How to Wash a Bee Suit

Periodic cleaning can help prolong the life of your bee suit. Follow these simple instructions to wash a bee suit by hand. Recommended cleaning products and ideas for dealing with stains are covered.

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I gave a presentation at an elementary school last week about bees. I talked about why pollinators are so important and how to act when you encounter a bee to decrease the likelihood of being stung.

When I asked if anyone had questions, one kid said, “Do you ever clean your bee suit?” I laughed, looking down at my stained gear, and we both agreed that good washing was overdue!

Reasons to Wash a Bee Suit

Washing your bee suit every so often is a good idea for a few reasons. First of all, bees are sensitive to smells. Wearing a soiled suit with the lingering odor of alarm pheromones, sweat, perfumes, and a number of other things can irritate your bees.

Plus, washing your gear is hygienic for you and your bees! You can reduce the likelihood of skin irritation as well as cross contamination between your hives by regularly washing your gear.

Lastly, periodic cleaning can help prolong the life of your bee suit. Ventilated suits like mine (Humble Bee brand) are not cheap and keeping them in good condition can help protect your investment.

Options to Wash a Bee Suit

I wash my bee suit by hand in a 30-gallon livestock tank. The ventilated mesh and veil are both fragile and I would worry about them getting damaged in the washing machine.

I know people do machine wash their bee suits, I recommend following the manufacturers’ directions if you choose to go that route.

Cleaning Products to Wash a Bee Suit

For my bee suit, I opt for cleaning products without harsh chemicals and fragrances, that don’t discolor or degrade the suit fabric, and still help remove soil, stain, and odors.

As a pretreatment, I use Oxi Clean laundry spray which is hydrogen peroxide based. I spray it right on the stains and work it in with a stiff brush. After letting the suit soak for 15 minutes, I wash it with mild detergent.

My favorite mild detergent is Unicorn Power Scour. It is actually a wool wash that I use for scouring my raw mohair fleeces. It works great for removing dirt, oil, and set stains and has a very light hint of lavender scent that I love.

Washing a Bee Suit Disclaimer

Following these directions, your bee suit will be clean and less stained, but not completely bright white or brand new looking. Dirt, sweat, odors, and honey are relatively easy to remove by hand washing, but wax and propolis (which are resinous) are very hard to remove entirely. I just want you to have realistic expectations!

Here is how I wash my bee suit step-by-step.

Directions for Washing a Bee Suit by Hand

1. First, empty the pockets of your bee suit. I keep a lighter and marking pen in my suit and those would both have gotten ruined if I didn’t take them out!
2. Take a butter knife and try to scrape off as much wax and propolis from your bee suit as possible.
3. Spray the stains on your suit with Oxi Clean laundry spray and work it in with a stiff bristle brush.
4. Let the stains soak for 15 minutes.
5. Run water into your tub, I use a 30-gallon livestock tank and cold tap water so that the cotton in the suit doesn’t shrink.
6. Add your suit and a few tablespoons of Power Scour to the tub as it is filling.
7. Agitate the water so that it becomes very sudsy and rub your suit all over, focusing on the very dirty or stained areas.
8. Let the suit soak in the Power Scour bath for 30 minutes.
9. Rinse your suit thoroughly with clean, cold water.
10. Let your bee suit air dry in the shade.
11. Use your clean bee suit!

If you want to learn about how I harvest honey from my hives or render beeswax from the cappings, follow the links to my other articles.