# Alternative to beekeeper gloves



## vdotmatrix (Apr 5, 2014)

A friend uses nitrile gloves, 10mil and 12 mil thickness gloves...I was wondering what people use as alternatives to clumsy beek gloves for my daughter.


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## Beregondo (Jun 21, 2011)

Well smoked bare hands.


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## BeeCurious (Aug 7, 2007)

I use nitrile gloves from Costco. If involved with a messy job several pairs can be worn, peeling off sticky gloves as you go. I only wear the calfskin beekeeping gloves when dealing with a hot hive or doing an ugly manipulation where the bees are going to be really unpleasant... 

Some stingers can pass through the nitrile gloves but the "sting" is not as bad.


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## fivekai (Mar 6, 2015)

BeeCurious said:


> I use nitrile gloves from Costco. If involved with a messy job several pairs can be worn, peeling off sticky gloves as you go. I only wear the calfskin beekeeping gloves when dealing with a hot hive or doing an ugly manipulation where the bees are going to be really unpleasant...
> 
> Some stingers can pass through the nitrile gloves but the "sting" is not as bad.


i use licoln electric tig welding gloves


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## MTN-Bees (Jan 27, 2014)

I use light thin leather work gloves. They keep the propolis off, but bees can sting through them. The sting is not as bad through the gloves.


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## KPeacock (Jan 29, 2013)

The most I wear is the cheap 6mil blue nitrile groves found at Harbor Freight. I think bees CAN sting through them, but I haven't been stung through them yet in 3 years with bees.


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## tech.35058 (Jul 29, 2013)

I usually use the medium blue , 7 mil Harbor Freight nitrile gloves over a pair of "(brown cotton jersy)" work gloves . I use one size larger than my "barehanded" size.
I have been stung once with this combo, when I pinched a bee between my fingers.
It is more protection than the nitrile gloves alone, but with the nitrile gloves holding every thing snug, I can get by.
CE


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## e-spice (Sep 21, 2013)

I use 8mil nitrile gloves. Bees tend to avoid getting on them. It's almost like they don't like the feel of them. I also have a pair of goat skin gloves that I rarely ever wear. Bees tend to sting them quite a bit. Even though the sting has never made it through the goat skin gloves I don't like it because it kills bees.


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## DPBsbees (Apr 14, 2011)

I use the goatskin beekeeping gloves from Bucko. I bought 3 pair from them and they are well made and a very fair price. When I feel I need my hands stung more I'll try something else. If the bees want to sting my hands, I'm more than happy for them to meet their maker.


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## challenger (May 27, 2009)

I can't find gloves big enough to fit my huge hands. 😉


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## Bob J (Feb 25, 2013)

Mostly go bare handed but on the rare occasion I need more protection I use Thickster gloves..... Good dexterity and thick enough not to be stung through.... http://www.amazon.com/SAS-Safety-6603-Thickster-Textured/dp/B0002STTW0


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## shinbone (Jul 5, 2011)

fivekai said:


> i use licoln electric tig welding gloves


I am always looking for a better glove, and bought myself a pair of these to try out.

They are really well made and super comfortable. However, the bees really went at the black leather suede cuffs. Only about a 1/4" of the cuff was exposed, but the bees were strongly attracted to that little bit of cuff and left lots of stingers in it when working a friend's defensive hive. I think the black color and the slightly fuzz-like texture of the suede incites the bees to sting thinking they have found the exposed skin of the animal attacking their hive. 

I am going back to the regular goatskin beekeeping gloves with the cotton gauntlet. A shame because the Lincoln gloves are really nice.

JMHO


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## toekneepea (Jul 7, 2010)

I developed an allergic reaction to stings, so I double glove. A pair of regular dishwashing gloves under a pair of heavy-duty chemical/cleaning gloves from a big box home improvement store.

I've taken a lot of hits during fall inspections the last two years, but nothing has penetrated both gloves.

I'd rather go barehanded, but I love the bees and I'd like to keep the hobby so I wear a full suit and 2 sets of gloves.

YMMV.

Tony P.


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## oldfordguy (Dec 5, 2009)

When my son was little, he used the Playtex dishwashing gloves. He's 12 now so he's outgrown the need for gloves.


