Attack Attack Attack.

[Melbee]

Hello. I'm heavily suited up when going into my hive from hell. They've been difficult to handle all this year. . The more honey they are making, the worse they attack, presumably to defend it. I've requeened twice. First queen disappeared without a trace. Second is there and just begun laying. Fingers crossed that a change in temperament will happen.

I wear black heavy duty rubber gloves from Wilk....son''s. They clean up really well and allow good careful handling of frames. As they get rather hot inside, I've invested in a pair of silk glove liners to wear inside. They wash easily but more importantly, they provide added protection against stings. I also react badly and need all the protection I can get - particularly at present with my bees.

 

[MJBee]

Quote "I wear black heavy duty rubber gloves from Wilk....son''s." Unquote

Melbee - part of your problem may be the colour of your gloves! Bees do not like black, if you can find the right size try an inspection with white/blue nitrile gloves over you black ones - it may make all the difference.

 

[YorkshireBees]

Quote "I wear black heavy duty rubber gloves from Wilk....son''s." Unquote

Melbee - part of your problem may be the colour of your gloves! Bees do not like black, if you can find the right size try an inspection with white/blue nitrile gloves over you black ones - it may make all the difference.

In my experience avoid black and dark colours!

I once took my veil off for a breather between inspections and the black sweatshirt was attacked by a bee intent on stinging it. Luckily for me it concentrated on the sweatshirt which I managed to remove carefully!
Never worn black around the bees since!

I also use blue nitril gloves, normally over kid leather gloves but due to an accident on my left hand only nitril will fit the splint on my ring finger.
So far no stings to that hand so maybe I will use nitril only in future with the kid leather gloves in the car as backup!

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Quote "I wear black heavy duty rubber gloves from Wilk....son''s." Unquote

Melbee - part of your problem may be the colour of your gloves! Bees do not like black, if you can find the right size try an inspection with white/blue nitrile gloves over you black ones - it may make all the difference.

I have "graduated" to surgeons nitrile now but wore heavy black gloves when I first started out. The bees occasionally stung them but as time passed and I became more adept and less fearful of stings the transition to Marigolds and then thinner took place. In my experience the colour of gloves is immaterial, the confidence and technique of the keeper is what matters.

 

[madasafish]

In my experience the colour of gloves is immaterial, the confidence and technique of the keeper is what matters.

Hmm... my experience is that black trousers and black gloves attract some colonies of bees to sting you . Other colonies don't care.. My own don't. But on the while my own are placid and can be handled without a veil in good weather so hardly a guide. The bees at our Association Apiary are a different matter...

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

Glove of choice nitriles but I find that double thickness preferable as they are less likely to tear and can often be reused. However I've had some nasty little bleeders who are so determined they can drill through even double thickness nitriles, and for them I use good old leather gauntlets unless I'm planning on queen marking or some other deft manoeuvre.

 

[jd101k2000]

I tend to wear leather. (Hands react badly to rubber - like day 2 of a sting, but all over the hand!). For queen marking - catch queen in clip. Take queen away, gloves off, mark queen, gloves on, queen back!

Sometimes use washing-up grade nitrile, but they stink after a few uses. Leather lets my hands 'breathe'.

As I get more adept at using the leather gloves, and anticipating them getting caught under the lugs of replaced frames, I get few (if any) stings to the gloves. The added confidence means that I handle the bees better than if in some thin, synthetic material. (And now I have eight colonies I spend less time fannying around, annoying the bees.) Different gloves/hive tools for different apiaries.

In the end, it is what you find best.

 

[BigAshW]

Hmm... my experience is that black trousers and black gloves attract some colonies of bees to sting you . Other colonies don't care.. My own don't. But on the while my own are placid and can be handled without a veil in good weather so hardly a guide. The bees at our Association Apiary are a different matter...

I discovered this last night. I had on some black trousers as my usual pale ones were being washed. While we were dealing with one of my mentors slightly more grumpy hives I got hammered 8 times on the legs while my mentor got away scot free in his pale getup.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

For some reason i find I have a lot of dark coloured 'working' clothes (sort of navy funnily enough ) when I'm having a breather lying on the deckchair on the lawn (under one of the main flight paths quite a few bees on passing take a quick detour and pay me quite a bit of attention close up before deciding I'm harmless and buzzing orf

 

[madasafish]

For some reason i find I have a lot of dark coloured 'working' clothes (sort of navy funnily enough ) when I'm having a breather lying on the deckchair on the lawn (under one of the main flight paths quite a few bees on passing take a quick detour and pay me quite a bit of attention close up before deciding I'm harmless and buzzing orf

It's the odour of stale sweat, beer and fags that attracts them

 

[Margaret Elisabeth]

Your main problem is that you are smoking, however little, the bb. The supers you are taking off don't even know you are there. The first sign they get is a flood of light as someone takes their honey off the top of the hive. Their natural instinct is to attack. When you start to take the first super off the too twist it slightly so that there is a gap in four corners between that super and the one below it. Puff smoke into that gap. Wait...... Remove the super. Take the crown board off the super you have just removed and place it on the super underneath and repeat.
Or....... Say to your bees, six supers.... We'll done.... I am not going to inspect you any more.....if you want to swarm then you deserve it. And that will give you a nice new queen for next year!
E

Thanks for the advice Enrico and given nicely too. But the Marigolds will go back on while I use the advice.

 

[Margaret Elisabeth]

Hope yours are OK. EricA

 

[Margaret Elisabeth]

How old is your Anthisan?

I had some kicking around in the bottom of my beekeeping kit for years, didn't do much for the stings but soothed a little. When it eventually ran out I bought a new tube it worked wonders.

Now I actually spend some money when it reaches its expiry date rather than when I have squeezed the last milligram out of the tube.

Haha I bought a fresh tube this year.
The problem is the severity of the reaction. fingers and hands up like balloons and red hot. better today though just the odd itch after three lots of antihistamine.

 

[Margaret Elisabeth]

Try Witch hazel, freshly distilled of course.
Do not drink it!


James

Cold compresses and Antihistamine tabs, but will try the Witch Hazel when I can get some.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Hope yours are OK. EricA

Thanks....fingers crossed