> Okay, and goatskin (or surgical) gloves, when the bees are p*ssy.  Call me a coward, but once they start to swarm on my hands, I find it really hard to concentrate on the job at hand and work smoothly.

I now use rubber gloves (Marigolds) with disposable latex single use gloves over them.  OK, so my hands do sweat a bit,  but they stay clean and I do not end up with the Land Rover steering wheel, gearstick and everything else covered in propolis.  The latex gloves are thrown away after each apiary - they cost just a couple of pounds or so per 100 gloves - and the Marigolds are turned inside out to dry between apiaries.

I get very few stings through this glove combination - probably because they do not retain sting pheromone like leather - and the total cost is probably less than a good pair of leather gloves each year.

As one UK beekeeper noted, all we need now are breathable Marigolds!

Best wishes
 
Peter
52°14'44.44"N, 1°50'35"W

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