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How do some guys go without any kind of protective gear what so ever?

28K views 106 replies 51 participants last post by  Acebird 
#1 ·
I have been watch fat man bee videos on you tube for the past few weeks, and am left wondering: how does he do it? How does he go without even wearing a veil, and not get the first sting? And he is not the only one, video after video of people going through hives wearing no gear. I just watched a video of a guy and girl wearing shorts and t shirts checking a top bar (nothing against top bars, I've got four myself), anyway, they walked up to the hive, put their hands on it and said, I kid you not, "hello bees, how are you today?" Then they checked the hive bees flying everywhere, and never got the first sting. So today, I thought I would try it, walked up and said hello to the bees, after taking off the cover, got two stings on the hand. Maybe I did it wrong. Are some people really just born with a gift for handling bees?
 
#86 · (Edited)
I worked 10 hives today in one of my yards. I wanted to check on them before we get 2.5 days of rain. I was wearing shorts, tee shirt, & a veil. most every hive was calm, queenright & didn't mind me at all supering & moving on.....then I opened a hive one deep, one honey super. lots of bees on porch....not much honey in medium top super....okay, what's up? pulled honey super....honeybound, no brood....started thinking, maybe I should have paid closer attention to the sounds when I opened the hive, nice little roar. One sting on bare leg, scraped & close w/ a little smoke & move on. rubbed some plantain (pigs ear) on the sting, no pain no swelling. rest of hives were calm & no more stings.

I have only been keeping bees since 09. being mentored & paying very close attention to what & when the more advance keepers wear has helped me go from 200 stings in a year to a lot less.

I bought some texas queens this year, & put them in my yard @ home. not a good idea. slightest bump with hive tool has 15-20 bees right in my face. I wear jacket & gloves every time. if these girls aren't GREAT honey producers they're gone!
Best advice I've heard is learn from your mistakes. some days you get the eagle, some days the eagle gets you. many hives, keep notes & listen to their attitude when cracking the top. if you can't handle stings wear what you need. I am thankful that my working bees is becoming less & less a pain...so to speak.

btw Mark, I was helping my mentor a cpl years ago, 12 colonies stacked HIGH, blowing bees out & stealing their goods. All of 100,000 bees in the air. got one in my veil. started heading away taking my veil off & my pal Stuff is yelling "don't take your veil off!!" I'm yelling "I have to" "no no no don't!! too late off goes the veil 15-20 stings right on the mellon, dizzy for a little while & back to work.

Post # 70 Good word Beeman!
 
#87 ·
This will never be resolved. To the OP.....if you want to know how, spend many years with your bees, loving them, caring for them, and learning their behavior until you reach the point where you are comfortable and calm among them. If you reach a point where you can comfortably and safely work your bees without protection you will know it. It won't be a daring thing nor have anything to do with ego (as some have said) it will just make sense....and if not enjoy keeping your bees with protection.
 
#88 ·
Whew! This is the last time I stay up late watching bee videos on you tube and posting on a bee forum! Thank you for everyone who posted, I have read every reply. I hope no one is mad at each other over the difference of opinions expressed here. The way I see it, be you a hobbyist, sideliner, or commercial guy, we all share a love for this amazing insect, just having something in common like that with other people around the world is a rare thing these days.
 
#89 ·
>Kinda wondering why your experience is that things can suddenly go so bad.

Let's see:

1) you open that hive that was perfectly nice yesterday, but they are decidedly NOT today for no apparent reason. One second it seems like things are normal and the next, hundreds of bees come out after you
2) some Texas bees swarm in the middle of a drought and what were very nice bees last week, come pouring out of the hives by the 10s of thousands hitting you in the face and blocking your vision today
3) you step in a hole that is hiding in the grass, while holding a ten frame deep full of bees and the box hits the ground and breaks into pieces and ten thousand bees hit the air in less than a second, and most of them are very unhappy

Things can change very rapidly.
 
#91 ·
Things can change very rapidly.
Sure they can. ...but I can't help think of the beginning of "Tunnel in the Sky" (a Heinlen boys/scifi/survival novel...one that Michael and I have discussed together before). The lesson of going out for survival drill without any gear that will make you feel "cocky" is a good one. When you open a hive without gloves, without a veil, etc, you have to approach things differently. You will move slower (or your lack of doing so will be "corrected"). You will be gentle pulling frames...you will act different.
I had a friend who was trying to get into beekeeping with his 15 year old son...he complained to me that his son was too rough with the bees, banging frames around...I told him to take away his son's gloves.
You should do what you need to do in order to feel safe.
If I'm opening hives for an audience that generally isn't wearing protection, I should not open the hives unless I'm willing to do so without protection. I tell people that they might get stung...but I can't promise :)

There are few things that can happen to you that (generally) are not harmful long term and cause as much immediate pain as a bee sting. Some of the lessons the bees have for us are taught by stinging. You can't learn those lessons if you are wrapped up like a corn dog :)

deknow
 
#92 ·
First year beek here. The guy who I bought my bees off inspired alot of confidence in me not wearing any PPE (a cigarette in your mouth helps). Anyway I inspect my bees probably more then I should (2-3 times a week, im learning right?). I have worn PPE only once when I was fixing up some foundationless and tying it in, and realistically I probably didnt even need it then. Now heres the kicker, im 2.5 stories high on six colonies, im in there 2-3 times a week, and I have NEVER been stung by my bees. The closest I came is I was showing a friend after work, and they were all in for the night, I had one guard be fly up at me.

