Hello all--
 
I've been moving some difficult swarms from under houses and such, and
have been using a fairly new set of gloves--occasionally, I've alarmed
bees on my gloves, and they've marked my gloves with their alarm odor.  I
frequently launder my bee suit to wash the pheromone off, but how does one
wash leather gloves to the satisfaction of the bees??  (Being a motorcycle
rider with a set of riding leathers, I would never wash them.) What set me
off to wondering about this was the fact that after I successfully hived
them into a clean box with foundation, I would give them a shallow lid
full of honey to feed them and the approach of my glove toward the
entrance would bring some bees out and they sounded angry.  When I used a
clean set of gloves to give them honey the same way, no reaction, and a
few bees would hop on my gloves out of curiosity.
 
Any help would be appreciated.  Thanks!
 
Kevin Roddy
Keahialaka, Hawai'i
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