Why Are Bee Suits White? (Bee Suits Can Be Other Colors!)

Why are bee suits white? Melanie in a white bee jacket

Watch a lot of beekeeping videos on YouTube and you will see that not every beekeeper wears protective clothing. However, if a beekeeper is wearing a bee suit or jacket, the color is almost always white.

Bee suits are white because honey bees are reputed to dislike dark colors as a defense mechanism against predators such as bears, raccoons, and skunks. Equally important, white absorbs less heat from the summer sun than darker colors, making white suits more comfortable for the beekeeper than darker suits.

Despite the overwhelming preference for white suits, some suppliers offer other colors for beekeepers looking to stand out, for a change of pace, or to make a fashion statement.

This article discusses why beekeepers wear white and the color of beekeeping suits in detail including information about how bees see color.

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Check out our gift ideas for a beekeeper you know…or for yourself. In addition to standard beekeeping supplies, we’ve highlighted some unique beekeeping-related items.

Why are bee suits white? Melanie in a white bee jacket

Honey Bees Are Less Defensive With White Bee Suits

According to Analysis of Honeybee Aggression by Dylan Voeller and James Nieh at the University of California San Diego, common sources of attack stimulus for honey bees include dark colors. “This makes sense because mammals, which are common predators of bees, are usually hairy, dark colored, and exhale carbon dioxide.”

Despite the warning that dark colors may trigger honey bee aggression, black mesh is used in beekeeping hoods and veils (including mine) to reduce the reflection of sunlight that might hinder the beekeeper’s vision.

If the color black will trigger a bee attack, why have it on my head? After all, that’s where I exhale carbon dioxide.

Researchers at the University of Sao Paolo tested veils that were light-colored on the outside and dark on the inside. They found that honey bees were significantly less aggressive toward the lighter veil. (Source: De Jong, David & Gonçalves, Lionel & Francoy, Tiago. (2007). A light-colored veil greatly diminishes attacks by Africanized honey bees. American Bee Journal. 147. 153-156. Find it here on ResearchGate.)

However, I would note that the “aggression” in the aforementioned study came after “riling up the colonies.” To me, this indicates that IF the bees become defensive, dark colors are a more likely point of attack. Despite this information, black veils seem to be the norm.

By the way, most bee behavior considered “aggressive” is actually the bees being “defensive” and protecting the colony. See our article Do Honey Bees Sting? for more information.

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Our Mann Lake Economy Jacket has
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Mann Lake Economy Bee Suit

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Mann Lake Economy Bee Suit

Beekeepers Wear White Because White Absorbs Less Heat

There’s another reason beekeeping suits are white, and it has nothing to do with bears.

Most beekeeping activities occur in the summertime. It can get extremely hot in the summer, and light colors (like white) absorb less heat from the sun.

Put on a bee jacket and work through some hives in the middle of August. If you’re like me, you’ll be drenched in sweat by the time you’re done. Wearing a dark color would only make it worse.

Why Lighter Colors Absorb Less Heat From Light

Light from the sun is a form of radiant energy. When sunlight hits something (like a beekeeper’s suit), some of that light is reflected while the object absorbs the rest, creating heat. Colors we see depend on how an object reflects light.

White reflects all (or almost all) light, meaning very little is absorbed, creating heat. Black absorbs all (or nearly all) light, which creates more heat. Since black doesn’t reflect light, you may say it’s not even a color. It’s the total absence of color.

The closer a color is to white, the more light it reflects, and the less heat it absorbs. A pale yellow beekeeping suit would be much cooler than a dark brown one. However, it would still absorb more heat than white making it less desirable on a hot summer day.

Regardless of whether dark colors make bees think you are a predator, white and lighter colors are a lot more comfortable in the summer.

In addition to wearing light colors, ventilated bee suits can help you stay cool in the summer.

our picks for ventilated clothing

Ultra Breeze Beekeeping Jacket With Veil

 Ultra Breeze Beekeeping Jacket With Veil on Amazon

Ultra Breeze Beekeeping Suit With Veil

 Ultra Breeze Beekeeping Suit With Veil  on Amazon

Why Are Bee Suits White? Check Out Colored Bee Suits!

