Curtis Atkinson wrote:
>
> I have seen picutures of bee keepers not wearing gloves. When I try
> to do that, i always get stung. Am I missing something?
 
Speaking from inexperience, since I've only tried keeping bees for
4 years, I can say that I do not recommend wearing gloves except
maybe for the greenest of beginners.
 
I myself wore rubber coated canvas gloves at the start and indeed
never got stung, but I found that the gloves made me clumsy and that
would rile the bees up. With gloves, you have little to lose by
making awkward movements, by squishing bees beneath your fingers,
by squishing bees when you replace frames or by continuing to work
the bees when they are already very angry. Taking your gloves off
teaches you to pay more attention to the mood of the hive and to be
careful with your movements. After all, the result of a wild jerky
movement is a case of instant bio-feedback (namely, a sting).
 
Here are some things I learned using the instant bio-feedback method:
 
1. Use slow movements and avoid jerking things around (for instance,
   snapping the frame out of its propolis or dropping the frame
   against the hive). Be smooth and deliberate.
2. When you handle a frame, learn to feel for a bee beneath your
   fingers before you grip tightly. Most of the stings I received
   were from a bee squished beneath my clumsy fingers.
3. Listen to the bees and you'll learn to recognize when they are
   calm, when they are perturbed and when they are angry.
4. If you're getting the bees angry, slow down or stop altogether.
5. There are major differences among honey bees in their tolerance to
   beekeepers poking around in their hives. This seems to be a genetic
   trait. That is, some races of bees are friendly; some are mean.
   Just now, I have five hives of the sweetest, friendliest bees
   imaginable, much nicer than any I've had before. I'm not so
   thrilled by their honey gathering abilities though, so it seems to
   be a compromise between friendliness and production.
6. Even though you leave your gloves off, continue to wear your veil.
7. Even the sweetest of bees get annoyed if you continue to bother them
   so don't leave the hive open for long periods while you're figuring
   things out. This may be hard to do if you're still getting the basics
   down and are intrigued by the goings-on within the hive. You may be
   tempted to spend an entire afternoon probing around in one hive;
   don't do it!
8. If you get stung, grit your teeth and continue. Don't wave your
   arm around; try not to jerk your finger away; don't drop the frame!
 
There are also guidelines about how to use your smoker, but this has
been discussed a lot here. I tend to not use the smoker at all unless
the bees are getting riled up, but that's because my bees are such
a calm bunch.
 
--
 
Conrad Sigona
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