Tomm Willians

One of my favorite areas to ride happens to be mear fruit orchards where at this time of year the presence of Bee boxes for pollination are quite common.
Can anyone recommend an effective method to keep them out of the helmet vents and crawling onto my bald head and getting stung? As the weather begins to get warmer a cycling cap I don’t believe is a viable option and to make matters worse, I happen to be allergic to bee stings any ideas would be appreciated.

shelbyfv

Wave Cell. I got one for Christmas and I'm pretty sure a bee couldn't get through. Fits well too, but of course that depends on your noggin.

UniChris

How about some kind of mesh netting as a helmet cover?

Bald Paul

Nylon stocking.

PeteHski

Could go for the full 1970s bank robber look there!

UniChris

I was thinking a larger mesh, probably more of a fashion type of one than even a mosquitto net fabric. A stocking is certainly easy and going to let some air through especially at faster speeds, but I'd expect less than an open vent.

I honestly personally usually ride with an opaque fabric cover in summer, but I'm guessing there's a desire for more cooling air here.

Tomm Willians

Ahhh….. perhaps a tight weave hair net?

shelbyfv

Because I'm bald I always wear a beanie under my helmet. Bugs can sting through the beanie but they've most often got me by flying in my gaping mouth.

GhostRider62

There is a helmet with mesh build into the holes. I used to have one. I cannot remember the name. I get stung all the time. One one day.....stung right at the trigemenial nerve and then one went down my jersey and stung me on the left nipple.

My old mesh covered holes kept them off my bald head. Sorry can't remember the name of it

JanMM

Ummm……..have worn helmets with vents since 1976. Stung by something on the mouth 1981 and stung by a honeybee on my ankle 3 - 4 years ago. Is getting stung on the head under a helmet a common thing?

GlennR

Here's a tip... keep your mouth closed and your jersey zipped up.

Rolla

Dave Mayer

I always wear a cycling cap underneath my helmet, for sweat retention and a little sun shade for the eyes. There have been several times that I felt a tick on my helmet, followed by a crawling sensation on my cap. Obviously a disoriented wasp or bee trying to figure who to sting.

A tougher ask is how to keep nasty insects from stinging you in the groin. One lovely day I was riding in the idyllic countryside and suddenly experienced a sharp burning session in the 'nether regions'. Turns out a wasp had got trapped between the nose of my saddle and my cycling shorts. Fun ensued as I got stung multiple times.

I hopped of the bike jumping up and down, coincidentally right across from a fire station who were running a outdoor workshop for paramedics. They ran over, and concerned about my stated allergies to bee stings, they formed a tight cordon around me and asked if I could drop my cycling shorts for an inspection. This is just off a semi-busy road. I complied and after several of the group doing a check, they deemed me in no danger. Not your everyday experience.

CroMo Mike 

I found a net helmet cover on Amazon. Available in black or white. Search term: bicycle helmet cover bee

Kedosto

Remember those weird hair nets the cafeteria ladies used to wear back in high school? Get one of those nets and stretch it over the outside of your helmet.

jim_pridx

https://www.wiggle.com/gripgrab-bugsheild-helmet-cover

cjenrick

whatever you do, do not wear yellow.

every time i wear a yellow shirt, which is never now, i end up flicking the bees off on a regular basis.

coat the rims with honey. the bees get stuck and you eat them when you get home.

their gonna get it from the Murder Hornets pretty soon anyway.

which brings to mind a great idea, capture a Murder Hornet, take it to the taxidermy shop, have it gutted and preserved, then mount it to the top of your helmet,
in an aerodynamic position of course. i promise your bee problem will be over.

at this point you may be wondering " where the heck am i going to get a Murder Hornet?"

simple. drive to Blaine Washington .soak a cotton ball in sardine oil. drop it on the ground. wait for the Murder hornet to pick it up. follow the cotton ball with a telescope. once you have found the nest, swoop in with a butterfly net, grab your hornet, and call 911. why?

beecause...


















































Your Gonna Die!

rumrunn6

I use a standard head net in some areas that are thick w/ biting flies. but I mostly use it to cover my face. I can roll it up to uncover my face. I'm sure it looks ridiculous. that bike specific helmet cover looks smart for the OP!

little buggers!




a hole for my sport cam helps keep it in place


w/o the camera hole it tends to slide back. still works but moves around a bit

Koyote

BobbyG

I think rumrunn6 has the best solution, since it covers the face as well. But if it's just the helmet, google "bicycle helmet rain cover".

Barry2 

I often ride near water and bees are the issue.
The food service hair nets are very cheap and work great.

Prior post

Barry

Iride01

Don't worry about them so much. You leave them alone and they'll leave you alone. Bees are generally not aggressive. I've grabbed them in my hand from off my helmet, neck and shoulders and flung them off with no sting. Yellow jackets and wasps I'm not so lucky doing that.

P.L.Jensen

..." where the heck am i going to get a Murder Hornet?"simple.... drive to Blaine Washington" ...

I live in Blaine... Not far from the nests... We have hummingbirds here too, and I freak out every time I'm surprised by a hummingbird flying close without me knowing it... They say that the Murder Hornets sounds very similar... Creeps me out...


















































Your Gonna Die![/QUOTE]

Tomm Willians

Being allergic to their sting isn’t a position where I have the luxury of not worrying about it.

urbanknight

Sounds like you should be carrying an epipen with you and/or taking a different route. Of course, it still doesn't hurt to take every precaution to avoid getting stung in the first place. Since my bald head would get tiger stripes suntanned into them from the vents, I wear a Headsweats skull cap. Works even in 105+ degree weather, but I can't say how well it would prevent bee stings. I have never been stung on my head even when my daily commute went right by a honey farm, but I did once get stung by a bee that got trapped between my sunglasses and my nose.

That wave cell helmet looks promising, but I have learned that just because a bug looks larger than an opening doesn't mean they can't squeeze through it.