# Checking hives without gloves?



## liljake83 (Jul 2, 2013)

I find I have a much better feel for what I am doing and I kill allot less bees yes I do get stung in the hands and fingers but I would not have it any other way no gloves for me


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## Vance G (Jan 6, 2011)

I am more careful with bare hands and thr bees reciprocate. Also, the hand is a long way from the heart and a few stings is good for my arthritis. If the bees are being irate I put on glove if there are mass attackers. But the vast majority of the time in spring til the honeyflow ends in September, I just don't need them. Today I lit a smoker but only used it on two or three of thirtysome colonies I went thru. When the flow is on bees are too busy to worry about a careful beekeeper.


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## dweber85rc (Nov 25, 2013)

I've never used anything more than a veil for protective gear


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## shinbone (Jul 5, 2011)

I am a big fat chicken. I wear a full suite including gloves whenever I open a hive.


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## Cleo C. Hogan Jr (Feb 27, 2010)

Gloves only when harvesting honey, otherwise, not needed.

cchoganjr


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## hokieute (Mar 6, 2011)

Try nitrile gloves. I get the odd sting through them, but not a deep sting. I have good feel and kill fewer bees. Also, my hands really swell with stings, so I do use traditional thick gloves when I am doing "deep dives" on all of my hives.


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## Needo (Sep 10, 2013)

First year here. I haven't needed gloves either. My bees are so gentile that I can brush them aside with my fingers. I do like to smoke my hands and arms up more than I smoke the bees. I was using smoke to get the bees to duck so I could close the top bars. Lately I have been brushing them down with my fingers. It's faster. I still keep the smoker lit in reserve.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Better grip. Greater tactile confident feeling. What if I want to or need to pick up a queen. No gloves is cooler. Not cooler, but cooler. Know what I mean? Nitrile gloves get HOT.


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## Colino (May 28, 2013)

I seldom use gloves, I'm with Vance G without them you are more careful and have better dexterity. I do get stung but usually it's my fault because I'm moving too fast and crush a bee. I consider stings to be like slivers from carpentry or cuts from sheet metal, I don't wear gloves for either of those jobs. You work with bees you can be stung it's part of it.
Colino


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## Joseph Clemens (Feb 12, 2005)

I haven't worn gloves while working hives, since 1966. I rarely use a veil, either. Shorts, a long-sleeved T-shirt, and lit smoker are my usual bee-working garb.


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## Mountain Man (Aug 26, 2013)

I cant do it,,,,,,


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## waynesgarden (Jan 3, 2009)

I use gloves all the time. I make my living using my fingers on a keyboard and don't wish to make the job any harder than it needs to be. And I haven't noticed any goat-skin-glove-induced massacres during my years of beekeeping

I've been called a wimp on these forums because of it. I've been told I don't know how to tend bees. I've been told I don't care about the well being of my bees. You know what? I stopped caring about what others say long ago. 

I get my share of stings, just usually not on my hands.

Do what makes you feel comfortable .

Wayne


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## jdmidwest (Jul 9, 2012)

Nitrile gloves. Keeps the propolis off the hands and bees from licking the sweat.


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## cdevier (Jul 17, 2010)

I wear the nitrile gloves. "Nitrile gloves get HOT" -but their cool
Charlie


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## mrobinson (Jan 20, 2012)

I actually own very little "beekeeping gear" – no smoker, for example – but there _are_ three things that I fairly insist upon:


 A veiled hat. (Mine is actually an old straw hat, with a veil that fits around it.)
 A set of white painter's coveralls – nope, nothing "armored" here – with _plenty_ of pockets.
 A pair of long-sleeved leather beekeeper's gloves.
 The reason is simple: there are two places that I do not wish to be stung. One of them is my face, and the other is my hands.

The gloves, being made of lightweight leather, _breathe_ easily on a hot summer day (nitrile definltely doesn't ...), and they don't interfere with my touch. They're washable, and they keep my hands clean, dry, and free of sticky-stuff. Frankly, I find that they make things _easier_ to handle, and I sometimes use them for non-bee related purposes for that reason.

