howdy!

Howdee back!!!
Good luck with that smoker non-use. You may want to make sure its lit before you start just to have handy in case its needed.
I too tried going like that and in the beginning they were pretty docile. Now that they have honey in the hive they are a lot more aggressive in defending
the hive when I go in and inspect. I started off with no gloves too and thats was pretty good for awhile but I've had to don the gloves the last couple times.
They kept stinging and while i can take a couple "ouches" at a time, when they're batting my hands and they come boiling up outa the box when I pull a frame......I'm drawing the line there and puttin on the gloves. I crush a few more but at least my hands are good! If you have just the one hive, you may wanna look into aquiring more. something about a 2.5 rule needed these days to have back-up resources. (2hives and a nuc min). Welcome to Beesource! Lots of good info and people here.

I appreciate the info!
We are in the process of acquiring another hive, and I'll probably spend a portion of the winter months building new supers and related wood work. Hope to have at least four hives next spring.
I will probably pick up a smoker in the next few weeks. I know there will come a time when I wished I had it, so I might as well avoid the frustration.
I am trying to stay in the habit of wearing at least a veil, jacket, and gloves. While I don't mind a little pain, I am not interested in flirting with it with these little gals. I have pushed my lovely wife's buttons wrong in the past, and been bitten ;-), so doing the same to several thousand young ladies at once could be detrimental to one's health...

Welcome HM2010!

Hello and welcome

Welcome to BeeSource! Once you get into a dearth you'll probably want to use the smoker as the bees get a little upset when there isn't a flow going. Have the smoker lit and nearby every time just in case. Good luck!