[Snookie]

Good Morning

I'm new and as GREEN as a new bee keeper can be:}

What type of gloves do you folks recommend if/do you use them?

Also Full Bee Suit or Simply a Jacket?.....Brand/Kind you use?

Any info/suggestions on bee keeping equipment will be greatly appreciated:}

Peace Be with U!

Snookie

 

[My-smokepole]

Depends on what you are doing and the mood of the bees. 90% of the time I am bare handed. If they get prissy goat skin gloves. If it is a cut out I will end up in rubber coated gloves.
David

 

[AstroZomBEE]

http://www.gemplers.com/product/WEB198252/GEMPLERS-8-mil-Nitrile-Gloves

Cheap but fairly durable, one pair should last you most of a day, barring any incidents with a rogue nail.

Personally I use a half suit, tucked in. Full suits are never tall enough, so that when I bend over it stretches tight across my back allowing the stings to get through.

Aaron

 

[Tom B]

I wear a jacket mainly because with just a helmet and veil every time I bent over the helmet would fall off. The "hood" on the jacket stays in place nicely. No gloves unless I am harvesting, then a pair of light colored leather gloves from the hardware store. Using nitrile gloves is a good idea when you are starting out, you will find when you are inspecting your hives your hands will get a lot of propolis on them, which is very sticky and will get on everything you touch after that.

Good luck!

 

[mgolden]

Most of the time- a pair of cheap welders gloves or heavy duty cleaning gloves, gaiters over the wrists if going into the hive, and a buttoned up/rolled up collar and a $4 mosquito net. Quick to put on and very effective. That one testy guard bee doesn't find your skin!

Sometimes need to wear a pullover jacket c/w veil in late season, pullling honey and bees get extra testy.

 

[TPalmer]

I'm new and as GREEN as a new bee keeper can be:}

Just starting my second year so I know what you are going through on trying to prepare.

What type of gloves do you folks recommend if/do you use them?

Yes use them. Doesn't matter what type as long as you are comfortable with wearing them. This is your first year so you don't need to worry if that bee walking on your hand is mad ready to sting or just walking and checking you out. Using gloves will help your confidence and slow you down when handling frames. I personally use the type that pulls over your forearm but I might try using Nitrile and see how they work for me.

Also Full Bee Suit or Simply a Jacket?.....Brand/Kind you use?

I use both Mann Lake full economy suit and a pull over jacket. Buy the full suit first to build your confidence then get a pull over ( A good birthday present for yourself)

Any info/suggestions on bee keeping equipment will be greatly appreciated:}

Try to go all mediums. Started with deeps now switching over. Deeps are just to much heavy lifting, just my two cents on that.

 

[Bob J]

What type of gloves do you folks recommend if/do you use them?

Also Full Bee Suit or Simply a Jacket?.....Brand/Kind you use?

Any info/suggestions on bee keeping equipment will be greatly appreciated:}

I usually don't wear gloves but in the rare occasion I do I use these:

SAS Safety 6603 Thickster Large Textured Exam Grade Latex Gloves

Nice fit, full dexterity and thick enough for the girls not to be able to sting through....

As for most inspections I just use a veil but when the girls are feisty I use an inspection jacket.... I normally wear jeans with my socks rolled up over the bottom cuffs so have not seen a need for a full suit.... Also think the jacket is hot enough so I can imagine what a full suit would be like during the summer dearth....

 

[bbrowncods]

Just a lite leather glove like those used for gardening. I tuck them under my Bee Jacket (Dadant) sleeve. Nitrile works if you are only doing something quick or want the tactile feel, but gets sticky if doing a major inspection on several hives.

 

[shinbone]

You should indicate whether you want to go cheap, middle of the road, or top of the line. Plus, I think a newbie (I am one, myself), should err on the side of more protection until he/she develops the skills and confidence for reducing protection. JMHO.

I hate getting stung! I use an full Ultra Breeze vented suite. It works great. Great protection, easy to put on/take off, not too hot. Not cheap, though.

I started with goat skin bee gloves, but the bees can sometimes sting through them when the leather gets soaked with sweat and is stretched taught across the back of my hand, such as when I grasp something. I stepped it up to a heavier cow leather bee glove with gauntlet. Sting proof under all conditions. I also use rubber cleaning gloves, such as the dish washing gloves you buy in the super market. The rubber gloves allow for more dexterity, but fill up with sweat since they are fully water proof. I usually wear a rubber glove on my left hand and a leather glove on my right - dexterity when I need it, but at least only one hand is swimming in sweat.

I had a 1st year newbie show up to watch/help me. He was wearing gardening gloves with rubber palms. Good breathability and good dexterity. One of my new hives had turned really nasty. He took 11 stings to the back of his hands and ran away in extreme pain. To his credit, he wasn't dissuaded and is still a bee keeper. But, it wasn't fun and there was no reason for him to suffer so. Start out with good protection!

Just one newbie's opinion.

