Kid Gloves

**The Drone Ranger** · 13-08-2011, 01:29 PM

Originally Posted by 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!

http://www.justgloves.co.uk/synthetic-gloves.aspx

If you have a few hives to get through its best to put one non powdered pair on over the top of another
You then just have to take the top propolised ones off and replace them
The synthetics are ok and there are plenty of powderless latex ones but if your hands are damp it is harder to get them on

they do save you lots of time cleaning the hands with surgical spirit and they are (relatively) cheap

**GRIZZLY** · 13-08-2011, 03:38 PM

Melli-croft,I use sacking with a few wisps of Thornes shredded cardboard packing in the middle to keep it burning well.I don't think it makes a lot of difference what you burn as long as it produces COOL smoke in profusion.Make sure theres no shredded plastic in it tho'.I usually leave the sacking to rot as this burns better.

**Neonach** · 14-08-2011, 07:33 AM

I very rarely use the smoker at all, as it just adds to the paraphanalia I have to carry, gets in the way, and above all the dratted thing will - after chuffing away to itself contenedly whilst you get on with it, suddenly gasp its last just a moment before you actually need it, and you're left desperately puffing ash out. Be gentle and calm. Bare hands best, clean, scent-free - but smell of smoke does seem helpful. However I would point out that all materials used for smoking have different chemical compositions, and will give off different smoke. Currently if I smoke I use the Thorne's shredded packing, but it seems to burn relatively hot, chokes up the smoker with loads of ash, and above all burns so fast that it will run out fuel just as you pick it up to use it. A friend swears by using hay, and I agree his smoker keeps going no matter what, makes very little ash, and produces cool smoke. It is also 100% organic as hay is nothing more than dry grass. This thread started as a question about cleaning gloves, and I say - do you really need gloves at all? Do you really need to use a smoker? Good to have them, especially if working with someone else's bees.

**Trog** · 14-08-2011, 11:17 AM

Good points, Neonach. However, sometimes we need the smoker for our huge colony (2bb, 4 supers at present) just to persuade them to get their heads down so we don't crush too many under the queen excluder and when we put the supers back on. I suppose we could use water but there are hygiene implications there. Who knows what's growing in the sprayer that's been kicking around in a hot shed/back of the car for weeks? (Or does everyone who uses one rinse and dry it in between inspections then use fresh tap water?)

**SueBee** · 14-08-2011, 05:04 PM

Lately I've been feeding my smoker with strips of old worn COTTON sheet, seems to smoulder quite well and doesn't smell offensive... nowhere near as bad as cardboard. I've been recommended dried grass clippings as well, just not organised enough to gather and dry them...

**GRIZZLY** · 15-08-2011, 07:55 AM

If you study my post you will see that I use A FEW SHREDS of cardboard - it's PREDOMINATELY old rotted sacking.which produces cool smoke.Thornes packaging on its own produces a harsh smoke.As for not using smoke at all,thats o.k. if you've got quiet,calm bees.Smoke should be used very sparingly- I mainly smoke my hands which blankets my personal smell and causes the bees to avoid my fingers - I've used this method for over 40 years now with all sorts and temperament of bee and have never had to resort to glove wearing.

**The Drone Ranger** · 15-08-2011, 08:50 AM

I've picked up loads of good tips here -- thanks guys

I got a really big bag of cedar wood chips from Brian at Thornes for about £3.00 and they work well.
The best stuff was an old really rotten log I found which I dried out in the shed for about 6 months
It just broke up in your fingers and smoldered really well

I start the smoker with the Thornes Beenove stick lighters but they are bone crunchingly expensive at £8.95
Anybody else tried them ?
I wonder if you could make your own??
That might be another winter project

**SueBee** · 15-08-2011, 09:39 AM

Thanks Grizzly, guess I was overdoing it on the cardboard content. Just threw the cotton waste idea into the pot for anyone else to try... Not brave enough yet to try working without gloves, though smoking hands sounds like the way to go.
About to clear a patch of garden that has some old rotting wood in it, so will put some aside to dry and try that sometime (next year?).