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## fivekai (Mar 6, 2015)

shinbone said:


> I am always looking for a better glove, and bought myself a pair of these to try out.
> 
> They are really well made and super comfortable. However, the bees really went at the black leather suede cuffs. Only about a 1/4" of the cuff was exposed, but the bees were strongly attracted to that little bit of cuff and left lots of stingers in it when working a friend's defensive hive. I think the black color and the slightly fuzz-like texture of the suede incites the bees to sting thinking they have found the exposed skin of the animal attacking their hive.
> 
> ...



just an idea but how about trying to spraypaint the black cuff white? the elasting of my ultrabreeze sleave covers the black on mine so i havnt had that issue


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## Hogback Honey (Oct 29, 2013)

I use "Thickster" brand gloves, nice and thick, they run small so if you can find a box of small, or extra small, they might work for your daughter


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## dynemd (Aug 27, 2013)

I just tried my new Lincoln TIG welding gloves, very comfortable but like shinbone has stated the black suede cuffs became a real target for my meanest hive, they just honed in to that material and got about 100 stingers in them (and 100 dead bees). None in me. I'm going to try spraying some Plasti Dip yellow rubber spray to see if I can't deter them from the cuffs. They have a film on You Tube demonstrating the aggressiveness of Africanized bees where they use a swath of black suede now I know why.


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## shinbone (Jul 5, 2011)

oldfordguy said:


> When my son was little, he used the Playtex dishwashing gloves. He's 12 now so he's outgrown the need for gloves.


lol!!


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## scorpionmain (Apr 17, 2012)




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## johns bees (Jan 25, 2009)

Playtex dish washing gloves have been useing for the last three years no stings yet .I use the yellow ones.


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## WBVC (Apr 25, 2013)

Bob J said:


> Mostly go bare handed but on the rare occasion I need more protection I use Thickster gloves..... Good dexterity and thick enough not to be stung through.... http://www.amazon.com/SAS-Safety-6603-Thickster-Textured/dp/B0002STTW0


I can't seem to find the thickster gloves in a small size. Do they make them in small?


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## BeeCurious (Aug 7, 2007)

johns bees said:


> Playtex dish washing gloves have been useing for the last three years no stings yet .I use the yellow ones.



You're not alone....





D Semple said:


> I do a lot of cutouts, some on some pretty defensive hives.
> 
> I don't always where gloves, but when I do, I prefer the yellow Platex Dishwasher Gloves.
> 
> Don


Don provided the inspiration for this :


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## vdotmatrix (Apr 5, 2014)

I stopped following this post after the first response about the smokey hands, little did I know... I will get back on to read the responses later!!! THANKS EVERYONE I AM INTERESTED in what you all have to say!!!


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## marshmasterpat (Jun 26, 2013)

Nitrile gloves work well. Use the black ones sold at the NAPA store for working on automobiles. Get stung through them about once every 10 hives. Pinching bees against frames almost every time. I pinch the glove and pull up and the stinger is free. 

Only issue I have is due to the short cuff, I do get popped on the wrist at times. Just have to watch the sleeve of the suit, if it creeps, I just pull it back in place. 

Platex gloves are used for cut outs typically. 

Well smoked hands. LOL - Would be working with sausage fingers for a week each time I messed with my hives if I tried that.


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## shinbone (Jul 5, 2011)

johns bees said:


> Playtex dish washing gloves have been useing for the last three years no stings yet .I use the yellow ones.


I, also, was a fan of the playtex dishwashing gloves. They provided good dexterity, with the only slight problem being they would be literally sloshing with sweat after working a half-dozen hives.

However, I finally stopped using because the latex would deteriorate quickly and the gloves would have lots of cracks and tears after just a few weeks. It was too much of a pain keeping useable gloves in inventory.

I am back to the classic goatskin beekeeping glove with the absurdly long gauntlet.


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## Brad Bee (Apr 15, 2013)

I've tried leather "bee keeping" gloves. Hated them.

I've tried Nitrile exam gloves. Too hot and tear the first time I open a hive.

I've tried the Thickster gloves. Too hot, but they don't tear.

I've tried the dish washing gloves. Too hot.

I like bare handed best. Smoke em up to start with and smoke them after a sting. I'll take cooler, more nimble and an occasional sting or two over gloves, any day.


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## Bob J (Feb 25, 2013)

WBVC said:


> I can't seem to find the thickster gloves in a small size. Do they make them in small?


I found them on another site so it looks like they do make them small....;- )

http://www.toolpan.com/SAS-Safety-6601--Small-Thickster-EX-Gloves--50-PCS-_p_2805.html


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## BeeAttitudes (Dec 6, 2014)

How thick are these pro length gloves? Might be nice if they are thick enough to prevent stings.



scorpionmain said:


>


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## scorpionmain (Apr 17, 2012)

BeeAttitudes said:


> How thick are these pro length gloves? Might be nice if they are thick enough to prevent stings.


