Hello.......

[Jon]

A
I suspect Jon's £6-a-100 gloves may be short cuffed.

They are short cuffed but all you need is something to close the gap between glove and wrist such as the cuffs sold various places or a wrist support thingy such as this.

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Both work well with the short nitriles.

Bare handed is good, and if you lack confidence start with nucs or Apideas. A colony tends to get a bit livlier as it grows. Make sure you keep decent bees which don't go buck mad every time they are opened.
Some people keep really aggressive bees and dress up like Buzz Aldrin or a deep sea diver to do a routine colony inspection and consider this normal.

[HJBee]

I can get 100 long cuff (300mm x 2mm) at £16, or 100 (250mm x 6mm) at £16. Which shall I go for, Thickness or length - minds out of the gutter please ;0)?

[Jon]

100 short cuff for £6 and two wrist supports at a pound each!

Thinner is better in terms of your handling.

[mbc]

They are short cuffed but all you need is something to close the gap between glove and wrist

http://www.abelo.co.uk/shop/gauntlets/

[Jon]

I have a pair of those.

Gautlests-600x600.jpg

They will last for years and save you a fortune if you buy the short cuff nitriles!

[HJBee]

http://www.abelo.co.uk/shop/gauntlets/

Have you any experience of the suits they are selling, seem cheap?

[gavin]

Where do you source your gloves as I see there are many available from non beekeeping suppliers

Hi H

eBay, last time 'The Modern Man' aka 'beauty-cloud', long-cuffed, £15.55. 6mm.

As one main use is for passing round visitors to the association apiary, cuff-protectors are not cost effective. I recommend that folk put the nitrile cuff over the thick elasticated cuff on their bee suits.

No-one was stung on the Saturday visit but one beekeeper using them was stung that morning by his own bees through his gloves. Can happen, and it has happened to me this year - although like mbc said even when the bees want to sting through them they struggle to get purchase.

G.

[Feckless Drone]

Hi Maybee - ah Renfrewshire! What do you call someone (like me) who hails from Renfrewshire? Comments? Re:equipment. There is so much kit out there and so much that you really don't need that its hard to know whats right. I found that apiary visits, seeing the hives and talking to experienced beekeepers was the easiest way to get good advice about what really is required. There is also the important aspect of this being your chance to handle bees. I do hope you can get into some hives soon.

[HJBee]

Thanks Gavin, going to get some and maybe 'Maybee' can help me try them out in a few weeks time!

[EmsE]

I have been helping with beginner practical classes for the past few weeks and those who do their handling in Marigolds, or better still nitriles, are much better handlers than those who wear the leather gauntlets.
Wearing leather gloves puts you at a huge disadvantage as a beekeeper and tends to rile up the bees.

I tried marigolds last year and the bees really didn't like them. I think it may have been the squeeking noise they make. They do seem happier with the nitrile ones though.