Can you still get stung through these gloves??
Depends on the thickness. I have 6mm thick nitrile gloves and I have never been stung through those. And not from lack of trying on the bees' part. :-D
I have worn the thin blue WalMart nitrile gloves while doing cutouts. I have been stung once through a glove on the end of my finger, when I pinched a bee when I grabbed a piece of comb.
It's possible to get stung through the thin ones (only ones I have tried) but it is not common. The bees don't seem to like trying to sting the rubber material.
It's a lot easier to keep your hands clean if you wear these gloves.
I have those big fat leather gloves and it is not good for dexterity.. I will have to try them , where do you guys get them?
I got these from Fisher Scientific. They are thick and food grade. And they have an extended wrist because the bees like to sting just above the top of the glove. :) They do make your hands sweat though.
Best* CleaN-DEX* Ultimate 100% Nitrile Gloves, Exceptional puncture and chemical resistance, Manufacturer-suggested ISO Class 6 (Class 1000). Ideal for hand protection in critical environments., C9905PFSW, C9905PFMW, C9905PFLW, C9905PFXLW
Has any one found any that are sweat proof ??
Tried them in 90+ weather could pour the sweat out.
Bee-Bop
I use the 8 mm ones from Gempler's. I've been stung in them and I sweat buckets in them. It does make for more dexterity and I can snap pictures much easier.
It's a trade-off either way. The big leather ones are too big for my hands even in Dadant's XXS size and I'm clumsy in them.
This year I'm going to try to go gloveless for the most part. I love going gloveless because you can feel the movement of the bees around your hands and brush against their tiny hairy bodies - it's fabulous. Of course the trade-off is sting vulnerability
Linda T in Atlanta
Quote from: tillie on March 14, 2011, 01:22:45 PM
This year I'm going to try to go gloveless for the most part.
Linda T in Atlanta
Going gloveless in the Spring works pretty well unless you have a grumpy bunch of bees. But from October through February (in North Carolina) even the calm bees are pretty adamant about protecting their stores. So if you use gloves in cooler weather you will be a bit safer from stings and probably have less sweat too.
I've always used canvas gloves. Not sting proof, but I like the dexterity. And after a few years the fingers go through holes, and the dexterity got even better.
Tried nitrile gloves a few times in between, and whew...yeah..hot and wet...yuck!
Now I don't bother with gloves anymore and that is the best :)
I like the blue nitrile gloves, they are sting resistant but not sting proof. I have used them for years in my other hobby so I'm used to the sweaty hands so I don't think about it much and it really helps with the dexterity.
My wife uses garden gloves (canvas dipped). They come in much smaller sizes and the rubber dipping protects the inside which is where you would run the risk of pinching a bee. The canvas outside lets them breath. They are also washable. I can't get them big enough for my hands but I would like to try them.
I don't get stung through gloves anymore, I don't use them.
Love the cheap harbor freight 6.99 per 100 on sale blue gloves double up for bees single when gluing or painting and yes they make you sweat but less stings or paint/glue on hands
Dave
Another good thing about them is that they are disposable. Don't worry about getting bee glue all over the place, just toss them and get a clean cool dry set and go.
Quote from: Brian D. Bray on March 14, 2011, 09:06:04 PM
I don't get stung through gloves anymore, I don't use them.
Yep have to agree there i have them but hardly use them. Find that i kill more of my gals with them on then without.
I use rose pruning gloves - they work well, and have long cuffs. They have to be leather though, otherwise the bees can get through them. I will have to try the nitrile ones for cut-outs though - at least for the more aggressive ones. I pretty much ruined one pair of gloves that way with all the dripping honey, and with that particular hive, bare handed was not an option. Frame-shift, thanks for the link!
JC
I get the blue nitrile gloves at WalMart.
If I am getting in a hive and manipulating frames, I go without gloves unless the bees are extremely defensive, in which case I will wear leather gloves for that hive.
If I am pulling honey and doing more physically demanding work on a hive, and I will have the bees worked up by being rough or blowing bees out of supers, I will wear leather gloves. There is no sense taking more abuse than necessary.
About the only time I wear nitrile gloves is doing cutouts. I want to be able to feel what I am doing when I am handling bee covered combs, but I want a little protection from unnecessary stings. My biggest complaint with the thin blue nitrile gloves doing cutouts is how easily they tear.
I listened to a pod cast a few weeks ago where "Fat Bee Man" said to rub your bare hands with a few drops of "liquid smoke", such as that used in food seasoning. The discussion was along the lines that just as one would use smoke from a smoker to affect the bees, a similar effect results from this liquid smoke on your hands. The bees avoid your hands. No gloves! Sounds good,...No?
Quote from: salvo on March 15, 2011, 11:34:03 PM
I listened to a pod cast a few weeks ago where "Fat Bee Man" said to rub your bare hands with a few drops of "liquid smoke",
Interesting. Do you have a link to the podcast?
The podcast is in 3 parts. You can find them at http://somdbeekeeper.com/ (http://somdbeekeeper.com/)
HHmm my "nitrile-xtra" gloves don't have a thickness listed on the box... they are the medical ones though... I'll have to try them on my next inspection.
...DOUG
KD4MOJ
Thanks for the link Tom. Fat Bee Man if a clever guy.
