[KevinR]

I'm getting to where I don't wear gloves any more.

However, I'd see if you can find some 8mil nitrile gloves. Those are considered "puncture" resistant.

I had some walmart special which are ~4 mils. Never had a bee try to sting through them. However I've torn quite a few, so I expect a motivated bee would be able to sting through them.

 

[Rob73]

I like wearing those dish washing gloves myself. I was told a few years back, a bee could not penetrate the glove. A guy was saying that the stinger went into pores in your skin, and could not really penetrate your skin. So, I picked up whatever they sell at walmart. Mr clean brand I think. Pretty descent gloves. Not too thin, not too stiff.

But, he is wrong. I have been stung a few times through the plastic dish washing gloves. A few times, in two years aint bad. They are way more comfortable than the leather ones with the sleeves that I have. I am not too sure I would go without gloves, I just dont trust 'em..

Rob

 

[Freon11]

I use Batting gloves they are thin calves skin and I have yet to be stung thru them.

 

[AmericasBeekeeper]

I do not wear gloves except to keep my hands out of a mess like a cut-out. My beekeeping students wear everything from surgical gloves to dishwashing gloves. They have been stung through the dishwashing gloves also. There are several weights and materials of the surgical/chemical gloves. The local bee inspector wears the commercial leather gloves with gauntlets. They are our bees he is squishing so what does he care. When asked, he said he does not know what the temperment of the many hives is or have time to be careful/courteous. He did go barehanded when he taught the hive inspection class. It is not fear in his case. He pushed the girls around with his fingers to make a point of what was in the comb, all bare handed.

 

[Bsweet]

Mostly bare handed,have used dish washing gloves on a small cutout with good results. I don't belive in bullit prof as there is allways one that don't play by the rules. Jim

 

[Tara]

Bare hands till the dearth. Now I wear the white goatskin gloves, and have just barely been tagged thru those once.

"A guy was saying that the stinger went into pores in your skin, and could not really penetrate your skin."

I'm pretty sure that's BS. I haven't had a ton of stings, but one got me thru a callus and as the layers of skin peeled off in the next couple weeks, I could see the hole the stinger had left.

 

[Rick 1456]

If I'm going to do other than ordinary routine type stuff, or a hot hive, I use the leather gloves with the elastic sleeve past the elbow. I've had a history of allergies so I'm expanding my "comfort zone" gradually. I do not particularly like the gloves,,they are cumbersome, but they are sting proof IME. I have moved to using double nitriles that I get in a fifty pack at Lowes. I also use the nylon elastic sleeves that fit the wrist and just past the elbow. The ability to pick up frames, nudge bees out of the way, and the like, is so much easier and less intrusive than the Barbarian gloves. Less upsetting to the bees. I've had them bump my hands but never connected with a sting. Seems like if they do not get a grip, they are less likely to hammer you.
I think in the very near future, I'm going to really "step out" and only wear one pair of nitriles!! WOOHOO

Rick SoMd

 

[Rob73]

Freon11, batting gloves....what a great idea. I bet those work great. Nice and soft, flexible. I would never have thought of that, but sounds like a darn good idea.

Tara, I think its bs too. The guy was an older, experienced keeper. Sounded like it made sense. I mean, I never looked at a honeybee sting to see if it was dead center of a pore. So, it sounded legit. Till I got hit through that dishwashing glove, hehe! A little mythbuster experiment I guess! I still wear em, but if they wanna get me they can. They dont seem to bother me with those gloves on.

I have a Russian hive with an attitude, they love my face and arms for some reason. Or maybe I have it backwards and they hate my face and arms, yeah, I bet thats it. They force me to not try the no glove no veil thing. I think I am gonna try the batting glove idea. It'll give me a little bit of style if nothing else!

Rob

 

[Tara]

I think, unless you REALLY piss them off, its mostly about the texture of your outside layer. I quit wearing the bee suit and just wear a smooth textured white longsleeve running shirt, and they leave that alone.

If you're going up against AHB or doing a cutout though, it sounds like you want actual protection, not just 'discouragement'. I think nitrile gloves are 'discouragement', since they don't seem anything like a bear or a skunk.

 

[merdoc]

I would wear gloves to move hives to other yards especially at night.I havent moved mine yet but im trying the canvass long sleeve when I do.

 

[NDnewbeek]

In a room of 200 beekeepers and 3 honeybees, I get stung..........twice - so I wear gloves every time.

www.buckogloves.com

3 pair for $27.00 - shipping is free.

I normally take a large glove - I order mediums and smalls from bucko. They are thin, I don't lose much dexterity and I have yet to be stung through them.

Ordered three pair at the beginning of last season - just put on pair #2.

 

[Fogducker]

NoDak man, I think I'll try those Bucko gloves, 2 mediums and a large just to be sure.

Fog

 

[Countryboy]

I normally don't like gloves, but I will wear them if necessary.

The nitrile gloves work pretty good doing cutouts. I can feel how tight I am holding combs as I cut them, and at the same time I have a little sting defense.

In cold weather, I have nothing against wearing insulated leather work gloves if I am moving around empty equipment.

Lately, I have been wearing some goatskin gloves while pulling honey. (They used to have the gauntlet, but I tore the gauntlets off.) Myself and another guy pull off the supers of honey and stack them up, and we super up the hive. Then he has been blowing out the supers, and I grab the super and stack it on the pickup truck. When you are blowing out and loading 60-70 supers in 45 minutes, you don't have a lot of time to watch where you put your fingers. Bees often hide in the handhold of the box when the bees are being blown out, and if I am going to grab a handhold full of bees, I want to be wearing gloves. You can only take so much abuse.

 

[BigDaddyDS]

I just want to point out that Nitrile gloves are NOT puncture resistant or sting proof!

I see this topic come up often, and someone always makes the comment that blue Nitrile gloves are sting resistant, which is simply not true. What MAY be true is that the bees can't get a grip on the glove in order to sting you. But, in that case, thin latex gloves would do the trick as well.

-----

I also saw in a posting that the State Apiary Inspector wore heavy leather gloves. You may want to request that the inspector also wears rubber gloves during your inspection. Foulbrood spores can be transported by contaminated gloves, and we all know how often heavy leather gloves get washed!

Happy Beekeeping,
DS

 

[slockwood]

I learned one thing yesterday, old fashioned leather work gloves with the cloth backs suck for cutouts! 3 stings later I surrendered. They won the battle, I won the war. They are in my yard now. BUT my middle finger is swolen large enough I can't go to town, afraid someone will see if and delivering that message. Go ahead and laugh guys as I suppose any self respecting bk new that.

 

[mntransplant]

I don't wear the rubber gloves. My glove of choice is the thin rag wool gloves that you buy at outdoor stores or army surplus stores. They keep you cool enough to not die of heat exhaustion, the bees don't seem to mind it and they're cheap ($3 a pair) Plus you can use them in the cooler months also. Then again i'm new to this and don't have years of experience.