By all means, though, find what your own comfort-level and preference is, and "go with that." I've been known to work the bees in shorts and a T-shirt ... and a veil, and the gloves ... the main problem being that then you don't have enough pockets, and if you absent-mindedly wipe some sticky-stuff against your skin, you'll have a devil of a time cleaning it off.  Instead, into the washing-machine goes the suit and the gloves, now and then.


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## ginkgo (Apr 26, 2013)

Don't use gloves but have a pair and used them once in anticipation of a hive being grumpy. Learned bare-handed from other local beekeepers. However, agree with waynesgarden that a sting on a finger sure can impair your typing speed!


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## Harley Craig (Sep 18, 2012)

I used to not wear gloves but I too make my living on a CPU it was rough sometimes but I finally decided to wear them when I almost had to cut my wedding band off, it was my grandfather's before he passed away and I don't want to risk it


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## The General (Apr 22, 2014)

A very good trick if you don't want to wear gloves and also don't want to get stung.

Use your smoker (you are using one right?) and basically "wash" your hands with the smoke. Puff it a few times and really rub the smell onto your hands. Sniff your hands to make sure they smell like the smoke and the bees with almost always never sting you or move off your hands when your handling frames very quickly.

I have handled lose brood comb like this with very upset bees who were bombing my veil, they land on your hands and move about on them. But I have found they wont do anything more than that. My experience is somewhat limited to just this year, but every time I have smoked my hands, I never get stung when digging deep into the hives. Times I don't smoke them, I get stung multiple times on the hands.


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## Harley Craig (Sep 18, 2012)

Yes I smoke them and although you don't get the 6 that fly out and stick to the back of your hand like Velcro like you do with gloves you will still get the ocaisional sting


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## Zbee (Apr 15, 2014)

I use gloves. I have not lost my instinctive pull back reaction when being stung and I sure don't want to be surprised when holding a frame of bees. I also feel more comfortable with gloves when working with bees and find I am more careful and not so reactive.


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## beedeetee (Nov 27, 2004)

I stopped wearing them when I started raising queens. There just isn't any way that I can do the things that I need to do with them on. For a while I took my wedding ring off, but my hands don't swell at all, so now I don't worry about it. Actually I don't wear them harvesting honey. Even when I shake and use a brush. I'm not sure I've ever been stung while removing honey either. I just use a veil then, but I harvest in July and they haven't turned into the *itches from *ell yet.

I do have gloves and I'll put them on if a hive is hot. I have two right now that I usually get a sting every frame I remove or move my hand over the top of the hive. I also start wearing them around the first of August. I've been stung a dozen times just trying to get a cover pried off. We don't have any fall flow and the bees are big and cranky in the fall. I usually don't go into my hives much after August though.


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## Tenbears (May 15, 2012)

It is funny how things change. I recall the first time I opened a hive, I was in full gear and nervous as a long tail cat in a room full of rocking chairs. In time My confidence and understanding of how to move when working in a hive improved and I began not to wear them. I rarely do today, So much so that it shocks me when I am working with someone who does. I do always wear a veal. One sting on the eyelid cured me of that. I figure there is no sense in having the church ladies thinking my girlfriend is beating me again.


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## NY_BLUES (May 14, 2009)

I have and use gloves on occasion, such as splitting hives in a holding yard, when there are tons of bees and hundreds of hives to go through. I also wear them pulling honey. Other than that, I usually just use my bare hands and keep a smokerlit and with me. Im no tough guy, I just like the dextarity and my hands sweat a lot less with no gloves on. Its also really hard to be gentle and plant hundreds of queen cells a day with goatskin gloves on. 
I have, on occasion, had to pull off the wedding band and move it to the right hand due to taking a sting in the ring finger.


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## dkofoed (Feb 25, 2014)

I'm a new beekeeper this year and started off with the thick gloves. I found it awkward to lift up frames so I decided to try Nitrile gloves ... so far it's been great. Almost perfect dexterity and have not been stung on the hands once.


