?> Or by simply wearing nitrile or strong latex gloves, available from any good mechanic's supply. I did not wear gloves beekeeping for many years and still prefer not to, but as I age, I find my hands cannot stand the detergents necessary to clean up after handling propolis and wax. Additionally, I am required to wear nitrile gloves when inspecting and have come to like the ones supplied which are thin blue nitrile ones. The last batch were purple nitrile and they are a little tougher, but still have just about as good feel as bare hands. These gloves are available at Costco, NAPA stores, Home Depot, drug stores and many other places. Some stores have little or no selection, but others, especially large auto supply stores, may offer a plenty of choice. Finding the right size takes time. be sure to try them on in the store. You may have to open a box, but do it. The correct gloves should be almost snug, and not stretched or baggy. Different manufacturers seem to have different ideas of what "Large" means and one may fit beautifully while another brand will be tight. A quick Google will turn up many online suppliers, but what if they don't fit. Best to order a brand you know. Nitrile, latex and vinyl gloves all seem to work equally well and come in differing thicknesses. They typically cost around a dime each in boxes of 100. The thinnest (blue) give best "feel", but tear easily. The purple ones are nearly as thin and still give good "feel", but sometimes last a whole day if treated carefully, even in rough work -- but not if you get very sticky. The black ones are thicker and for auto mechanic use and have enough "feel" for that work.. They are tougher. yet. Then there are the full-length nitrile gloves that are really thick and loose-fitting. They last forever, and are easy to put on and off, but they have no "feel". I now wear these thin gloves anytime I am about to do any sort of work which will get may hands dirty, and instead of my hands being rough and sore, they are smooth and clean. It was getting to where I hated to do oil changes and other dirty work because of the resulting dry, sore hands after washing, and now I enjoy doing these things again. A little hand lotion applied before putting the gloves on plus the moisture conserved inside actually softens and moisturizes the skin, leaving the hands in better shape after work than before! On hot days, sweating inside the gloves can be a minor annoyance, though. My vehicles now have clean, non-sticky steering wheels, though and that is a bonus. If only Howard Hughes had had access to nitrile gloves... *********************************************** The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html Guidelines for posting to BEE-L can be found at: http://honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/guidelines.htm