REGARDING           RE>Wet bees...
 
John Taylorwrote:
"The bees have been extremely gentle - no matter what the
weather is like or what has happened to them.  The day they got soaked and I
removed the frame, I actually got brave enough to try something I'd just
been thinking about - handle them without gloves.  Rather than being cranky,
they seemed subdued with being wet.  I've not been stung yet and the girls
just don't really act like they want to sting me.
 
What I'm trying to get around to are questions - are my Italian bees
unusually gentle?  Have I just lucked out and started handling them in a
manner that doesn't bother them?  Or, am I soon going to have a larger
population, that is busier flying once all the comb is drawn out and will be
more likely to sting?"
 
Just a couple observations.  For years I have used Italian bees and love their
gentleness.  I occasionally have considered getting other types, but when I
actually make the decision, it's always for the Italians.   The bees are, in
my experience, gentlest when the colony is small.  I think you have discovered
one of the real joys of beekeeping when you can handle the bees with bare
hands.  It teaches you to manipulate the frames very gently and cautiously,
and if you have the right temperament of bees, they will just sit there and
look at you.  If you use a minimum of smoke, when you pick up the frame you
may observe the bee's dances and even the queen backing into a cell to lay an
egg!  Occasionally several bees might fly up and bump into your hand, but slow
and deliberate motions usually result in them settling right down again.
 
I used to use bee gloves all the time to protect against stings, but now I use
them mostly in hot weather in the summer to protect my hands from propolis
sticking all over.  I tried using leather work gloves, but I don't like bees
getting into the open wrists of those gloves.  (Another personal observation-
don't use cloth work gloves.  They seem to stimulate the bees to sting, and
they will stitch the gloves right to your hands!)