In the Ancient Mediterranean World, long horizontal hives were used, and the bees flew from a small entrance hole in one end. To harvest honeycombs, the beekeeper probably removed a cover at the other end. He was unlikely to encounter many bees when he did this and, perhaps for this reason, no evidence has been found for the use of special protective clothing by beekeepers in the Ancient World. Normal clothes could be used to cover as much of the body as possible, and Nonnus – who lived in Egypt during the later Roman Empire – referred to this in his description of the discovery of beekeeping by Aristaeus, written between AD 431 and 471.
The Roman toga was a large plain piece of material, which was draped over the body, and it could probably have been drawn over the head as well. The development of protective clothing has been traced from about AD 1400 in parts of Europe where beekeepers used upright log hives. Removal of honeycombs from the top of this type of hive would disturb the bees, so the beekeeper was more likely to be stung.
Beekeepers’ protective clothing seems to have altered little through the centuries. No reliable evidence has been found of specialist clothing before the 15th century; all earlier resources show the beekeeper at work with his face uncovered as, for instance, the native African beekeeper works today. Indeed, in Africa, it is not uncommon for a beekeeper to work naked (bees can get trapped and angry in the folds of material) and at night.
The most important part of any “bee dress” is face protection through which the beekeeper can see to operate. Many illustrations indicate a hood, with an insert of veiling or mesh in front of the face to allow better visibility, although very little can have been seen through the earlier types of headdresses used. Apart from this, the beekeeper’s dress has followed the general fashions of the times with a greater or lesser part of the body protected lightly or heavily, according to current custom and local circumstances.
By Glorious Future (Beekeeping Supplies Division)