Beekeeping suits do not have to be white.

While white is far and away the most common color, there are some sellers (including Amazon) of other hues. If you’re looking for something a little different (maybe you want to stand out at the next outing of your beekeeping association) check out these sites:

Blue beekeeping jacket
Beekeeper in blue protective jacket

For something a little different, how about a beekeeping suit or jacket that is NOT WHITE? Natural Apiary beekeeping clothing is also available in pink, camouflage, or khaki. Some of their product lines are ventilated.

Some other options for colored suits include:

  • BJ Sherriff in the UK has alternatives to white beekeeping clothes. I kind of like the Powder Blue or the Buttermilk (which looks pretty close to white). According to their website, they deliver worldwide but suggest you contact them regarding delivery charges.
  • Pierco, a beekeeping supplier, had kids’ suits in white, yellow, and camo.

Will Bees Mistake Me For A Flower In A Colored Bee Suit?

No, colors will not cause honey bees to think you’re a flower.

While color is part of what attracts bees to certain flowers, there’s a lot more to it. They can also smell the food source (nectar) and visually identify flowers.

Also, as stated in this article by National Geographic, bees “can sense the electric field that surrounds a flower.” I doubt you’re giving off these signals no matter what color you’re wearing.

And even though colors help bees identify flowers, it’s not the colors we see.

Bees Use 'The Force' to Find Flowers
Bees use electrical signals to find flowers.

How Does A Honey Bee See Color?

Honey bees see colors differently than humans. As shown on the visible spectrum below, bees see light wavelengths ranging from about 300 to 650 nanometers. Humans, on the other hand, see wavelengths ranging from about 390 to 750 nanometers.

Looking at this chart, you can see how, for bees, red is the absence of light. Thus, to a honey bee, red is black. (This must be confusing for bees at the roulette table.)

Honey bees see ultraviolet colors that are invisible to the human eye. Ultraviolet light from plants helps guide them to locations for nectar and pollen. Here’s a video from PBS that shows how bees see ultraviolet light from flowers:

How Bees Can See the Invisible
Human colors vs Bee ultraviolet colors

Are Bees Calmer Around White Beekeeping Suits? (An Opinion)

Surf around the internet on various bee forums. I think you’ll find lots of anecdotal evidence on both sides of this question. The fact that so many beekeepers indicate that dark colors don’t play a role makes me think other factors are at play.

While bees may target darker colors when they are defensive, it seems to me that the color is simply the target and not the cause. Bees become defensive for other reasons.

We once had a particularly defensive colony. Open the cover, and within seconds a lot of them would be banging on my hood…white (okay, dirty white) suit notwithstanding.

Bees may get defensive if:

  • They are without a queen.
  • It’s during a nectar dearth when resources are scarce, and robbers come calling.
  • If varroa mites or other infestation stress the colony.
  • You inadvertently grab a bee that stings you and sends out an alarm pheromone.
  • Drop a frame full of bees by mistake.

In short, there are a lot of reasons why the girls may come at you, stingers at the ready. And most of them have nothing to do with the color of your bee jacket.

See our article Do Honey Bees Sting? Yes, They Do (What You Should Know) for more information about defensive honey bee behavior and what you can do about their stings….because you WILL get stung!

If you need further evidence, look at what they did to this white face on several occasions when it was unprotected. The 2017 sting came when I lifted the outer cover to check on a feeder with no veil. The others were random events when I wasn’t even in the bee yard. I don’t think I look like a bear…well, maybe the beard didn’t help.

Swelling after a sting above the eye
2017
Swelling from sting below the eye
2018
Sting below the right eye
2019

Conclusion

Bee suits are customarily white to make beekeeping a little more comfortable. Darker colors may initiate defensive bee behavior and will absorb more heat.

However, some suppliers make protective clothing available in light colors other than white for your consideration.

This article is part of our information on beekeeping protective clothing included in our series about how to start beekeeping.

Additional Reading

Bees and flowers communicate using electrical fields, researchers discover by the University of Bristol

How Bees See And Why It Matters in Bee Culture in Bee Culture, The Magazine of American Beekeeping

What Colors Absorb More Heat at Sciencing.com

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