 

[Acebird]

I use garden gloves and put them on backwards. This puts the rubber coating on the back of the hand and the fabric on the inside. You get great control and feeling of what you are grabbing and the bees cannot sting the back of your hand. The bees can easily sting the inside of your finger tips but they don't. The fabric pulls away from the palm of your hand so they can't sting you there. I have had good luck with these. You just have to get use to the gloves being on backwards.

 

[NeilV]

For gloves, I like Bucko brand goatskin gloves.

For a suit, I would begin by using a veil, heavy long sleeved shirt, and jeans.

If you get through a season and decide that you really want to keep beekeeping, then given your location a ventilated bee suit is really nice to have. Getting stung is no fun, but being out on a hot humid day wearing extra unventilated clothes is actually worse. I've never been in any actual danger from bee stings, but I've been on the verge of having a heatstroke while moving aggressive hives in August while wearing a full, unventilaged bee suit.

I would invest in an Ultrabreeze full suit. The advantage of the full ultrabreeze ventilated suit is that you can wear shorts underneath in the summer. It is much cooler wearing a full ventilated suit than than wearing jeans and a ventilated jacket. If money is no option, go ahead and get the full ventilated suit.

 

[TWall]

I wore these last year: http://www.soap.com/p/playtex-livin...t=pla&adtype=pla&cagpspn=pla&noappbanner=true

I still have pretty good feel through them. Bees will sting through them when agitated but, less stings than with bare hands.

The main drawback is your hands will sweat. I leave them inside out after taking off to dry.

Tom

 

[olympic]

I use Buckfast bees, so I don't need gloves or any other from of protection.

 

[Rex Piscator]

Here is what I've learned after only a few years as a beekeeper:

Hooded jackets are nice to just throw on; what I've found is the 'hoodie' aspect of the veil seems to concentrate heat. I live where the temperature doesn't really get above 75 degrees on an average and I found myself sweating a bit. I suppose a 'mesh' type of jacket would help with that. Seeing you live in a high humidity/heat zone, I would strongly consider that style[mesh woven]. I've actually moved to a 'African Bee' veil; one that consists of a floppy hat with netting fully surrounding the hat brim. This seems to me to keep the heat from collecting?!? Here is the 'unit' I speak of:

Along with this veil, as a jacket, I wear a long sleeve white 'T-shirt' from Target. Heat has not been an issue, we'll see how this summer holds.

I own a pair of nice goatskin gauntlets; only use them for very 'rough' work when I'm swarm collecting or reaching down into a cluster... For hive exams I use latex exam gloves. They get kinda sweaty too; guess I'm just a sweaty guy...lol. I run them up over my jacket cuffs too keep the bees out of my jacket sleeves, even though they're elastic.

Heat was not something I had considered when I was researching....

Good luck!

 

[Fusion_power]

I bought a pair of gloves 40 years ago. They were mostly useless so I go bare handed. I get stung on the hand occasionally, maybe 5 or 6 times a year.

 

[tsparkman69]

I see your from Louisiana, I'm in Florida and try not to use gloves but I do have just an "everyday" pair of leather gloves and also a pair of yellow "kitchen" rubber gloves for feed and chemicals. As for protective clothes I have a "ventilated" full suit I just put over shorts because it is so humid and hot here. I tried a regular suit over shorts but the "not breathing" thing almost killed me in the heat. The heat is also why I try not to wear gloves but the girls sometimes are pissy, so I wear for protection from stings after a couple of stings or a pissy yard. I wear the plastic gloves to protect from mite strips and the "stickiness" of syrup. As you get more comfortable with time, you will be able to make the decision for you.

 

[TxGypsy]

Totally depends on the attitude of my hives that day. I use nitrile on good days and leather on bad days. I generally just use thin leather gloves rather than beekeeping gloves and tuck them into my sleeves. I always have elastic around the wrists of whatever I am using for a jacket. I always wear a veil with a hard plastic ventilated beekeeping helmet/hat.

I'm going to be working on designing a super ventilated bee suit this year. I am tired of pouring sweat in the bee yard! I'm considering incorporating some pockets on the inside to put some of those packages you buy at the store and put in the freezer for apply cold to injuries.

 

[Snookie]

Hey gang thanks for all of your replies, I really appreciate it:}

Looks like I'm going to opt for the Ultra Breeze full Suite

Cost is an option however; comfort and confidence is priority for a seasoned citizen like me IMHO

Hummm...Now how to size for the Ultra Breez Suit sort of confussed lol

Again thanks...

Snook

 

[RiodeLobo]

Good call on the ultrabreeze, I would suggest that you pick what size you think will work and be a bit roomy, than go one size bigger. I find the loose fit is much more comfortable than trouble. Keep in mind that no suit or gloves are sting proof. Even if they are operator error can let them in. I have been stung trough both my ultrabreeze and cowhide gloves.

 

[Sr. Tanya]

I use Playtex from the grocery store. They work fine and are inexpensive. Only use hat with veil- no other protection unless removing honey supers. Then I add a light sweat shirt. It's loose enough so any stings don't reach...