Dish Gloves in the Bee Yard?

[JT Smith]

My least favorite piece of beekeeping equipment is the canvas gloves. They are bulky, they aren't very sting resistant, and they wear out in a single season. But, I've recieved a revelation from Kim Flottum book, "The Backyard Beekeeper." He says on page 22, "Regular rubber dishwashing gloves work well too, offering excellent dexterity when handling frames."

Everybody-this is the best piece of advice I've recieved in years. I tried them this year and I loved using yellow, rubber, dish gloves in my apiary. They're thin, they're durable, they grip well, they're 95% more sting resistent then cloth gloves, and they're CHEAP!

Their only disadvantage is that they are short, so you have to use rubberbands around your sleeves to make them bee-tight. But this is an easy concession to make, given their advantages. All this to say, has anybody else worked bees with yellow dishgloves? And if so, is their a downside that I haven't expereinced yet?

-JT

[Drugstore]

I have tried them,but I cannot get a pair big enough and my hands sweat in them. I prefer goat skin gloves if I use gloves at all.

[BjornBee]

You can buy a box of latex gloves at places like Harbor frieght really cheap. They are the thin surgical type. They can sting through them but very rare. I would prefer these type gloves over the dish gloves which are a little to thick. They are a couple hundred gloves for 5 or 6 dollars. No cleaning. Just throw away at the end of the inspection. Clean gloves everytime.

[Drugstore]

Can you use the Harbor Freight latex gloves to handle Checkmite strips? Are they thick enough?

[BjornBee]

Who handles that crap? Oh, thats right, its good on those Alabama SHB's.

And yes, right next to the latex, are the nitrile, powdered, non-powered, and all the other types as well.
You can order on-line for that stuff through harbor frieght.
And I have no vested interest.....

[Henry]

I had more stings with gloves than without so I quit using gloves all together.Only in a feral hive that is hot will I use them and then just long enough to requeen.
Henry

[wayacoyote]

I love my kitchen gloves and use them first when gloves are necessary. They are handy for me also because I can feel through them, but my hands dont' get propolized and then mess up my truck interior.

Surgical gloves I don't like. most anything, besides toilet tissue for example, that is use-once-and-toss simply goes against my sense of responsibility. As you said, the kitchen type are cheap and last fairly long. I'm into my second season with the same pair... couldn't do that with surgical gloves. I do keep surgical gloves. In fact there is a pair in the truck dash that I've used 3 times already.

But, having today driven past a sink hole that a community uses as its public waste pit, I realize that some people don't get it.
Waya

[Drugstore]

BjornBee,
Lots of beekeepers use that crap and if shb get to Pennsylvania you will too.I personnally hope they never get there.

[Ross]

I use surgical, dish washing, and goat skin. So far, the goatskin from HD is my favorite. They breathe, the others don't.

[BULLSEYE BILL]

I use the chemical resistant gloves that you can get at Lowes.

After doing many cut-outs and getting my leather gloves soaked with honey and washing them only to get hard and stiff, I would have to treat them with mink oil to soften them back up. The oil would then leach out and turn my hands yellow.

I started using the chemical resistant rubber gloves two years ago and have really liked them. They are almost sting proof and have long gauntlets. The only bad experiance I have had with them was when crushing comb, I stung myself with a dead bee. Now seven months later, I am still suffering with the inflamation in one finger joint and has limited movement. This last round of Prednisone has helped and MAY get me my full use of that finger back. Time will tell.

[BjornBee]

Hey drugstore, we all ready have them all over the place. Nobody is reporting any damage and thats with three years having them in some apiaries.

You hear alot of comments about them not surviving the cold winters and all that. I just think its because were better beekeepers.

[BjornBee]

I take it Bullseye, its not the trigger finger.

[rainesridgefarm]

I love the box of nitrile gloves I use. Depending on where you get them from some are thicker then others.

[Drugstore]

Hey BjornBee,
I just ask a simple question. I was really surprised at your answer and your response to my reply.Some people might not ask a question because of responses like that.To say you are better beekeepers is a broad statement. There are thousands of beekeepers on this forum and they all have different ideas and opinions. Anyway, We are not who we think we are,but who people think we are.It is my sincere wish that you will never have a problem with your bees and you will remain as wise as you think you are

[BULLSEYE BILL]

>I take it Bullseye, its not the trigger finger.

No, thank God. It's the love finger on the off hand, not that I'm using it...

[BULLSEYE BILL]

>I just think its because were better beekeepers.

I noticed the smiley face, so I know it was in jest.

[xC0000005]

I'll second the "kitchen gloves". They do tend to tear, but I like them. I still can't bring myself to work barehanded, even when I KNEW how gentle the bees were. Still working on that.

[Bob Russell]

To all
These are some shots of an economically priced double dipped long arm PVC glove used by some commercial and domestic beekeepers in New Zealand.

http://tinyurl.com/8ovme

It may not be commonly known that there is potential for infection and loss of use of a finger from sweaty rubber gloves.To minimise this we wear light cotton gloves inside our rubber gloves,turn inside out for washing on a regular basis and hang to dry.Single dipped gloves are prone to tearing with a very short life.These gloves are priced at $NZ4.99 as compared to over $NZ50 plus for leather or pig skin.

[Michael Bush]

I just buy a nice pair of regular deerskin gloves and tuck them into the elastic sleevs of my bee jacket. When they get stiff I wash them well with soap, just like I'm washing my hands. After they are dry I dump a bunch of FGMO on them and work it in until they are soft again.

I've tried the dish gloves. Again, they are hard to get in a size that fits. They get sweaty. And they don't last. Other than that, they're nice. [img]smile.gif[/img]

[Michael Bush]

>>I just think its because were better beekeepers.

>Some people might not ask a question because of responses like that.To say you are better beekeepers is a broad statement.

May I point out the wink at the end of Bjorn's statment? He is just joking.