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## My-smokepole (Apr 14, 2008)

The wisdom comes when you know you will need gloves and when not. Most of my hives no gloves. But a couple gloves are a must. And yes I hope to get them requeen this year. If I can ever find the queen
David


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## camero7 (Sep 21, 2009)

Cleo C. Hogan Jr said:


> Gloves only when harvesting honey, otherwise, not needed.
> 
> cchoganjr


:thumbsup:


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## jbeshearse (Oct 7, 2009)

I tell people that if they come by my beeyard while I am working bees and I am wearing gloves, just keep on driving as it is a bad day in the beeyard. Most of the time gloves are not necessary if you have the time to take your time. If you do not have the time to be gentle and slow, then gloves are pretty much a necessity unless you are immune to stings.


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## Dominic (Jul 12, 2013)

dkofoed said:


> I'm a new beekeeper this year and started off with the thick gloves. I found it awkward to lift up frames so I decided to try Nitrile gloves ... so far it's been great. Almost perfect dexterity and have not been stung on the hands once.


That's confidence, my friend. The nitrile gloves don't actually protect you, unless you have other gloves underneath, they just make you feel safe. Mostly, they their main use is to keep your hands from being sticky. So if you don't mind the stickiness, don't be afraid to open your hives without gloves, you've already been handling them without protection.

I only use gloves in the fall and spring. Bees mostly sting my ankle, though, so boots would provide me better protection than gloves do.


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## Bob J (Feb 25, 2013)

No gloves for me as well.... Much better feel when working the hives.....


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## Duncan151 (Aug 3, 2013)

I have not worn gloves since day one. I do not like wearing gloves and really only wear them in the winter, or for some heavy manual labor. I really only wear a veil, and only when I really need to do that. I have found that the worry of getting stung can be worse than the actual sting! The mind is a terrible thing!


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

I wear regular leather gloves (buckskin or doeskin) and often take them off for catching queens etc. They come off much easier when you need them off and go on easier when you need them on. It's hard to get a lot of work done when you're not wearing gloves and you have fifty hives to go through...


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## D Coates (Jan 6, 2006)

I started out covered from head to toe with protective gear. It was hot and cumbersome. Fast forward about 3 years and I forgot my gloves but only had a nuc to examine. I did, and got stung (my fault). I then realized it wasn't that bad and I wasn't covered in sweat within 2 minutes. I tried it in a few weeks without my suit, just jeans, shirt, and veil. Even nicer. A few months later shorts, T-shirt (tucked in), and a veil. Wholly molly, why I haven't done this before?

Today, I go wearing whatever is comfortable clothing wise and a veil. The last time I wore my beekeeping gear was at a couples Halloween party where my wife was the queen bee, 3 years ago. On the back I wrote in large block letters, "BEEKEEPER, If running, keep up." Since then my suit and gloves sit neatly folded on my lesser used bee-gear shelf.

I'm not brave, I'm lazy and I like to keep as cool as possible working the bees. It's forced me to become very good at reading a hive, saves me time gearing up an down and lessens the amount of gear I haul around. This is in no way to disparage those who do otherwise. It's merely what I do, how and why I got there.


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## camero7 (Sep 21, 2009)

I carry all my equipment in the truck. I often work my nucs with short sleeves and no veil. I always wear a veil working my production hives. If there's a flow and the bees seem calm I don't suit up. If there's no flow I always wear my jacket. Conditions dictate what I wear. Other than my nucs my biggest assistant is the smoker.


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## Ravenseye (Apr 2, 2006)

I'm about 50/50. If I know I'll be doing a full inspection I'll put them on, especially if it's multiple hives. If I have a hot hive, I certainly put them on. Pulling an empty queen cage or adding a super, etc. I have them ready to go. If I wear my veiled jacket, I often pull the gloves on because the sleeves of the jacket have lost their elastic and when a bee crawls up the sleeve and gets stuck up there, it's pretty much a guaranteed sting so the gloves keep that from happening.


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## Millenia (Apr 8, 2014)

D Coates said:


> On the back I wrote in late block letters, "BEEKEEPER, If running, keep up."


I am SOOO getting this put on a T-shirt. LOL


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## Barry Digman (May 21, 2003)

I think it may depend on what your reaction to a sting is. I swell up pretty good and it's fairly painful, so I wear gloves although I'll take one off if I need a little finer touch for some reason. 