Thick enough to prevent stings.
I found them at Lowes and they only cost like $12.


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## phyber (Apr 14, 2015)

I used the playtex gloves, got stung on day one in the middle of my finger. Not bee proof, but it helped avoid a full on sting.


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## BeeAttitudes (Dec 6, 2014)

Thanks Scorpionman!



scorpionmain said:


> Thick enough to prevent stings.
> I found them at Lowes and they only cost like $12.


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## marshmasterpat (Jun 26, 2013)

Don provided the inspiration for this : 







[/QUOTE]

Well Don is the man as we all know. And if he wears gloves, then the argument is over. I am always going to wear gloves.


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## ApricotApiaries (Sep 21, 2014)

I don't generally like to wear gloves, but sometimes life is just too darned sticky. 
When we do wear gloves, we go down the the hardware store and buy goatskin gloves. They are cheap and comfy. I wear the ones with brown thread on the wrist, my wife wears yellow or red. Kelly's makes sleeves with elastic at the wrist and elbow (mann lake also but I prefer the ones from kelly). A handy seamster/seamstress could easily make them. 
The nice thing about sleeves is they don't wear out. When the gloves wear out, you just go back to the hardware store and get another couple pairs. Also, when you have to pick up or mark a queen, It is easy to take the glove off without pulling the whole gauntlet off.


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## AstroBee (Jan 3, 2003)

BeeCurious said:


> I use nitrile gloves from Costco. If involved with a messy job several pairs can be worn, peeling off sticky gloves as you go. I only wear the calfskin beekeeping gloves when dealing with a hot hive or doing an ugly manipulation where the bees are going to be really unpleasant...
> 
> Some stingers can pass through the nitrile gloves but the "sting" is not as bad.



Exactly what I use.

vdot,

You never told us how old your daughter is or what level of involvement she plans. I think this makes a big difference. If she's 8-12 yo, a sting might change her perspective on helping for a while. If she's 16+, well, she'll be more tolerant of stings.


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## Freemind777 (Nov 23, 2014)

I went to Lowes tonight and bought a pair of the 3M pro-length gloves. Thickest dishwashing type glove I have found.
Time will tell if they don't crack. Going into my hives tomorrow and will find out if they truly are sting proof.
They seem to be about twice as thick as the Playtex Living gloves.


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## Freemind777 (Nov 23, 2014)

No stings wearing the 3M pro-length gloves I got from Lowes! Hands did sweat puddles.


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## strummer (Apr 9, 2015)

I have some 15 ml gloves I'm bout to try out .


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## Spel Ling Bee (Apr 9, 2015)

shinbone said:


> I am always looking for a better glove, and bought myself a pair of these to try out.
> 
> They are really well made and super comfortable. However, the bees really went at the black leather suede cuffs. Only about a 1/4" of the cuff was exposed, but the bees were strongly attracted to that little bit of cuff and left lots of stingers in it when working a friend's defensive hive. I think the black color and the slightly fuzz-like texture of the suede incites the bees to sting thinking they have found the exposed skin of the animal attacking their hive.
> 
> ...


How about trying to paint the black part of the glove or make a cotton cuff to cover the black. I have a pair of Radner tig welding gloves. The cuff is dark blue however the sleeve of my suit covers it fine.


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## Dave1958 (Mar 25, 2013)

I forgot my regular bee gloves, so I improvised and used deerskin work gloves. BIG MISTAKE, the bees absolutely came unhinged. Smell or whatever, took wall to wall bees over almost instantly. Just watch those types my experience may not be yours


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## Greenride (Jul 7, 2013)

I've tried a bunch of different ones too. Like shinbone the dishwashing gloves get absurdly sweaty and the largest that I found, "large" we're tight. I dried them on empty paper towel tubes in the garage after every use but they still got so ripe, I tossed them.
The thick black nitrile "venom" brand exposed my wrist and I got 3-4 in the wrist the first and only time I used them.
The economy canvas gloves from Dandant smelled like they were treated with something funky that would take a good scrubbing to get off myself afterwards. I washed these in the front loader and the seams started to come apart.
Even though they suck on the dexterity front my favorites are the $6. Pair from HD that are pvc coated with fabric on the insides. I dry these on paper towel tubes or broom handle ends to keep them open end down and open as much as possible when not being used. I have even clamped them in the vice and filled them with bleach water and peroxide water to kill whatever is making them smell so gross.
Fabian