Just to avoid confusion on the part of those who have not encountered this before, I believe the reference at the beginning of the linked page (the stuff about temperature modulation of bee castes) is pure garbage. I reviewed all the original research papers making these claims and it is not credible.
Hi there
Do surgical gloves work too? What about applying baby powder to your bare hands? I've read in a different beekeeping forum that baby powder may also lessen the urge of the bees to sting your hands.
Quote from: FRAMEshift on March 15, 2011, 11:51:25 PM
Quote from: salvo on March 15, 2011, 11:34:03 PM
I listened to a pod cast a few weeks ago where "Fat Bee Man" said to rub your bare hands with a few drops of "liquid smoke",
Interesting. Do you have a link to the podcast?
Quote from: TomP on March 16, 2011, 01:44:02 AM
The podcast is in 3 parts. You can find them at http://somdbeekeeper.com/ (http://somdbeekeeper.com/)
Quote from: FRAMEshift on March 16, 2011, 09:16:22 AM
Thanks for the link Tom. Fat Bee Man if a clever guy.
Just to avoid confusion on the part of those who have not encountered this before, I believe the reference at the beginning of the linked page (the stuff about temperature modulation of bee castes) is pure garbage. I reviewed all the original research papers making these claims and it is not credible.
You are welcome Frameshift. I know the bees share roles in the hive, depending on what the needs of the hive are. I do wonder if there is a specific role for the heater bees in the brood nest other than general heat. I have read some interesting things about bee temp and CCD (http://www.scientificbeekeeping.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=59 (http://www.scientificbeekeeping.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=59))
and the Japanese honeybee, temperature and chalkbrood (http://www.sciencenewsmagazine.org/pages/pdfs/data/2000/157-22/15722-07.pdf (http://www.sciencenewsmagazine.org/pages/pdfs/data/2000/157-22/15722-07.pdf)) so it just makes me think... (http://forum.beemaster.com/index.php/topic,31919.0.html (http://forum.beemaster.com/index.php/topic,31919.0.html))
oh well.
Regarding gloves, I only use them if the hive is really hot. Since I am a hobby beekeeper in a suburban setting, I will not keep a hive that is that hot. So gloves mean time to get a new queen for me.
QuoteI listened to a pod cast a few weeks ago where "Fat Bee Man" said to rub your bare hands with a few drops of "liquid smoke", such as that used in food seasoning.
An old timer told me it is better to smoke yourself than the bees. I just use my smoker. Smoke your hands, smoke your cloths and smoke your hair that will retain the smoke the best.
Quote from: Acebird on March 16, 2011, 11:01:24 AM
I just use my smoker. Smoke your hands, smoke your cloths and smoke your hair that will retain the smoke the best.
Then who do I complain to about breathing second hand smoke ?? :roll:
Bee-Bop :)
Quote from: TomP on March 16, 2011, 10:23:37 AM
You are welcome Frameshift. I know the bees share roles in the hive, depending on what the needs of the hive are. I do wonder if there is a specific role for the heater bees in the brood nest other than general heat. I have read some interesting things about bee temp and CCD
Excellent references. Oh, I agree that heater bees have some specific roles. There is an overall regulation of cluster temperature and also control of the temperature of individual brood cells. My problem is with the claims that temperature is used (as in alligators) to control or modify future bee function. (http://forum.beemaster.com/index.php/topic,31777.0.html (http://forum.beemaster.com/index.php/topic,31777.0.html)) And it might even be true.... but the existing research surely does not support such a conclusion. This work is all done at temperatures
below even the minimum observed temperatures in brood cells. I think it is totally irrelevant.
QuoteThen who do I complain to about breathing second hand smoke ??
Ooh, sorry I left out important safety procedure. Close your eyes and hold your breath while you smoke then make three steps into the wind before inhaling. Smoke particles will be bad for anything that breaths including your bees. Smoke particles on hard objects will not hurt anyone but will have the same effect.
I do smoke my hands, I have never used the nitrile gloves for bees, but I use 8 mil @ work, I also use some 15 mil latex and yes they will make you sweat buckets... :-D
QuoteSmoke particles on hard objects will not hurt anyone but will have the same effect.
I'm not disputing this since I have never tried to smoke myself, however if the smoke particle has landed on a hard surface and is no longer in the air how would a bee sense it? Do they lick your hands to detect the particles? Just wondering.
I might give this hand smoking thing a try, but I usually use knit gloves dipped in latex.
ok im confused..... smoke is used to confuse the bees so they do not smell the warning or attack pheromones that are released during a danger situation... how does the smoke on ones hand interfere with that pheromone?
Quote from: slacker361 on March 17, 2011, 08:09:31 PM
ok im confused..... smoke is used to confuse the bees so they do not smell the warning or attack pheromones that are released during a danger situation... how does the smoke on ones hand interfere with that pheromone?
It doesn't interfere with the attack pheromone, it masks the odor of the human body, which bees and some humans find offensive. Bees find most animal odors offensive, man is an animal. I just sheared my sheep today, if I had gone from that directly into the bees I would have been mobbed big time. With some animal odors it is necessary to do a complete change of clothing and foot wear and a shower doesn't hurt either, sheep are one of those animals because of the lanolin in the wool.