One thing I do miss out on is the actual temperature of the bees. If you've never scooped bees from a swarm cluster you need to take that opportunity. As you know, they're usually very docile in cluster and can be held bare-handed if you're moving slowly and gently. It's a pretty remarkable sensation to feel their heat, which isn't usually associated with insects.


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## Joseph Clemens (Feb 12, 2005)

I just re-read most of the posts in this thread, so I though I'd add a few comments, to what I said earlier.

I too am a typist, but no longer make my living by typing. But, if stings interfered with my typing, I'd think again about using gloves, regularly.

Mostly I too am motivated by being lazy and maintaining the most comfort, for the least effort. It is almost always uncomfortably hot, outdoors in my area. So wearing any more clothing than necessary is problematic and can lead to more serious heat induced health problems (including death). But, too, exposed skin can quickly be sun-damaged, leading to other health issues. So, I usually wear shorts and T-shirt, with dampened, white terrycloth towel on my head, held in place by wide brimmed hat. I used to wear short sleeved T-shirts, but the bees were attracted to the dark area that was my arm pits, and my arms were exposed to the sun. Since then, I've graduated to long-sleeved T-shirts to help protect my arms from the sun and my pits from bee stings.

I do keep a veil handy, for the occasional feisty colony, but almost never need to use it. If I do, I just drop it on and let it hang freely about my shoulders (don't tie or zip it on).

During a typical bee working day, I get stung a few times in the nostrils, and other places on my face. I usually only get stung on the hands when I unintentionally pinch a bee during manipulations of frames. I suppose, if stings were more painful, I would take more "pains" to reduce the chances of getting stung, but even in the most sensitive parts of my body (and I've been stung just about everywhere, at some time or other), stings are no more than a momentary, ouch. 

There have been times, even recently that I did wear gloves when working bees. In April, I drove about ten miles south, to meet a beekeeper friend, and examine a small apiary he had on a local ranch. All those hives (about seven of them), where extremely defensive. Almost as soon as we got out of our vehicles, they began stinging us on any exposed parts of our bodies. I quickly put on my veil, which reduced the number that were able to sting my head and face, to less than five at a time. But, soon my bare hands were almost "gloved" by a layer of bees, that were simply planning to turn my hands into pincushions, with stings as the pins. My friend had extra nitrile gloves, and I borrowed a pair. They helped, some - and the bees continued to sting the gloves, with some stings penetrating the gloves. We soon had to stop, mostly for fear we would depopulate the hives by the number of bees dying from losing their stingers.

If my own bees were that bothersome, I'd either wear more gear, including gloves, regularly, or find a way to change their temperament. Preferably the latter, and sooner than later.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

Here's the shirt...

http://www.cafepress.com/mf/60453440/caution-beekeeper_tshirt


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## Cub (Feb 14, 2013)

I am up to 14 hives now, and there is no way half of them could be worked without gloves. They start stinging before the inner cover is even taken off. The photos online of little kids holding up frames of bees bare handed are nice, but the ferals in my neck of the woods are a lot more hard nosed.


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## mdax (Apr 29, 2013)

I only have 14 hives and work them without gloves. I like being able to feel the bees under frames and feel the difference in resistance when moving frames.


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## Intheswamp (Jul 5, 2011)

Mountain Man said:


> I cant do it,,,,,,


WAIT A MINUTE!!!! You are "Mountain Man"!!!!! You're supposed to be eating honeycomb straight from the hive with the bees still on it!!!!


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## Intheswamp (Jul 5, 2011)

Michael Bush said:


> It's hard to get a lot of work done when you're not wearing gloves and you have fifty hives to go through...


My mentor seldom wears gloves when working his bees. Usually only when he comes upon a hot hive. His best friend (my co-mentor?  ) wears gloves when he's doing inspections. He says that he can work the hives faster with the gloves, although there may be a few bee casualties along the way...it's basically a necessity to wear them to get through a large number of hives in a reasonable amount of times. Both of these gentleman are in 80+ years old and have kept bees for years...once since he was 8...but both have different ideas about things. Basically it's whatever you work out for yourself.

As for myself, I only wear them when the bees make me. 

