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I use the sol-vex blue gloves from screwfix thin enough not get in the way they don't stick to propolis like marigolds and still give reasonable sting protection £2.99 a pair
 
I think that there is a lot of pointless bravado about the 'need' to go gloveless.

I remember three things:
1) When I try to go gloveless I feel more nervous which translates into a less pleasant experience and a greater likelihood of stings. I do bee keeping as a pleasurable hobby.

2) Many experienced bee keepers wear gloves because they don't like the feel of bees on their bare flesh.

3) Surgeons can operate on minute blood vessels wearing gloves... clumsiness in bee keeping is not down to gloves.

With that said, you have to feel comfortable with your choice. Balance degree of protection against how easy it is for the bees to sting you. (With the added benefit that if you feel more confident they are less likely to sting anyway.)
 
I don't tolerate getting stung and would think that more than one sting a year on my hands would be unusual for me so I wear the blue gloves with the long cuffs with disposables on top.
Cazza
 
Long sleeved nitrile for me. Seems to confuse the more aggro bees into not stinging, also I don't like propolis on my hands - stuff gets everywhere!

In between hives I clean the gloves and hive tool with anti-bacterial spray and change them between apiaries.
 
Getting stung is just part of being a beekeeper, live with it. a lot of the time I inspect without gloves (not bravado, just more comfortable) I sometimes wear marigolds if I think the inspection is going to be 'messy' or I think the bees are going to be a bit stroppy (doesn't stop you being stung but I find if you're wearing them the bees are less likely to sting you, and if they do it's not quite as bad as if your hands are bare). I carry a pair of leather gloves around just because they're easier to get on in a hurry if the bees suddenly go berserk!
 
I wash gloves between hives, but if a hive I am unsure of, then yes, clean gloves too.
And I have invested in cotton gauntlets.. best £5 I have spent in ages. No gap twixt glove and suit, so relaxed beekeeping. It all helps with inspections.
 
The major advantage of nitrile gloves is the bees don't get entangled in the hair on my arms and back of my hands, thus they don't panic and sting.
 
John Hammond said:
What's gloves are good to use while handling bees ?
Are latex gloves ok or the nitrile coated gloves?
Click to expand...
Nitrile is a synthetic latex. It doesn't make a lot of difference unless you're allergic. Many styles are available in both materials, probably a wider range in nitrile these days.
 
jd101k2000 said:
I think that there is a lot of pointless bravado about the 'need' to go gloveless.

I remember three things:
1) When I try to go gloveless I feel more nervous which translates into a less pleasant experience and a greater likelihood of stings. I do bee keeping as a pleasurable hobby.

2) Many experienced bee keepers wear gloves because they don't like the feel of bees on their bare flesh.

3) Surgeons can operate on minute blood vessels wearing gloves... clumsiness in bee keeping is not down to gloves.

With that said, you have to feel comfortable with your choice. Balance degree of protection against how easy it is for the bees to sting you. (With the added benefit that if you feel more confident they are less likely to sting anyway.)
Click to expand...
:iagree:

True about clumsiness not being down to gloves, but it can be down to badly fitting gloves.

It's a bit awkward to see the number of new beekeepers who get a pair of gloves with their suits, but the gloves are much too big so they've got no chance of being accurate when they try to pull a frame out of a brood box - the tips of the fingers hit the adjacent frames and bees get squashed.

If choosing leather then get a smaller size than you think you'll need, so they're a tight fit rather than being too loose. They'll stretch with wear. Same with the cuffed rubber or plastic gloves, although they won't stretch they should 'give' whilst being used.

Loose nitriles can cause a lot of trouble when they stick to propolis and start to pull away from the fingers, so might need to be rinsed in washing soda in the middle of working a colony, especially if that colony is one that uses a lot of propolis.
 