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## crocodilu911 (Apr 17, 2015)

helo everybody. i was reading this because i am bored at work. you all know that bee venom is good for your health? right? i mean , countless studies and reasearch shows how it boosts your imune system, and how it helps you better cope with loads of ilneses we humans have. to be honest, i do use gloves, usually the rubber regular any type gloves or the leather beekeeping gloves from any bee supply store. or better yest i used to, when i was working in a 10000+ beehive commercial operation, and the only reason i did it was because my wonderfull coworkers used them. so in their mind, pair of gloves= no need for smoker. i always told them, any hole needs lubricant, and with the bees is the same thing, but that never stopped the 20+ work force to suite up, and forget about the smokers. now that i am a hobby beekeeper with 20 hives in my back yard, i actually only use a vail to avoid face stings, other than that, well, i use a smoker. and i do get stung every time i open the hives up, or almost. i do not work bees on bad weather, i don't have to, i can always come back when it's nice and sunny, and they will be "happy" to see me. 

oh, yeah, and if you are alergic to bees, and you are not a gambling man, i would pass on the hobby. my cousin is alergic, and you know, when you grow un in a familly of beekeepers where everybody , and their moma has bees, and you can't get out of the familly vacation home without mating nukes on the porch and bee hives on the roof of the house, poor guy had to go see a doctor about saving his life several times as a kid. epi pin or not, you are alergic , you will die from a sting. i would not touch bees with a 100ft pole, and i love them more than my own wife. i mean, i gew up with a observation hive in my room  

to resume, ladyes and gents, bee stings are good for you. if you get to many, than it is your fault for not smoking. learn how to open a hive , smoke the **** thing, and you will not need gloves. as a hobby beekeeper, you should 100% not use gloves. now, if you want to use gloves because you do not like to get stung, i can undestand. half of the large profesional beekeepers i know in the states use gloves. or actually , more than half. any glove would do, just go buy some and try them out. i would buy the box taht has the big ration of get some courage and do not use me anymore at the bottom of it, that way when you are done with the gloves, you can use that 

anyway it has been fun , and hey , need any advice on ladybugs, do not come to me. i do not know anything about them , but after 34 years of beekeeping, i learned a couple of things. one was, how to smoke a beehive, and second, don;t take a girl on your first date to a beeyard. that will always turn bad  no matter how many times you try it :)))
cheers


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## Jim Brewster (Dec 17, 2014)

I bought some cheap leather gloves along with my veils, and I have not used them in my very brief time, nor do I anticipate using unless I'm dealing with a very aggressive hive. So far I've only been stung when I clumsily put a bee between my finger and a hard place. Gloves would only make my fingers more clumsy, which would be bad news for the bees! I'm still new enough that every bee I squash or decapitate in the process of moving wood around makes me remorseful and a little horrified. Granted I've only dealt with springtime bees, and I *do* keep the gloves handy just in case. We'll see what the dearth brings...


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## SWAT253 (May 11, 2015)

I wore black leather gloves the first time I worked my hive - took a lot of bumps and two stings to the hands. Next time out, I wore black nitrile over the same gloves. Took a few less bumps and no stings, but one did smack me on the cheek where my veil had collapsed. Gonna try blue nitrile next, since that's what I have on hand...

I read somewhere that a peppermint and water mixture masks the bee's sting pheromone and helps prevent add'l stings. Anyone tried that?


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## SWAT253 (May 11, 2015)

Sorry -Dbl Post


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## crocodilu911 (Apr 17, 2015)

my dad uses vinegar and water. i tried it too, it works, up to a point. i hate the vinegar smell, so not really my thing.



SWAT253 said:


> I wore black leather gloves the first time I worked my hive - took a lot of bumps and two stings to the hands. Next time out, I wore black nitrile over the same gloves. Took a few less bumps and no stings, but one did smack me on the cheek where my veil had collapsed. Gonna try blue nitrile next, since that's what I have on hand...
> 
> I read somewhere that a peppermint and water mixture masks the bee's sting pheromone and helps prevent add'l stings. Anyone tried that?


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## tanksbees (Jun 16, 2014)

I tried out a set of the lincoln TIG gloves, they work great, and I could TIG with them as well except now they are all sticky.

I pull the arms of my bee jacket over the black part so the bees can't see it.


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## SWAT253 (May 11, 2015)

Take a pair of old white socks and cut the toes off - slide them over your hands and up your arms. 
Quick home-made gaiters to span the gap between glove cuff and sleeves!


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