Ed


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## Santa Caras (Aug 14, 2013)

I START OFF with no gloves when going thru the hives. In the early spring, the bees were very cool with me going into the hives. No stings, no batting or boiling up out of the box when pulling a frame. Mid-summer and boxes of honey????....they dont much like me going into them. So I start off with no gloves....but by the 3rd or 4th sting tho, I'm hauling the gloves out and putting them on.


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## CajunBee (May 15, 2013)

Last year, no gloves, short pants and tee shirt. This year, no way....the girls won't allow it.


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## squarepeg (Jul 9, 2010)

i start out without gloves, but will slip some thin nitriles on if i get a sting to the hands to mask the scent for the duration of the inspection(s).


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## BernhardHeuvel (Mar 13, 2013)

I never use gloves.


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## Brad Bee (Apr 15, 2013)

I wore leather gloves on my first ever hive inspection, and haven't worn them again. I tried latex and thin nitrile but they would tear quickly, so I started going without them. The only time I have worn gloves in the past year was this past weekend when transferring double deep nucs to 10 frame equipment. That seems to make them madder than anything I have done to this point. Maybe it's the way I slam the upside down bottom nuc down on top of the hive to get the thousand or so bees out that are clinging to the inside of the nuc.


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## Redbug (Feb 8, 2014)

Most of the time I go Hand Naked. It helps me to move slowly...as a reminder that I don't have gloves on, too. I usually smoke my hands and arms and that may help with the bees, (I am not sure, though). I have noticed that stings on my hands don't hurt hardly at all and have little if any swelling.


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## Intheswamp (Jul 5, 2011)

Brad Bee said:


> ... That seems to make them madder than anything I have done to this point. Maybe it's the way I slam the upside down bottom nuc down on top of the hive to get the thousand or so bees out that are clinging to the inside of the nuc.


Hmm, that *could* be a possibility? :lpf:


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## DPBsbees (Apr 14, 2011)

Last year the Bee Inspector came to inspect my hives. He just put on those thin clear vinyl gloves I sometimes use when I'm painting. I wear goats skin beekeeping gloves most of the time. By the end of the third hive, he said "You're bees are tearing up my hands". I said " No ____", why do think I'm wearing these gloves. My bees are fine when we are each in our own worlds, but they want to own theirs. I have to respect their ability to get even, when I open up the hives.


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## lazy shooter (Jun 3, 2011)

I have one hive of bees that will put gloves on your hands.


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## shannonswyatt (May 7, 2012)

I wear thicksters, which are nitrile. I have pretty bad reactions to stings. I wear nitrile gloves when working on other things, so I don't notice my that my hands are sweating anymore until I take them off. The thicksters last a very long time, but you can get stung through them. But the stinger gets caught up so it doesn't penetrate much.


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## beekeeper79 (Jun 24, 2013)

Depends on their mood...my carniolans are fine with me going in with no gloves but the italians can get ornery. I will say it is much easier without gloves and I seem to kill a lot less bees that way.


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## Colobee (May 15, 2014)

Gloves? Of course, it's such a simple precaution. I prefer goatskin.

Maybe because the worst I was ever stung was on my hands. 'My fault - I went to a distant out yard and forgot my gloves. Substituted canvas backed work gloves. They worked until I cracked the first hot hive. Ultimately ~50-100X stings each, in one round. Hands swollen like balloons, for days, no thanks!

I virtually always wear gloves, unless I'm handling queens.


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## Ron B. (May 11, 2009)

I always start with gloves ON. I may switch to Nitrile or take them off altogether, but I always start with gloves, I hate sausage fingers.


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## Colobee (May 15, 2014)

Ron B. said:


> ...I hate sausage fingers.


EXACTLY!!! I use my hands a lot when I'm NOT beekeeping!


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

BernhardHeuvel said:


> I never use gloves.


Or pants.


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## minz (Jan 15, 2011)

I got one hive, in one yard, that will tear me up. It has 5 supers on it right now (almost 200% of the others) and I pulled down the ‘No QC from this hive’ sign am now grabbing some queen cells from it. I cannot make up my mind. Also as my number of yards grows I just put on the gloves and blow through them. It also makes it so the drive home that I can take my hands off the steering wheel!


