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The Spotlight Kid
Moderator
1474 Posts |
 Posted - 11 Aug 2009 : 08:28:17
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Yet again I've been stung through my bee suit. I was treating a nest in a loft which was inaccessible from outside with the DR5 and Ficam D. I had the torch as far to my side as possible to illuminate the nest. I noticed one particular wasp paying a lot of attention to to the trigger and gloved hand then suddenly I got that pain in my under arm which means one of the little b******s has got me. A quick squeeze on the sleeve to squash him, torch off to stop the wasps following me out and make a sharp exit before I get stung again. Once out the wasp on my sleeve was still alive and still trying to sting my sleeve.
So are these bee suits up to the job? Obviously not in my case! should a wasp suit be made of a finer weave or different material to prevent the much slimmer stinger from penetrating the material. Ok I could have put another layer over the T shirt but These lofts get pretty hot in summer and I would have expected the bee suit to do the job without several layers of clothes on.
Also is white a sensible colour? Even with the torch set some distance away the white bee suit is well illuminated and attractive to the wasps so surely a darker colour would be better for wasps?? |
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Dog-rat
Senior Member
United Kingdom
219 Posts |
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The Spotlight Kid
Moderator
1474 Posts |
Posted - 11 Aug 2009 : 09:00:32
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That was an interesting conversation you had with yourself over on p*****o Dograt  . The point is are any of these suits tested for wasp stings as well as bee stings? |
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dennis
Senior Member
108 Posts |
Posted - 11 Aug 2009 : 09:19:29
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| Spot interesting comment about darker colours. Years ago I watched a documentary on killer bees. They had a man in a special bee suit with black patches on it wind up a wild bee colony. When they inspected the suit afterwards they found that nearly all the stings were in the black patches. Now I dont know whether it is the same for wasps but a few years ago I had 2 bad instances where I got quite badly stung on the legs walking away from nests I had just treated wearing dark trousers. since then I only wear light coloured trousers in the summer. I would have thought with todays technology they could come up with a suit that would prevent a wasp from penetrating while still being flexible enough to work in |
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Dog-rat
Senior Member
United Kingdom
219 Posts |
Posted - 11 Aug 2009 : 12:26:01
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Sorry spots didnt want to have the same conversation with myself 
What about the camo beee suit !!! Special forces wasp squad!
The suit I have is a khaki colour and is pretty baggy havent been stung through it YET but I would put on another layer if going into a loft any way just to sweat a bit more of the weight off
Hugh Radford
www.guardianpestcontrol.co.uk
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Bigbully
Member
United Kingdom
96 Posts |
Posted - 11 Aug 2009 : 15:03:03
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| I went to beekeeping classes a couple of years ago and was warned that bees would still sting through the suit. Bees would also target areas of high contrast so that if you wore a white bee suit & dark trousers then expect an attack around the waistband. Don't know if wasps are the same though. |
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Fenn Man
Hyperactive Member
Ireland
804 Posts |
Posted - 11 Aug 2009 : 19:16:47
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quote:
Originally posted by Bigbully
Bees would also target areas of high contrast so that if you wore a white bee suit & dark trousers then expect an attack around the waistband.
That's nice.
Note to self: Don't Ever wear these leggins over a bee suit! 
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Tomo
Senior Member
United Kingdom
246 Posts |
Posted - 12 Aug 2009 : 21:10:36
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To thick you get stung to thin you sweat your nuts off, in a loft I use a bright decoy torch and work with a dimmer one, seem�s to work well most of the time.
Outside I use an extension lance or two even when I can get up close and personal. This is also part of my risk assessment, I haven�t had a reaction to a sting as yet but then again don�t plan to either.
Regard's Tomo |
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Dusty
Hyperactive Member
Australia
970 Posts |
Posted - 13 Aug 2009 : 10:51:02
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Spot, why not try using a red lens or at least red cellophane over your torch?
Hymenoptera, as I understand it do not see red colours. Haven't tried it myself as we don't often get bees or wasps in roof voids/attics.
That said, wearing a maroon uniform polo shirt, I was inspecting commercial bee hives, and the buggers homed in on me.
I don't wear a bee/wasp suit either as temps during our summers does not encourage it. I would rather take the risk of being stung, and the suit impedes my ability to run.
Our wasps do not seem as nasty as yours.
JAFA
Don't feed them, get Rid of them - visit us on www.ridpest.com.au
or blog us on http://blog.ridpest.com.au |
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Paul W
Senior Member
United Kingdom
147 Posts |
Posted - 15 Aug 2009 : 14:29:16
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I wear the honey rustler from these guys, it is a light green and i've yet to be stung through it and i only wear a polo shirt under it in summer.
http://www.bjsherriff.co.uk/clothing.asp |
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Gamekeeper
Senior Member
United Kingdom
312 Posts |
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Paul W
Senior Member
United Kingdom
147 Posts |
Posted - 18 Aug 2009 : 06:33:04
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I guess it stops the plastic in the veil breaking down and going brittle over time when exposed to UV light.  |
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Wasp suits?
