Manufacturer of beekeeping clothing in French textiles
Know-how to protect beekeepers
Our company is a family-run business specializing in the design and manufacture of protective clothing for beekeepers. Our know-how is the result of years of experience in the design and manufacture of innovative and reliable technical garments designed to protect the wearer. We also manufacture safety clothing for industry and the fire department.
We make protective outfits for beekeepers in technical, functional and organic fabrics. Our mission is to effectively clothe and protect beekeepers in the apiary. All our textiles are of French origin. In our workshops, we design the patterns and prototypes for all our protective garments. Regular trials are carried out in our apiary to test the ergonomics, comfort and effectiveness of the protection.
We use different textiles depending on the final application of the protective clothing. Since 2021, we have focused our production on organic cotton to develop an environmentally-friendly range. You can find technical documentation for all our products in the store. Advice on protection for beekeepers is also available in the protection info tab, to help you choose the right protective clothing for your beekeeper.
Cotton weaving
Making beekeeping clothing EPI2
The manufacture of protective clothing requires a study of the user’s needs. Our fabrication workshop designs, draws and assembles all prototype components, which are then tested, modified and improved if necessary. After validation by our quality department, the protective garment is entrusted to the French Textile and Clothing Institute for technical testing. Regulations governing personal protective equipment in the beekeeping sector are very recent. To date, all beekeeping protective clothing is considered to be personal protective equipment (PPE2). Beekeepers’ coveralls, the main item of equipment along with gloves, must meet the essential requirements of European regulations. The same applies to vareuses, beekeeping jackets and anti-hornet suits.
The prototype workshop
Embroidery and branding workshop
You can take advantage of our free embroidery workshop. Entrust us with the embroidery of your beekeeping outfit, your anti-hornet suit, or your beekeeping jacket. Create your logo, ask us for advice, we’ll personalize your protective clothing for you, free of charge.
How to choose your beekeeping suit
Protecting yourself
When it comes to buying protective clothing for beekeepers, it’s important to be aware of the essential priorities of protective clothing for beekeeping.
A beekeeper’s suit must prevent all bee stings, and provide effective, long-lasting protection. The same applies to beekeeping jackets. All beekeepers, amateur or professional, should immediately discard cheap or first-price clothing that is incapable of ensuring the beekeeper’s safety in the event of bee stings or attacks. Often these products, which seem attractive for their price, turn out to be unreliable, with limited useful life.
Our beekeeping protection outfits are reliable and robust. Designed to last over time, they will give you complete satisfaction and ensure your safety in the apiary.
Choosing your beekeeping suit
APIPROTEC beekeeping suits have not only been tested in our workshops, but have also been awarded EPI2 class certification by the French Institute of Textiles and Clothing.
Beekeepers’ coveralls must be EPI2-certified in order to be marketed. Any garment designed to protect beekeepers which does not have this certification must be excluded from all purchasing selections. As a reminder, EPI2 stands for individual protective equipment. Every beekeeper’s suit must come with the mandatory product information leaflet. In particular, this leaflet indicates The technical performances achieved during examinations to verify PPE protection levels and classes. ( Regulation 2016/425 of the European Parliament and of the Council of March 9, 2016 on personal protective equipment).
These instructions enable beekeepers to judge the performance level of the product they wish to purchase. As an example, here’s the information leaflet that accompanies our beekeeping suit inside the packaging. All this information is compulsory and must be included on this document.
What you need to know before buying a beekeeping suit or jacket
BEEKEEPER’S SUIT INFORMATION LEAFLET
- Product code: APIPROTEC51
- Manufacturer : Vêtements Pro
9 b chemin de la montagne
51140 CHENAY
This suit complies with the essential health and safety requirements of Directive 89/686/EEC, PPE category 2. It is intended to provide protection against bee stings. It does not protect against wasp or hornet stings. This loose-fitting garment is worn over main clothing and must be worn outdoors. The wearer must ensure that the main zipper is properly fastened and that the flap is correctly positioned. The cap closure must be closed with the inner flap correctly positioned to prevent bees from entering the garment.
For complete protection of the wearer, CE-marked protective gloves must be used (consult the glove leaflet to validate the protection offered).
The EU type-examination was carried out by :
IFTH-(n° 0072) – Avenue Guy de Collongue – 69134 ECULLY CEDEX
- Performance :
Safety, dimensional stability: complies with EN ISO 13688 requirements
Fabric – Tensile strength to ENISO 13934-1 = minimum 800 N
Fabric – Tear strength to ENISO 13937-2 = minimum 15 N
Mesh – Burst strength to ENISO 13938-1 = minimum 800 N
Weight per unit area of fabric to EN 12127 minimum 240g/m².
Mesh thickness to EN ISO 5084 > 2.5 mm
Tensile strength of main seams to ENISO 13935-2 > 200 N
Design verification = tests carried out by IFTH
- A guide to good practice :
Wetsuits must be chosen according to a specific size. The veil is adjusted using a self-gripping tape headband located inside the veil.
We recommend adjusting the Velcro fasteners before use.
The suit should be stored in a clean, dry place, away from light. Given the natural evolution of cotton and the degree of use of the jacket, it is not possible to give an expiration date.
Veils should be washed by hand and never ironed. The suit can be machine-washed at a temperature of 40°. The veil must be carefully pulled over the suit to ensure a perfect seal.
“We declare that the product does not contain substances at levels known or suspected to have adverse effects on the hygiene or health of the user under foreseeable conditions of use. Its design does not cause irritation or discomfort to the wearer”.
Evaluate the performance of your protection and the level of your security
In conclusion, these instructions will help you assess the quality and performance of your beekeeping outfit.
All our bee sting protection garments benefit from this essential certification. When working in the apiary, beekeepers need to feel safe.
Our lined protective hat (600gr) provides optimum protection against bee stings to the head and face, which are the most dreaded. Anti-intrusion closure with double hook-and-loop tape guarantees a perfect seal at the head. As bee intrusions at the neck are particularly dangerous, our ANTI-INTRUSION fastener avoids this type of problem. The hat is attached to the garment by a “mouth-to-mouth” zipper, which prevents a connection at the back of the hat, often an additional risk of “surprise visits” by bees. This risk is all the greater as it is invisible to the beekeeper. High-strength cotton twill (300GR) was chosen for its airy weave and high resistance to tearing and bursting.
All our textiles are of French origin, and the raw materials we use are spun or woven in France. Prototypes are designed, fitted and assembled in our workshops before being marketed, and EPI2 certification is carried out in France by IFTH in Lyon. APIPROTEC is a registered trademark with INPI.
What our beekeepers think of us
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Editor : Jean Luc Wolff APIPROTEC