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Ya got to know what you can get away w/ and what you are comfortable doing.


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## justusflynns (Aug 2, 2012)

BernhardHeuvel said:


> I never use gloves.


How about sunblock?


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## BernhardHeuvel (Mar 13, 2013)

I am wearing the Ultra-Ultra-Breeze-suit. Cannot believe you beekeepers in America are so soft.  :lookout:


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## justusflynns (Aug 2, 2012)

BernhardHeuvel said:


> I am wearing the Ultra-Ultra-Breeze-suit. Cannot believe you beekeepers in America are so soft.  :lookout:


that's excellent :lpf:


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

BernhardHeuvel said:


> I am wearing the Ultra-Ultra-Breeze-suit. Cannot believe you beekeepers in America are so soft.  :lookout:


Like I wrote earlier. You have to know what you can get away w/ and what you are comfortable wearing, or not, when you do. Come work a yd w/ two semi loads of hives in it naked like that.


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## shannonswyatt (May 7, 2012)

Those must be East German bees Bernhard. The Stasi confiscated their stingers.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

BernhardHeuvel looks like he has "Brille" for a "Mensur". Like he's going to get out his "schläger" and stand his ground with the bees... at least the "schmiss" don't leave permanent marks...

Sorry, my son is a fencer... and not chain link or barbed wire...


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## BernhardHeuvel (Mar 13, 2013)

We load two semis everyday, do we?! I move bees a lot, although of course not on semis. For semis there are no roads here in Germany, we have small tiny roads. 

After hundred-and-one stings I usually mumble: Girls, do not start to bother me...I took about fivehundred stings in one case where I dropped a hive from a handtruck. That is about the highest amount of stings I took in one day. The stingers and bees were dangling in rows from my naked forearms. It got a bit dizzy but that was about it. Message here: humans can take a lot of stings.

Seriously, there are virtually no oldtimer beekeepers here wearing a suit, veil or gloves. Oldtimers here go bare-handed. I was teached by such an oldtimer. It is all about getting resistant to bee venom. In the first years I got the swelling and all, too. I kept on taking stings regularily and now I am free. No need for any protection because bee stings do nothing to me. No itching, no swelling, no redness, no nothing. I scrape off the stingers, that's it. So get your kicks and free yourself. It is well worth it, because you do enjoy beekeeping more many many times. 

I must admit, that we have good breeds of bees over here. Calm, nice and peaceful bees. It is easy to breed for gentle bees, so ask your breeders for gentle bees that can be worked bare-handed.


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## squarepeg (Jul 9, 2010)

BernhardHeuvel said:


> It is all about getting resistant to bee venom.


this happened with me by the end of the first year. luckily it didn't go the other way with me becoming hypersensitive to the venom. i still like to put on thin gloves after the first sting or two (if that even happens) just to keep the bees calm and make the inspections easier. these bees are workable enough for me, and i wonder if breeding for gentleness would trade off survivability.


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## BernhardHeuvel (Mar 13, 2013)

Need a nose-helmet for protection.


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## D Coates (Jan 6, 2006)

Bernhard,

Where did you get the Ford truck in your photo? I've not been to Germany (yet, but will) but in Spain, France, Italy, and England I've learned full size trucks and SUV's are normally a dead giveaway of a US serviceman who had it shipped over. They are common here. When I asked about it, I was told these vehicles are not at all popular in Europe because of their fuel consumption and overall size. Side note, your English is very good.


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## BernhardHeuvel (Mar 13, 2013)

We do have quite some of those trucks here. Truck enthusiasts do import them. The more European version is the Ford Ranger, but F150-F450 can be found, too. A lot of Dodge RAM, too, but I do like the F150 more, because it is a real workhorse. Fuel prizes are horror: 8.50 USD per gallon.

I have been living downunder for a while, which is why my English is so bad.


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## Beekeeper23 (Mar 5, 2014)

Without gloves, I found them too bulky. Hands must smell of smoke, they crawl on once in a while, feels pretty cool to feel wings flutter too. I believe I'm better at handling the frames and the bees this way.


