Kid Gloves

[Hoomin_erra]

Ok, how do i wash kid gloves which are now very sticky with a combination of honey and propolis?

Not sure i can just throw them into the washing machine with the general wash and survive. (Me that is!!)

[Rosie]

I used to use leather gloves some years ago. Some grades were washable by hand washing in warm soapy water but others weren't. The non-washable ones would shrink and harden and had to be re-stretched and softened with saddle soap or dubbin. I eventually discovered that bees prefer rubber and so did I so I switched to disposable nitrile rubber ones. The next best ones, in my opinion, are washing-up gloves.

If propolis is a problem with anything then washing soda helps remove it.

Rosie

[Neonach]

Wash careflly by hand with soap flakes or similar hand-wash soap for wool/delicates. Wring gently, and hang out to dry. However I agree with Rosie. I still have kid gloves and occasionally use them, but my feeling is that no matter how fine and smooth the leather (and even kid becomes fuzzier with age and washing), it's surface is intrinsically of the type that makes bees want to sting. Nitrile gloves - washing up gloves, used with gauntlets (see https://secure.thorne.co.uk/popup/gloves1.htm) , and a size of glove that is a close fit to your hand (but not too tight) is much better, in my opinion. If you don't like the classic washing-up glove colours, then try the industrial grade Marigolds (a huge range of not only colours, but thickness, cuff options etc for different purposes) are not only better, but also better value for money (try www.greenhams.co.uk). However what bees seem to like best of all is bare hands, though I would always clean my hands first (no-perfume soap) and use the gauntlets to stop the bees going up your sleeves. I have NEVER been stung on my hands, and pick up queens and workers (usually by a wing) without difficulty. How anyone works with cowhide gloves is beyond me - they are fit only for rough work like lifting hives and moving stuff around in the apiary, where it is possible you might actually crush a bee and get stung that way.

[The Drone Ranger]

Strange as it may seem the thin latex surgical gloves not only keep the fingers clean but the bees hardly ever sting you through them.
If you wear sports sweatbands at your wrist then they wont get you there either

[Neils]

Strange as it may seem the thin latex surgical gloves not only keep the fingers clean but the bees hardly ever sting you through them.
If you wear sports sweatbands at your wrist then they wont get you there either

Agree that bees just don't sting you through thin gloves. I started off with thick gloves (washing up gloves) and very quickly switched to latex/nitrile. I get stung far less with thin gloves than I did with washing up gloves and they come in very hand for honey extraction too.

[edit] Even my "nasty" bees don't sting through the gloves, on the wrists if the cuffs rise up and because I don't have gauntlets then sure I get a sting every other week or so.

[GRIZZLY]

Don't use gloves just smoke my hands thoroughly before playing with the bees.Just don't get stung - my bees just run away from the smell of smoke.Same thing with other peoples bees - their "aggressive","nasty" bees don't sting me.I think it's because I'm aware if a bee is trapped under my fingers.I can release it without rolling or crushing it.Much better also if handling queens for marking or clipping.

[Mellifera Crofter]

... my bees just run away from the smell of smoke.

Does it matter what smoker fuel you use?

[Trog]

Interesting idea to use sports bands to stop bees getting up your sleeves. I used thin latex gloves when working a neighbour's AMMs while he was away, partly because of the tiny lugs on his frames and partly to see how I got on. The only problem was the lack of breathability. My hands were dripping wet and covered in damp talcum powder by the time I'd finished!

[marion.orca]

I use the corrugated packing material that comes with most of Thornes orders, but add dried pine cones [ free if you spend enough time foraging ] to keep the smoker going. I'm a " newby " too and I think it's just a case of finding the one that suits you best. As I read somewhere that smoking the bees was to trick them into believing there was a forest fire, I reckoned that pine cones come pretty close to the real thing. I've heard of others who use peat also AND I freely admit that there's a knack to keeping it going that I haven't yet mastered !

[Trog]

We use the same, Marion, though you have to be careful not to use the shredded stuff that has sellotape etc on it; eye-watering for us and goodness knows what the bees make of it! We use dry rotten wood from trees, not treated timber!, dry grass/bracken, egg boxes and even dried teabags from time to time. The best way to keep a smoker going is to have an assistant!! (Mine goes out quite often as I don't use it very much, even on a large colony.) The smoker pellets sold by Thornes are quite good at keeping going without attention. Modern hessian seems to be fire-resistant so not much good but the old stuff is great.