ankle biters

[stoneleighhouse]

Have noticed bees invariably go for the ankles when I'm wearing walking socks , could it be the wool , any views?

 

[susbees]

Short muckboots under ankle zipped suit. Sorted. And no, they don't like things like coarse socks, sweat bands on wrists etc. Supposed to be like a bear...

 

[rae]

They don't much like leather, so it may be your shoes. I have a pair of rigger boots with loops at the top that are split grain (i.e rough leather, not smooth) - when I was dealing with an unpleasant hive, this was the area they went for first.

 

[Luminos]

Have noticed bees invariably go for the ankles when I'm wearing walking socks , could it be the wool , any views?

Nope. It's the ankles

 

[New Bee 2]

Alway wear wellies myself ...

 

[Black Comb]

Fr the first time a queeenless colony went down my wellies for my ankles last week. A painful place to get stung. Think I'll investigate short muck boots.

 

[Arfermo]

Fr the first time a queeenless colony went down my wellies for my ankles last week. A painful place to get stung. Think I'll investigate short muck boots.

Ouch - I'm immune to stings normally but get one on the shins and it's definitely the worst place to get belted with just one.

 

[madasafish]

Most of the time I don't bother but for really bad bees, I wear a full length mechanics overall
[ame]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Panoply-Boilersuit-Overalls-Coverall-Pockets/dp/B00345J9ZA/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1341392995&sr=8-1-fkmr1[/ame]


which has NO through pockets, and is thick and 100% resistant to stings, tuck the ends into my wellies and put my bee top over it.

Bees can't go down your wellies if there is no room.

(Or look like a Scots farmhand and use bailer twine (preferably orange coloured) and tie round the top of your wellies to prevent intruders.

 

[ratcatcher]

I wear waxman gaitors, they wrap around calf,ankle,any boot and make it totally bee tight

 

[Black Comb]

Bees can't go down your wellies if there is no room.
.

I always wear a full suit. My wellies are "normal" so I can push my fingers down if I choose.
The thing was they did not go for my calves or shins - went straight down to my ankle (which is where the beesuit "ends" and only a sock protecting the skin.
I moved some distance away, removed them and then taped up my wellie tops with duck tape. They could not find anything else to sting except my hands which up until then they had ignored Once the virgin is mated and I can find the queen she will be despatched and they will be united with another colony.

 

[oliver90owner]

Elasticated bottoms to trousers - over the boots. Clever or not? No chance of bees falling into boots, they cannot crawl under the elastic, no socks or ankles as a target.

In fact it just works. Those that want to look fashionable, whatever that might be, need to wake up to the fact that the bees could not care less, whether the beek is wearing efficient ppe or trendy kit that doesn't work. Practical, as in 'it works' is far better than 'looks trendy but got stung'.

 

[MandF]

Those that want to look fashionable, whatever that might be, need to wake up to the fact that the bees could not care less, whether the beek is wearing efficient ppe or trendy kit that doesn't work. Practical, as in 'it works' is far better than 'looks trendy but got stung'.

Did anyone say they wanted to look fashionable or trendy? No. So how is that relevant?

Back to the ACTUAL question without preaching;

I usually wear short wellies with my beesuit trousers (elasticated) on the outside. Bees like to move up, but Id rather risk one trying to get up through elasticated band than some drop down into my wellies

If I am doing a quick check I will some times forego the wellies, and just wear the beesuit with trainers. Never had my ankles targeted, but thats probably because I never do anything too agitating for them without the wellies on.

 

[Black Comb]

Agree fashion was never mentioned.
Normal welly wearing has worked well for me the past 4 years.
First time down wellies for me.

 

[MandF]

First time down wellies for me.

<shudder>

 

[segbug]

Bees hate any hairy or wooly fibre clothes natural or the synthetic fake fleece type, especially dark colours and red I have found.

 

[terry jones]

Bees hate any hairy or wooly fibre clothes natural or the synthetic fake fleece type, especially dark colours and red I have found.

Just returned from a 10 day break in Turkey. Up until now my bees have been really well mannured and I could never understand some of the horror stories about being persued and stung.
Not until yesterday. Normal practice , no smoke and minimum PPE. I think they have turned feral on me over the last two weeks. Countless stings on the arms and ankles and inner thighs
Wellies and smoke from now on

 

[susbees]

I wear waxman gaitors, they wrap around calf,ankle,any boot and make it totally bee tight

And probably snakeproof too.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Skyhook]

I've got narrow wellies, with the suit tucked in it bulges over the top so it's blocked both ways.

If I ever use my work wellies (with wider legs) I'm rather less confident.

 

[clarealdus]

My mentor told me that they get the ends of their legs caught in the woolly hooks on knitware and then sting as they are 'trapped' so is it the socks below the suit that they go for rather than the ankles? Also if they are down your wellie and you move, the narrow ankle area is where they are mostly likely to feel crushed and therefore sting in response.

 

[justme]

Have noticed bees invariably go for the ankles when I'm wearing walking socks , could it be the wool , any views?

Oops, sorry:.) I thought this was about kids and beekeeping:.)