# Nitrile Gloves



## Barry (Dec 28, 1999)

Anyone else using these? Bought some at Home Depot awhile back and have been trying them out. So far they work great. They're quite tough. I can use them several times before tossing. My leather gloves would absorb all the sweat, but using these when it's hot out gives a steady stream of moisture running out the bottom. $14 for 100. Something to always keep on hand. :thumbsup:


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## mike haney (Feb 9, 2007)

tried 'em-too hot for me. hands looked like prunes!


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## brac (Sep 30, 2009)

I use the hospital ones sometimes, they seem to work great. You can get stung through them put just pinch the glove and pull up near the sting and it pulls the stinger right out.


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## cow pollinater (Dec 5, 2007)

You can get light-weight nitrile gloves from any dairy supply store that are powdered and thicker than the medical supply stuff but lighter than what's in the picture (i think) for about five bucks a box. Just ask for milker gloves. 
I get stung less with just the nitrile gloves on than with just the leather. If I'm dealing with something nasty, the nitrile under the leather is sting proof. My hands sweat a little more but with the powdered gloves it's not bad.


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## Barry (Dec 28, 1999)

You know how much it would cost me in fuel to drive to the nearest dairy supply store!? :lpf:Believe me, the ones from Home Depot cost me a lot less!


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## cow pollinater (Dec 5, 2007)

You mean there's not one on every corner offering free delivery??? Must be nice.


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## KQ6AR (May 13, 2008)

I've been using the ones costco says for over a year now.
Only sting was when I smashed a bee between my fingers.


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## AmericasBeekeeper (Jan 24, 2010)

U-line has gloves of several thicknesses you can order and have delivered to the door. I do not squish as many bees with thinner gloves. I have better dexterity with thin gloves. Several of my students use medical/painters' gloves. You can see in the workshop pictures at americasbeekeeper dot com or dot org 2010_Gallery


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## BeeCurious (Aug 7, 2007)

I've also been using the Costco gloves...


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## BigDaddyDS (Aug 28, 2007)

I've been using the same style Light Blue Nitrile gloves for quite a while now.

Love em!

Someone should point out that nitrile is NOT sting proof, like some previous posts had mentioned in the past.  Sting resistant, perhaps. But, not crushing bees with your hands is a pretty good way to be "naturally" sting resistant, in my opinion.


I buy my gloves in boxes of 100 from Harbor Freight. I usually wait until they run a sale for $7.99 or less per box, and then stock up. Also, I've played around with the thicker Dark Blue Nitrile gloves. For some reason, the bees HATED them! They have a very slight "texture" to them which allowed the bees to grip and sting, versus the Light Blue ones that appear to be smooth. They are nice and thin, and allow good "feel" while beekeeping. After a while, the sweatyness will subside, or you'll learn to ignore it.

By the way, I know it'll come up: I chose to use rubber (Nitrile) gloves because I hated the way my hands were always sticky with honey and stained with propolis. Nothing beats gloveless for tactile feel, but the gloves keep me clean and happy.

Happy beekeeping,
DS


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## RayMarler (Jun 18, 2008)

BigDaddyDS said:


> By the way, I know it'll come up: I chose to use rubber (Nitrile) gloves because I hated the way my hands were always sticky with honey and stained with propolis. Nothing beats gloveless for tactile feel, but the gloves keep me clean and happy.


Same here DS, I never wore gloves, but got real tired of the work it did on my hands. This year I'm wearing the gloves.


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## honeyman46408 (Feb 14, 2003)

I have some I got from "Harbor Freight" and I am like mike haney hands look like prunes in a while and if I smash a bee guess what she can sting through them


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## KQ6AR (May 13, 2008)

There are a lot of different thicknesses sold in the gloves. 
6 mil is one of the thicker exam gloves, I've found.


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## Countryboy (Feb 15, 2009)

I use them when doing cutouts.


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## NowThen (Nov 26, 2008)

I used them as I transitioned from leather gloves to bare hands my first year.

The leather gloves made me feel even clumsier than I was (am). 

The nitrile gloves gave me better 'feel' and dexterity while still providing some confidence that I wouldn't get stung.
They do load up with sweat (keep your fingers pointed down while taking them off...). 
The most frustrating thing for me is getting the finger tips of the gloves caught under the ears of the frames. 

I pretty much go gloveless now but will grab a pair if I get stung twice working the same hive.


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## BeeCurious (Aug 7, 2007)

When doing fiberglass repairs, I have put on two or even three pairs of gloves at one time. As work progressed, and the gloves became loaded with resin and fibers I would peel them off and continue. 

This technique might be useful for working bees too.


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## Tucker1 (Apr 2, 2010)

I've used the Nitrile Gloves for awhile and thought they worked fine. Your hands do get very sweaty, but that hasn't been a problem for me. I go to the local Grange and pick up a box of the thicker gloves. The price is right and I haven't had any problems with bees sting through them (maybe, I'm lucky). There are several agri catalogs that offer gloves, so you could order them if you didn't have a local supplier.


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## Tom Fran (May 18, 2010)

I use nitrile gloves for doing oil changes and brake jobs on my cars, and now that I'm into bee keeping, I am definitely going to try them out for that too.

I have paid as much as $15 for them at Lowes and Home Depot, but now they've opened up a Harbor Freight near me, and I can get them for $7.99 for 100. They seem to be just as good of quality as the more expensive ones.

I think nitrile gloves are great!


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## Skinner Apiaries (Sep 1, 2009)

BeeCurious said:


> When doing fiberglass repairs, I have put on two or even three pairs of gloves at one time. As work progressed, and the gloves became loaded with resin and fibers I would peel them off and continue.
> 
> This technique might be useful for working bees too.


Thats a neat idea. I dunno bout bees, maybe more for less stings. But the pulling them off covered in resin could be useful for some other work we do...


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## AllFloridaBee (Sep 25, 2007)

BeeCurious said:


> When doing fiberglass repairs, I have put on two or even three pairs of gloves at one time. As work progressed, and the gloves became loaded with resin and fibers I would peel them off and continue.
> 
> This technique might be useful for working bees too.


That's what I do with cutouts. 

The harbor freight ones break too frequently for me. I order cases of them from Hillman Supply, ~7.00 a box of 100: Gloves

Be sure to tell them you want the blue gloves. Last time they shipped black ones. not good.


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## NasalSponge (Jul 22, 2008)

Being a mechanic, I use them on a daily basis but I have yet to use them beeking. At work I use two thicknesses ....8 mil and 15 mil, the 4 and 6 mil tear to easily.


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## beekeeper1756 (Mar 20, 2010)

I've always been very concerned about wearing nitrile gloves because they are so thin, the bees would have no problem stinging right through them. I would like to hear more please.


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## honeyman46408 (Feb 14, 2003)

> the bees would have no problem stinging right through them. I would like to hear more please.


Yes they will but I have gotten stung only if I smash a bee but I dont wear them much because my hands look like white prunes in about 1/2 hour


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## beekeeper1756 (Mar 20, 2010)

I bought a box of nitrile gloves at Walmart and tried them out. The bees crawled over my gloves but didn't sting me. I was playing Peek-a-Boo with the queen, she would run around the bottom of the frame and I was trying to catch her to mark her, thus the nitrile gloves. I wasn't aware of it but apparently mashed one of the girls with my left thumb and she stung me. I believe it was strictly defensive.


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