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Surgical gloves

4K views 17 replies 14 participants last post by  Bill_newbee 
#1 ·
Greetings!
My leather gloves have seen better days!
They're old,stiff and dirty. So I was wondering if anyone has ever tried the latex surgical gloves? Don't know if they'd be sting proof. I do know that they would give a better feel for things being so thin and would offer a delicate touch. I was also wondering if the latex smell or texture would upset the bees. I don't think they're all that expensive and it's the next step to going bare handed! I'm still kind of like the bull in the china shop. Just haven't developed that tender touch enough to take the gloves off!
Thanks
 
#2 ·
i would think that since my bees stung me thru my goat skin bee gloves they could sting thru rubber, my hand swelled up twice the size, also just today i got stung 3 more times thru my full zip up bee suit, ouch
this one package of bees (out of 6) is real mean, no more being nice with the syrup sprayer they get smoked from now on! i'm really getting my venom therapy this year - six stings with in 1 month (all with a suit on) good thing i have a 'mild' reaction to stings
Deanna
 
#3 ·
Deanna;

You are living in a dream world. Try to stay there!

I get stung six times just walking past the bees to get to my garden.

After a while it becomes inconsequential and you don't even swell. I still resent the stings on by eyebrows and face when I am just passing by or standing there watching. I hold no grudges againt the bees that sting me when I work their hives. Not that it matters to the bee.

So help me; as soon as the spring honeyflow is over my bees get a ride out to a new location for about two weeks. When them come home they will live farther from my garden.
Ox
 
#5 ·
OX:

One word: requeen!

I can drive my riding mower 3 feet away from the entrance of my hives and not even provoke the guard bees into stinging.

Dee,

If that one package is too aggressive I'd search for possible reasons why...predators, queenless, etc. If you find nothing, then I'd suggest requeening. Depending upon the status of your flow, you may be able to simply kill the existing queen and let them raise a new one (use a frame of eggs from one of your docile hives). If a new package is already that aggressive, then most likely things are not going to get better. Smoke definitely helps.
 
#6 ·
Hi Ricko

I use latex gloves (true-touch gloves) when I inspect colonies. It is easier to manipulate frames than with leather gloves. It is just as working without any gloves at all. Even if you put on two pairs of latex gloves, it won't be enough to prevent the stings. The only reason to use the gloves is when I inspect someone else's hives (I sometimes have to inspect hives in my job) to avoid contamination from one hive to another. I change gloves between hives (easier than washing my hands everytime).

Hugo
 
#7 ·
I agree -- requeen.

I used to have some bees in FL that would become vicious at the sound (vibration) of a weedeater. It would take an hour or more before I could open the hive without them attacking en masse.

With the bees I have now, I can weedeat in front of the hive in shorts and a t-shirt. A few have even flown into my legs on the way to the entrance but no stings. Granted, I do it very quickly and get out of there.

Docile bees just make beekeeping a much more pleasant experience. I would think that they're also less likely to be neglected which can create pest and disease problems -- let alone swarm and create even more agressive bees.

I don't think there's any link between aggressiveness and honey production -- which makes you wonder why Africanized bees were ever brought over to begin with.
 
#8 ·
>I don't think there's any link between aggressiveness and honey production --

I agree. I think the mean ones are often robbers and so it APPEARS they are productive when actually they are just killing your splits and your swarms by robbing them out.

>which makes you wonder why Africanized bees were ever brought over to begin with.

Africanized bees ARE more productive. The people breeding them (the USDA and the Brazilians) knew that and thought they could breed the agression OUT without losing the productivity. It worked some generations and failed others.