I use whatever disposables I have to hand (sorry) - at present I'm working my way through a box of 100 I bought in Aldi ... I'd like to say that I'm brave enough to go gloveless but by the time I get to the end of an inspection the cheapo gloves I buy have usually ripped apart and half my fingers and palm will be exposed so I suppose I'm halfway there.

I don't mind the feel of the bees on my bare skin and I find the thinner gloves are better than the marigolds I also have in terms of 'feel'. I get stung occasionally but it's usually when I've accidentally trapped one of the little darlings when gripping a frame to lift it. I don't use smoke so there's nornmally a few lurking about - but mine are not aggressive and normally just get out of my way. Got a pair of leather ones which I let visitors wear ... they never go near the bees.
 
jd101k2000 said:
...
3) Surgeons can operate on minute blood vessels wearing gloves... clumsiness in bee keeping is not down to gloves.
...
Click to expand...

I've yet to see a surgeon operate while wearing thick leather gloves! :)


Its not a matter of single cause / single effect.

The clumsier you are, the thicker gloves you'll think you "need".
The thicker your gloves, the clumsier you'll become.
The clumsier your handling, the more you'll get stung.
And so you'll "need" even thicker gloves ...

Leather gloves do tend to retain sting 'alarm' pheromones. And introducing a 'stung' glove into a peaceful colony will get them alarmed and targeting stings at the old stings on the gloves, which will make you ever more convinced that really thick gloves are "needed" for your bees!
And its not just alarm pheromones they carry. They bring the colony odour from previously inspected colonies. So your gloves appear to the bees as being from a different colony, as well as stingey and clumsy. No wonder they attract attention!


So, to break the cycle, try with some well-fitting washing-up gloves - and try to see just how super gentle you can be with your bees! If you do, you might be surprised how gentle your bees might be with you ...

/// And sometimes having a "critical friend" to watch your bee-handling technique can help you to work more gently, upsetting the bees less, resulting in less stings
 
Last edited:
Sorry Itma I totally disagree with you on your theory on leather gloves.
Does not a bare hand retain the same pheromones as a leather glove after a bee has stung and what's the first thing you do if you get stung, mask your hand/glove with smoke.

What's this about clumsiness, where did that come from ? I have seen some pretty heavy handed beekeepers that don't wear gloves, It's all about how you have been taught and how to handle bees and nothing about gloves.
 
I have observed hundreds of beekeepers over the years and most of the clumsy ones wore leather gloves and got bee juices from squashed bees on their gloves which must represent a risk of spreading diseases like Nosema but also increased agression not only from poor handling, the build up of venom on the gloves but also from their reaction to damaged bee tissue. Keep leather gloves for those rare times when they are out to get you and use nitriles the rest of the time. I don't favour bare hands as sweat can be a problem when picking up queens (increases risk of queen being balled when released) and propolis/honey on the hands transfers to car door handles and steering wheels
 
As I use bare hands, I carry handwipes (unscented) to remove unwanted smells/propolis etc from my hands..or to clean between hives if required..

Hospital alcohol pads are good as well but dry the skin.. I use Neutrogena unscented hand gel (clear) to keep my skin moist.. before I start beekeeping as it also leaves the skin slightly greasy so tends to prevent deposits of propolis.. (Used by fishermen as well I believe)
 
REDWOOD said:
Sorry Itma I totally disagree with you on your theory on leather gloves.
Does not a bare hand retain the same pheromones as a leather glove after a bee has stung and what's the first thing you do if you get stung, mask your hand/glove with smoke.

What's this about clumsiness, where did that come from ? I have seen some pretty heavy handed beekeepers that don't wear gloves, It's all about how you have been taught and how to handle bees and nothing about gloves.
Click to expand...

:iagree:
Plus a sting through your bee suit will do much the same. Clumsiness is clumsiness and if someone tries to use gloves that are too big that's not the fault of the gloves. As usual, the fact that gloves can be cleaned properly has been overlooked.
 
We use a company called Just Gloves. Check their website for a vast range and discount on quantity.
 
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