So lessons learned, if I wouldnt want to be outside its probably not a good time. At night, not a good time. Move slow, be gentle, and dont be afraid.

That said I have been stung by multiple wasps, yellow jackets, and even a bumblebee.
 
#94 ·
I live in northern Spain and the local bees here have the reputation of being fairly aggressive. That said, I hear many old timers say they never use protection. After reading a lot on the subject here I decided to go without gloves at first. Now I go without any gear if the weather is good and the bees seem calm when I approach the hive. I usually get stung once or twice, sometimes not at all. As several have already said, if I judge wrong whether it is a good day, or I bang something, they correct me quickly.

I am not a cocky nor do I think I know it all, I just am hypersensitive to heat, I sweat in 60 degree weather if I am in a suit/veil and I have never been able to see eggs with a veil on - without it, I look over the top of my glasses (I am nearsighted) and I can see the eggs plain as day.

It also helps that I have a high tolerance to stings. I don't really feel any pain from the sting and I have mild itching the next day, sometimes not even that. I was once stung a half dozen times on the face and didn't realize it was more than one sting until I saw the stingers in the mirror when I got home.
 
#100 ·
I learned a valuable lesson the other day, actually a couple lessons.

1) When opening a hive to inspect the state of honey supers, and I suspect they have gone queenless, always wear my suit & gloves.

2) When I feel the need to wear a bee suit, always make sure to fully zip the veil/hat secure. Do not be silly and leave the jacket half unzipped and the veil completely unzipped.

3) Just because I have all that stuff on, do not be in a hurry and get rough with my handling technique.

4) In case I fail to take these steps, have someone suited up with a hose to squirt the bees off me.

7 stings to my head, and embarrassed since it happened in front of my wife, I find that benedryl and advil are no solution to being stupid :(. I think I have become numb to hive conditions and my handling style since wearing all the stuff. I will continue to wear the stuff, but I really need to slow down and work'm as if I was naked. You'll be happy to note that the swelling is down enough that I can get my helmet on without pain and will be touring the Smokys next week!
 
#101 ·
I don't think there should be any shame in admitting that the danger is a draw too. High altitude mountaineering, scuba diving, skiing, riding a dirt bike, sky diving, etc.... all probably more dangerous than going without a suit (unless you are allergic) and they are mostly about the rush of facing danger. Nothing wrong with that imo.
 
#102 ·
That is never the reason I go w/out gloves or a veil. I don't see any thrill in doing so. Little to any danger either. There is more danger in driving to the apiaries, imo.

I go w/out gloves when I can because I like the tactile feel and the grip, knowing I have what I am holding well in hand. I feel as though I can hold onto what I am holding better. And, if I ever wish to pick up a queen w/out gloves I can and w/ them I can't.

I go w/out a veil when I can for reasons of comfort and being able to see what I want to w/out that screen in front of my eyes.

Standing 16 or 18 feet up on top of a semi load of beehives spreading the net, spreader boards and straps is thrilling. Standing on the ground beside a beehive, w/out veil or gloves, is not.
 
#106 ·
I agree and go without (as of recently) for the same reasons. That said, it seems some people think it is foolhardy, to which I would reply that any number of sports are much more dangerous. And as you pointed out, driving itself is a very risky activity - close to 40k Americans die in automobile accidents every year. I think by comparison, we are relatively safe by the hive, without a veil.
 
#103 · (Edited)
> Standing 16 or 18 feet up on top of a semi load of beehives spreading the net, spreader boards and straps is thrilling.

If the hive load on the truck you are standing on is 16 or 18 feet high, your bees will likely be in for a most interesting
:eek: journey, starting at a nearby bridge!

:ws:
Clearances on different routes vary, but on loads that exceed 13 ft 6 inches (standard minimum bridge clearance) drivers need to take extra special care. For 16 to 18 ft high loads oversize permits ($$$$) will almost certainly be required.

.
 
#104 ·
I usually wear my full suit, but mainly because I tend to wear dark clothes, and my bees do NOT like dark colors. It's just faster to throw on the suit than it is to change.

I have Beeweavers (not the gentlest bees, but not aggressive. They're what I like: willing to mix it up to defend the hive, but they don't gang up or follow you around the bee yard) and have started to work them without gloves- only stung once. I think the fact that I dont have gloves on forces me to be extra careful about where I put my hands. This in turn means I am VERY gentle with the frames and I think, overall, that goes a long way towards not disturbing the bees and causing problems.

I always smoke them.
 
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