With experience, many of us work without gloves, and some with less
protective clothing.  I often work in short sleeves without a veil.
 
However, I require my students and employees to 1) always have a lit
smoker or water spray bottle close at hand, and 2) wear a veil.
 
20 yrs of bee stings have left me with near total immunity, no or minimal
swelling, and unless the sting directly hits a nerve, little or no pain,
and no itching.  Mosquito bites bother me more.
 
But, none of the students or other employees have that physiological
advantage and I MAKE SURE THAT THEY UNDERSTAND THIS IMPORTANT FACT.
 
The veil is required to protect the eyes.  At best, most people will not
be able to open an eye that has received a nearby sting.  If the sting is
to the eye itself or if the swelling is severe, vision may be temporarily
or permanently affected.
 
The smoker or water spray are tools to calm down the bees - and if used
properly can be very affective.  Many beekeepers who claim to have mean
bees just don't work them correctly, as I have proven many times.
 
Even in the best of situations, an accident can happen - a hive falls
over or a population may explode out of a box (even if smoked).
I have seen this happen on a few occassions with bees that have just come
off trucks or that have been exposed to high concentrations of pesticides.
 
The bees just seem to be mad at everything.  With the arrival of AHB,
this may become more common.  I know of several instances in which a
person became over-confident and started working bees without the proper
clothing and/or a smoker.  Suddenly, a colony will go out of control and
the person receives a dozen or more stings.  Usually, they swell badly
and off get sick.  Several have later become hypersensitive to bee stings.
 
I have no proof that multiple stings (sort of an overdose) leads to
hypersensitivity, but I suspect if you have a tendancy towards this
condition, a bad incident like this may tip the balance.
 
We all reacte differently to stings.  Some become hypersensitive just
handling beekeeper clothing, others after many years, some after just a
couple of stings.  The lucky ones become immune - something that works
for me with bee stings but not other allergies.
 
I also realize that there is a chance that my own physiological response
to bee stings may change, but I surely hope not.  It is more comfortable
working bees without the suits, gloves, etc.  But I ALWAYS KEEP A VEIL
CLOSE BY.
 
Therefore, unless you know that you are unlikely to reacte to bee stings
and unless you are relatively experienced working with bees, I DO NOT
RECOMMEND WORKING WITHOUT PROTECTIVE CLOTHING and do not think anyone
should encourage people to do so.
 
Keep the veil and the white suit.  If you leave the gloves off - velcro,
tape, or wear arm gaiters to close off your sleeves.  I agree that one
squashes more bees with gloves on and prefer to work without them, but be
sure to reduce the area of skin exposed to bees.  You can always stick
your hands in your pockets if things get out of hand.
 
Oh yes, if you work without gloves, be sure to clean your hands.  Like
hive tools and dirty gloves, you can spread bacteria and other pathogens
from your hands.   Most of us take steps to clean tools and gloves
between apiaries.  Remember, if you don't wear gloves your hands can
contaminate everything you touch.  I carry a spray bottle full of
isopropyl alcohol to clean my hands, and if stung, to remove the alarm
pheromone marking the spot for other bees.  Let the alcohol evaporate
before sticking your hands back in the hive.
 
Cheers
 
Jerry Bromenshenk
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