I agree 100% about not wearing gloves.  I am a
hobbyist beekeeper with 4 hives.  The only time I wear
gloves is when I have to retrieve a swarm - it's
better to get the sugar water on the gloves than one's
bare hands (stinky hands don't function as well as dry
ones).  Once I am ready to put the swarm into it's new
home, I remove the gloves and go back to work
barehanded.

Most of the stings I receive on my hands are my fault
- I grab a frame or a piece of equipment without
checking for bees where my fingers are about to go.
It also seems to me that stings on the finger tips
hurt less than anywhere else - they also do not swell.


Other parts of the body that receive stings produce
minor swelling, limited to the site of the sting.  In
early spring, the swelling is large - by late spring,
it is hardly noticeable.  I get larger reactions from
mosquito bites!  I've also noticed that over the years
(6 or so) in which I've kept bees that the reactions
to stings seem to get less and less.

There are different kinds of stings and different
reactions.  There are stings that feel like nicks from
a splinter, hot needles, and just a stab from a plain
needle.  Some stings aren't even noticeable.  None of
them are unbearable.  I would rather get stung on my
fingers than anywhere else on my body as it seems
other places hurt more when stung - so the gloves can
go!

I no longer wear a beekeeper's suit either.  The
supposedly sting proof suit that the manufacturer said
bees could not hold on to because of the material it
is made of is not sting proof.  I had been stung a
number of times through that suit.  So, now I just
wear helmet and veil and light colored clothing.

I've been tested for sensitivity to honeybee venom.
(I did this to satisy my husband - he insisted I was
allergic due to the swelling I get early in the
season.)  I tested positively for a reaction to the
venom.  However, I had another blood test which tested
for the amount of antibodies in my system to combat
the venom.  I tested at twice the amount necessary to
protect me from bee venom.  I do not know if this is
because I work with the bees or if I was born with
this amount of antibodies.  (I have never been able to
find any information about antibodies - i.e. how one
acquires a certain amount, does it decrease over time
or with age, etc.  If anyone knows of a good source of
info on antibodies, I'd appreciate knowing about it.)

If I were to compare the number of stings I receive
with full protective clothing to only light colored
clothing and helmet and veil - I would say I get about
the same.  So, I'd rather be more comfortable and wear
clothing that I prefer wearing - it makes for a more
pleasant work-out at the beeyard.



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