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## Hops Brewster (Jun 17, 2014)

I don't know that your down under English is any worse than my American English. Mein Deutsch ist nicht so gut. 

As for gloves, this is my 1st season in honey bees, so I'm still learning to control my paranoia and to work without rattling and banging the boxes. Getting better though. I've "graduated" to working with just a bug net jacket w/veil and a pair of vinyl gloves. It sure beats a full suit in the heat! No gloves when taking just a quick look. 
I haven't been stung on bare skin yet, just through the suit, but y'know, I haven't come to the point that I would WANT to get used to stings.

I'm learning a lot reading through this forum.


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## shannonswyatt (May 7, 2012)

I keep wondering when I will get to the point that it doesn't sting, doesn't swell, doesn't itch, etc. I think it is never!


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## bbruff22 (Dec 24, 2013)

Awesome thread. I'm an old dude but new to bees. I wear gloves now, and will probably always wear some type of glove. The last time I got hit on the left hand, it looked like Andre the Giant's hands did. (A bee got stuck under my glove and I rolled it down to my wrist as I took my glove off.) The pain isn't bad at all, but for me the swelling is awful. Folks in my club are advising to try the blue gloves, that stingers don't get through there well.


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## BernhardHeuvel (Mar 13, 2013)

If you stubbornly keep on receiving stings after a year you won't get the swelling any more. I had it, too. Hands, head like a balloon. All gone, now.

It is a freedom you do not want to give up.


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## Bob J (Feb 25, 2013)

bbruff22 said:


> Awesome thread. I'm an old dude but new to bees. I wear gloves now, and will probably always wear some type of glove. The last time I got hit on the left hand, it looked like Andre the Giant's hands did. (A bee got stuck under my glove and I rolled it down to my wrist as I took my glove off.) The pain isn't bad at all, but for me the swelling is awful. Folks in my club are advising to try the blue gloves, that stingers don't get through there well.


While I don't use gloves my son uses Thickster gloves when working his hives.... He likes them because he still has pretty good feel, they are thick enough where they can't be stung through and they are disposable.... They come in a number of sizes and configurations but here is an example > Thickster


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## D Coates (Jan 6, 2006)

BernhardHeuvel said:


> If you stubbornly keep on receiving stings after a year you won't get the swelling any more. I had it, too. Hands, head like a balloon. All gone, now.
> 
> It is a freedom you do not want to give up.


I can't argue this. They still hurt like my first sting, but at the worst I'll get a dime size knot that's gone in a couple hours. Normally I don't know they're there until I spot a stinger. I used to swell up awful then itch for up to 3 days. The itching is completely a thing of the past. Not having to suit/glove up offers incredible freedoms I've not given up for even hot hives. 

Again, I'm not brave, I'm lazy. But this has made me a better beekeeper, because I'm quickly corrected if I read them wrong. There are times I work all 25 hives and 10+nucs with no stings. Normal times a couple stings, normally from accidentally pinching them on frame ears. There are also those rare bad days where I'll roll into a queenless hive during a hot summer dearth and get a couple dozen stings. It's still worth the limited pain for the freedom.


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## shannonswyatt (May 7, 2012)

I use thicksters most of the time. They last forever. You do get stung, but not bad.


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## ncbees (May 8, 2014)

No gloves. I usually get stung when I am rushing. The stings are a little reminder to slow down and be in the moment.


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## Redbug (Feb 8, 2014)

There's bee stings and then there's BEE stings. Most of the stings we all get working in the hives are from inside bees or nurse bees. They don't hurt or swell much. A forager bee sting is a different beast. A forager bee has more potency...I have noticed on myself. And I think I can tell the difference by the way they stay swollen the next day. I noticed that when I moved a hive and gathered the forager stragglers in a nuc placed in the old hive position. I thought no problem. Well...I got hit a few times and I says..."them foragers mean business". I think I will stick with no gloves in the hives, though. And a little smoke...

And you do not want to mess with the bees at night...