USDA starts breeding Africanized bees at Baton Rouge: July 1942
USDA starts shipping Africanized queens to the continental US JUL 1949 1500 or so a year to the testing labs in Laramie WY, Ontario CA, Madison WI, and beekeepers who order them until July 1961. They continue trying to breed the problems out until about 1970.
http://www.beesource.com/pov/ahb/viciousbee.htm
 
#9 ·
Thanks you all, i was really hoping that the new workers would be much calmer all the other hives are so far, i actually had 3 hot out of 6, just that one pckg left to 'behave'
today i got into 5 other hives (4 of which are from the same 6 packages) and they were so calm, no syrup spray even needed seen the queens in all but 1
im going to try smoking the mean hive 1st, before i requeen since she is new (last month)
i just read about the housel positioning, by Dee Lusby, and decided to check & 'fix' all my hives, it's real interesting and i hope this helps with my burr combing
Deanna
 
#10 ·
oh by the way, Oxankle, if i got stung that many times, all the time, i dont think i would enjoy this hobby of mine as much and would probably stop beekeeping, so im real glad that most of my hives are calm, im not brave enough to go without a suit yet but im sure most of my hives you'd be able to (or at the least just a veil)
Deanna
 
#11 ·
RickO
My bee inspector uses surgical gloves so he doesn't spread disease. I don't like the disposable aspect of them for my own personal use. so Pop got me started using rubber kitchen gloves.... easily washed, good dexterity, and cheaply replaced when damaged, but more durable than the surgical ones.
 
#13 ·
ricko'
I started out 2 years ogo with a full bee suit zip on veil an a thick pair of leather elbow length gloves.Since then I have opted not to wear the suit or the gloves but kept the vail . {for certain hives}. You will get to know which hives to get dressed up for.I made the tranision between gloves and no gloves with a pair of rubber diswashing gloves then vinal gloves to no gloves at all. It takes some getting use to to have bees all over your hands at first. I'm not afraid to admit I was scared to death which I think it just adds to the problem . So go for the vinal or rubber. be calm , go slow and use smoke to turn their heads down into the hive and good luck!
scott
 
#14 ·
I like my rubber gloves, don't know what kind they are. I got them with my Golden Bee suit, they are lined with cloth inside and are fairly thick. They look and feel like that surgical rubber they used to tie you off with when you give blood. The only thing I don't like is that propolis sticks to them when they are clean.

The best use for rubber gloves is when I do colony removals and get soaked with honey up to my elbows, a quick rinse and no stiff leather to deal with later.

I am starting to believe that bees, like other animals sense when you are afraid. With more confidence and less apprehension, I get stung less.
 
#16 ·
Hi

I use the gloves that are like nitrile from the farm supply store near us. They actualy call them milking gloves. I love them over any other gloves. When a bee lands on you they smell to know what they landed on. Most material has some of your sweat or smell coming through it so they know this is a good place to place a sting to repel the invader. A box costs about $12 and there are 100 in them so they last a long time. If you have not tried them give them a try you will like them.
 
#17 ·
I use 'Mud gloves', a type of gardening gloves. The are a cotton glove covered with textured rubber. They have a non-rubberized patch on the back of the glove I cover with duct tape (if needed). I like them because their texture gives a very good grip. They are resistent to stings and are sized to fit tightly in the fingers. I dump some baby powder into them to absrb any sweat and make them extra comfortable. Before I put on gloves I work calm hives with baby powder on my hands and no smoke. If I get 'bumped' I move to gloves; then to a bit of smoke; and move on up. If I have stinging behavior I'll change gloves in mid work or 'wash' my hands in smoke or baby powder. I always change to new gloves between a hot hive and the next hive: Less alarm phermone. If I have a hot hive I'll wash my equipment that night to get as much alarm marking out as possible. I also never use my breathe (blow) on a bad hive. I have even used a dust mask to avoid as much breathe as possible. Requeening is the only cure for those meanies.

------------------
Susi Wilson
 
#18 ·
Somebody mentioned using a weedeater near a hive...I have what must be the most calm bees in the world, but the other day when I got the weedeater out, what with the nasty 2-stroke exhaust and the noise, they got pretty irritated. A couple tried to sting the engine, I got nailed once when I got against a bee trying to sting the weedeater.
I guess they have their limits in tolerance like anybody else.

Regarding the surgical gloves, I have been using them also, they are great for dexterity. But I can vouch for them not stopping stings, but at least you can pull the stinger out quickly and limit the poison injected. I get stung very rarely, can count all the stings on (1) hand this summer so far, but got 2 hits a half inch apart when I stuck a surgical gloved hand down into a super to retrieve a fallen cull comb. Hardly swelled up at all due to the gloves.
 
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