Home >> Science & Nature >> Insects & Science

How to Make a Child's Beekeeping Suit

Keeping bees is a fun and exciting experience for children. It can teach them about nature in a way that mere observation can't. Caring for bees also gives children the opportunity to harvest one of the sweetest things nature has to offer: honey. But bees do sting. Protecting a child from a bee sting requires some special gear that can be easily assembled at home.

Things You'll Need

Leather gloves
High top boots
White coveralls
Elastic banding
Sewing machine or needle and thread
2 lengths of 2-inch wide cotton ribbon, 1m long each
1 piece of netting fabric, 1m x 70cm
1 length of medium gauge nylon cord, 1.25m long
1 length of small chain, 1m long
1 wide-brimmed hat

Instructions

Making the suit
- 1
  Select leather gloves that fit the child's hands well and fit the wrist closely. The gloves should come well above the wrist.
- 2
  Select boots that fit the child and extend above the ankles. Ensure that they can be securely tied to prevent a bee from entering.
- 3
  Obtain a white cotton or polyester coverall that fits the child loosely, preferably with elastic around the cuffs of the wrists and ankles. If the cuffs are not elastic, stitch elastic into the inner cuffs so they fit snugly around the wrist and ankles of the child.
Making the bee veil
- 4
  Place the length of nylon cord along the long edge of the netting fabric. Place one of the 2-inch pieces of cotton ribbon along the long edge of the netting fabric and fold it over the length of cord and the netting. Stitch the edges of the ribbon together through the netting to form a tube for the cord to act as a draw string along the edge of the netting fabric.
- 5
  Fold the remaining 2-inch piece of cotton ribbon over the other long edge of the netting fabric and the length of chain and stitch the fabric to form a tube to hold the chain.
- 6
  Match the short edges of the netting fabric and stitch them together along the edge to form a large tube. Flip the fabric inside out.
- 7
  Place the fabric on a wide-brimmed hat with the drawstring around the crown of the hat. Draw the string until it fits snugly around the crown. The chain will weight the netting down to the body when worn.
Donning the suit
- 8
  Put the coveralls on the child. Turn the collar up and fasten the coverall closed around the neck.
- 9
  Put on the boots and gloves and pull the elastic cuffs of the coveralls down to cover the ankles of the boots and the wrists of the gloves. Tape the coveralls to the gloves and boots with duct tape.
- 10
  Put on the hat and veil. Ensure the veil hangs freely and does not touch the skin to prevent stings through the veil. If the bottom edge of the veil hangs too freely, tape it to the coveralls.

Insects & Science