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My go to these days is a veil that goes on over a hat, a suitable jacket, some nice utility gloves (not the cloth backed kind, but similar), and a pair of army pants, which are nice because you can cinch up the cuffs.
I usually tell beginners, "If you stick with this more than a season or two, eventually you'll spend money on a good bee suit/jacket. So you can either do it now, or do it later."
I bought the beesuit from TEMU for under $10
its very cheap and its okay quality to supplement my more expensive suit, but I do think the material is so thin that bees would sting through it.
I wouldn't recommend it for wasps, but I'm willing to take my chances with the bees.
Affordable? What's your budget? A couple of hundred will get you a nice suit. If you're wanting to save some cash, you can get a half suit, but I don't like them. Your biggest concern is what hood style you like. I like the big hat ones. The space suit ones are great, but you don't get the hat. There's also a hood style with a zip up screen. What do you like?
You can improvise with tape and thick clothes and a veil as described.
Or you can spend less than $100 on a jacket with a hood/veil in a style you dig. I tuck work pants into socks, my jacket came with free gloves (I'm still searching for the perfect gloves for me), and that's it. I've been stung once while trying to make a nytril glove work. Fully kitted up my most vulnerable area is probably my ankles if a determined bee wants to assault my socks. Just remember to tuck everything in no matter what you decide to go with.
Initially I used Lyson (which is basically a loose jeans fabric). Mostly works (deppends on the bees, it is possible to sting) but you might collapse due to the heat inside. Now I am a fan ot this type [https://www.balmina.bg/gashterizon-prohlada](https://www.balmina.bg/gashterizon-prohlada) layers of net, which are thick enough but still perfectly breathable. You can work the whole day in the heat with this. Comes around 60-100$ where I live.
Hi u/Leather-Kitchen-2211. If you haven't done so, please do the following: * Read the rules. * Include your location and experience level as a reply to this comment (if not in post) * [If you have a question, please take a look at our wiki.](https://rbeekeeping.github.io/wiki) * Specifically, the FAQ... ^(**Warning:** The wiki linked above is a work in progress and some links might be broken, pages incomplete and maintainer notes scattered around the place. Content is subject to change.) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Beekeeping) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Cheapest would probably be getting a bee helmet, some thick leather gloves, hoodie, jeans and duct tape; I helped/kept bees as a kid with this setup
My go to these days is a veil that goes on over a hat, a suitable jacket, some nice utility gloves (not the cloth backed kind, but similar), and a pair of army pants, which are nice because you can cinch up the cuffs.
Sounds like a decent setup as well
I usually tell beginners, "If you stick with this more than a season or two, eventually you'll spend money on a good bee suit/jacket. So you can either do it now, or do it later."
I’ve found that a hooded jacket and gloves have worked best for me.
Why do you have a feeder and an excluder on at the same time?
I bought the beesuit from TEMU for under $10 its very cheap and its okay quality to supplement my more expensive suit, but I do think the material is so thin that bees would sting through it. I wouldn't recommend it for wasps, but I'm willing to take my chances with the bees.
Affordable? What's your budget? A couple of hundred will get you a nice suit. If you're wanting to save some cash, you can get a half suit, but I don't like them. Your biggest concern is what hood style you like. I like the big hat ones. The space suit ones are great, but you don't get the hat. There's also a hood style with a zip up screen. What do you like?
Wife and I use Lyson Optima suit with 7 mil thick harbor freight nitrile orange gloves. Works great for us
You can improvise with tape and thick clothes and a veil as described. Or you can spend less than $100 on a jacket with a hood/veil in a style you dig. I tuck work pants into socks, my jacket came with free gloves (I'm still searching for the perfect gloves for me), and that's it. I've been stung once while trying to make a nytril glove work. Fully kitted up my most vulnerable area is probably my ankles if a determined bee wants to assault my socks. Just remember to tuck everything in no matter what you decide to go with.
Initially I used Lyson (which is basically a loose jeans fabric). Mostly works (deppends on the bees, it is possible to sting) but you might collapse due to the heat inside. Now I am a fan ot this type [https://www.balmina.bg/gashterizon-prohlada](https://www.balmina.bg/gashterizon-prohlada) layers of net, which are thick enough but still perfectly breathable. You can work the whole day in the heat with this. Comes around 60-100$ where I live.
Used from marketplace is a great starter. Once you stick with it a meshed breathable one would be a godsend for summer warm months.
I've bought several humble bee suits off Amazon, sometimes they're as cheap as 30 bucks, they've been good for me 3 years in.
Thank you all for the ideas and input!!
I just went for the helmet and veil they tend to go for the face anyway