
Matt – www.beekeeperuk.co.uk –
Even in the UK it gets hot working the bees in the Summer! So I was very interested in getting this suit to see if it protects from the bees and helps to keep me cool. I have got another ventilated suit, but ventilated only on the back and a little at the front. This suit is a head-to-ankle ventilation effort and as soon as I stepped outside in it I could feel the slightest of breeze through the suit. I worked through my six colonies and certainly found the suit was cool and protected completely from the attention of the bees. Also of note – loads of useful pockets which are deep, making them much more useful than many suits that have shallow pockets. The hood is good in terms of visibility and generally the suit is generous in size, allowing good movement. I also liked the extra padding around the knees. It is heavier than the usual cotton suits, as you would expect from a thicker and more durable material. Very much recommended!
Clive Tebbet (verified owner) –
Kiwibreeze review
Our breeze suits arrived this week. I have been looking forward to their opening performance.
Our regular suits were the boiler suit variety, and whilst they gave good protection, here in Australia it gets HOT…. Last week we had 42.9 C …. So yes it gets a little more than sweaty…..
Today is only 30 C with the very faintest breeze, the suits themselves give a bulky feel in comparison to the old ones, this is due to their in reality having three layers, the inner and outer layer is a fine mesh, with a larger more open thick mesh to keep a good separation. I would normally wear a long sleeved thin cotton shirt underneath as I have got zapped in the past if a bee got caught in a fold and decided to vent their frustration, but today decided that this was not required as I felt more than adequately shielded. Even the slightest breeze we had could be felt through the suit, and I can honestly say it was money well spent, the more breeze you have the better these will perform in keeping you cool.
I’m going to give this product 5 stars.
As a footnote, the package was sent with tracking, unfortunately the tracking number didn’t register with NZ post, we contacted kiwimana, and can only say their follow up and care was what I call ” good old fashioned service” which seems hard to find these days, but Margaret was instant with both emails and a follow up voice call, needless to say all arrived safe and sound, based on my experience I would certainly recommend them.
Clive Tebbet
Yarra Junction
Australia.
Glenn Torpey (verified owner) –
Thanks very much for this fabulous Suit. Margaret and Gary were so helpful with advice and the suit arrived promptly I had a massive nasty wasp nest on our property to get rid of and this suit was great to wear and I did not get one sting!
.Great Product, thanks.
Lisa Allen (verified owner) –
This is a great fitting suit. The mesh really does mean air can flow through so I don’t get too hot while wearing it. The three layers also mean more protection. Great product thank you!
Leonie (verified owner) –
What a great suit, loved the first one, ordered a second one.
Highly recommended.
Something i have done is unpicked the additional pockets to create more airflow, as I wear a belt to hold tools.
Great for Western Australian, northwest heat.
Athena (verified owner) –
Great fitting suit – plenty of ventilation and ease of movement. Will update at the end of the year 🙂
Colin (verified owner) –
This is the second time we have bought these suits and found them to be excellent. Much easier to work in as so much cooler. Would recommend.
Jim Benson (verified owner) –
Thanks Margaret and Gary. My Beekeeping suit works a treat. No stings yet. I’ve recently transported a few hives at night and also carried out some inspections. Regards Jim
Charles (verified owner) –
Hi team
Very happy with this suit, it is cooler to work in and has plenty of room so comfortable (for a bigger person)
Only problem is being stung on the chin when leaning over hive checking frames (my old suit sometimes resulted in a sting on the forehead doing the same thing). Problem is the mesh getting to close to skin. Any suggestions to dolve this?
Margaret Groot (store manager) –
Hi Charles, thanks for your feedback. Our advice is to wear a baseball cap which has the rim to hold the veil away from the face. Thanks again for your feedback Charles.
Deborah (verified owner) –
Thankyou for the great suits, nice and cool when it’s hot
We love them so much we just bought our third one
Thankyou also for the fantastic newsletters you guys put together we never miss reading them,great work, Margaret and Gary
Daniel E. Nadler (verified owner) –
I love the suit, however, I’m a tall guy through the torso area with some broad shoulders. I ordered and received a 3XL for my height as I ‘m 6’ 2″ (74cm) tall, the leg length and arm length are perfect but from the groin to the shoulders it’s tight. I have a difficult time getting the suit up and over my shoulders without putting stress on the seams and zippers. It creates massive camel toe in the private area, and it stays that way while wearing, getting uncomfortable when moving around. Getting it off is worse than putting it on. I’m so afraid something is gonna tear (seams or stress areas) while slipping it off the shoulders to take the suit off. I would give this a 5 star because it’s very well made and the materials are high quality, but can’t due to the fit though the torso I can’t. I’ve worn it once to load my bees into their hives, and will have to endure the discomfort since I’m in the United States and getting another is too costly.
Thank you Margret & Gary
I would recommend a few extra centimeters in the torso height when making the XL sizes
Thanks again,
Daniel Nadler
Luke (verified owner) –
Great to deal with.
I’ve only worn the suit once so far.
The zips move freely even thou they are plastic
Good visibility through the vail and the mesh feels good quality with not being to brittle nor being to soft making it prone for tearing.
The suit is a large sizing fit but it is still comfortable to work in all day long.
I’m happy with the purchase but time will determine whether i’m happy with the product.
B positive
Jill –
I previously had just a standard bee suit, but was always extremely hot and drenched in perspiration while my partner stayed relatively cool in his ventilated suit. Now I have a ventilated suit! It is quite roomy, but thats necessary for flexibility and the air flow is evident. A great addition to our beekeeping gear – thanks Gary and Margaret!!
Sue –
I am new at beekeeping and had the standard bee suit – always so glad to take it off as it was hot and heavy.
The new suit is great, so light to wear, easier to get into and has more room for movement.
Thanks 🙂
Graham Ardern (verified owner) –
Fantastic suit great to work with can’t wait for Summer.
Big thanks to Margaret I tried on every size just to make I had the correct size. Buy one you won’t go wrong
brendon Cutter (verified owner) –
Great suit well made and Fantastic service. I had to exchange the suit as first one was way to big and no problem in returning for down size suit. Thanks
Mark Perry (store manager) –
Margaret and Gary provide the best one to one service and advice that is so lacking in these impersonal days when shopping online. The ventilated kiwibreeze suit is absolutely brilliant. No more sneaky girls finding entry points via pockets or holes anywhere. And so cool in humid, hot conditions. I also bought nucs and oxalic acid vapourizer and, again, always great follow up and prompt response.
Highly recommended as the first and last place for beekeeping supplies. Proud to support the locals
Benjamin Wells (verified owner) –
Brimmed veil is excellent works very well..and suits excellent quality too..top service too
Brent and Neeta (verified owner) –
Great dealing with you two ,fast and efficient service,thanks
Anonymous (verified owner) –
Very comfortable in this hot weather and great that it has two choices of hood. Zip junctions with hood at neck = a possible problem as they are exposed and may open with movement. My friend’s suit has a tab which velcros down over the zip junctions at the neck, thus ensuring no entry for bees.
Margaret Groot (store manager) –
Hiya, thanks for your feedback…we haven’t had any incidents so as long as the zips are properly closed you’ll bee right. Regards Margaret and Gary …it’s the kiwimana buzz…
Kevan Maguire (verified owner) –
good fit works well prompt delivery thanks
Miranda Adams (verified owner) –
Awesome people, thx for the prompt and friendly service as always
Joanna M. (verified owner) –
Awesome suit, great breathable fabric so you don’t get too hot in summer.