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## Joseph Clemens (Feb 12, 2005)

I have a degree of O.C.D., which, among other things, helps me to keep my hands, clean. So, basically, I have more issues with gardening without gloves, than I do with beekeeping without them. When gardening, I wash my hands frequently and repeatedly - it helps. I've learned to manipulate frames, in such a way, that I can even keep most propolis from getting stuck on my fingers, yet it's mostly subconscious, and difficult to explain to others, that don't have O.C.D.

I began keeping bees when I was ten years old. And in my early beekeeping years, had many older beekeepers, as impromptu mentors. Most of them had suits and veils, but very few of them even had gloves. Most of the time, they left their suits and veils in their trucks. Being that I would sometimes accompany them when they were working their bees, I emulated them, and got stung regularly, but infrequently.

When I first received my bees, the kit came with arm-length, medium size, canvas bee gloves. Back then, knowing no better, I assumed they were essential, so I always wore them when working my hive of Starline bees. Looking back, I realize that my ten year old hands could barely fit the gloves well enough to even be able to work hives with them on. Also, looking back, I soon had my first experience with an older mentor, not using any gloves, himself. Since then, I've only ever used gloves when working with colonies that were extremely defensive. 

I believe that getting stung regularly, has helped me to avoid developing extreme allergic sensitivity to honey bees and their stings. It also makes stings no more bother than a small splinter, when woodworking, and easier than those to remedy.


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## lazy shooter (Jun 3, 2011)

My body hardly reacts to stings, except that once in a while I have one on the back of my hand that swells significantly. Most of my stings come on the back of my hands, and they leave almost no swelling and maybe a bit of itching for an hour or so. Stings are moderately painful to me over a short time of minutes. Stings as a whole are just insignificant to me. Once or twice a year a sting, only on the back of my hands, will swell. I don't know why it only rarely happens. I've been stung all over my face, even inside my nose once, and there is never any swelling. 

I generally work my bees with a ventilated jacket and no gloves. I think this is prudent for most beekeepers as it allows so much better feel to handle frames with much more dexterity. 

I don't take regular stings, as I don't know how to make a bee sting on demand. I'm not sure I am tough enough to just push one the girls into stinging me. This has been an interesting thread.


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## shannonswyatt (May 7, 2012)

The nice thing with the nitrile gloves is you don't lose the dexterity and you hands stay clean. The bad part is the sweat, but I don't notice it until I take them off.


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## madasafish (Aug 24, 2010)

I started keeping bees in 2010. I only use gloves on really bad tempered colonies- nitriles or rubber (Marigolds)..or Both if really bad. I average about 55 stings a year and am now fairly immune to bee venom although 10 stings on the left hand fingers last week - I was holding a frame so could not withdraw the stingers quickly - saw my fingers tighten up for 2-3 hours.

I agree foraging bees are by far the worst.

I use Neutrogena Hand Cream (unscented) to keep my skin soft and defeat propolis sticking to hands..

The arthritis in my fingers has gone..


So far this year, stings at 59 are a record... one I would prefer not to make! But multiple stings make a difference to the count!


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## lazy shooter (Jun 3, 2011)

Wow, you keep records of bee stings. You pay attention to details. Good on you. Is Marigold a brand name?


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## madasafish (Aug 24, 2010)

Marigold is a brand name: see http://tinyurl.com/kf746eg


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## lazy shooter (Jun 3, 2011)

madasafish said:


> Marigold is a brand name: see http://tinyurl.com/kf746eg


Thanks Madasafish. I too use Neutrogena Hand Cream unscented. It seems to keep anything from sticking to one's hands. Everything is easily removed by this product. I keep it on a small table by my favorite chair and by my bed.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

lazy shooter said:


> I keep it on a small table by my favorite chair and by my bed.


What are you concerned about sticking to your hands while in your favorite chair and while in bed? Or don't I want to know?


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## lazy shooter (Jun 3, 2011)

I've got to admit that my answer did raise some questions.  Hey, I'm 75 years old and my skin is old and dry, and I live in a low humidity climate. I rub my hands quite often with cleansers and conditioners. At my age there isn't much sticky stuff in my bed.


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## Thomassen (Jul 6, 2014)

I use goatskin gloves when preforming an extended inspection. I have a friend who rubs Liquid Smoke on his hands and goes gloveless.


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