Cleaning leather gloves

[Curly green finger's]

They will dry out stiff and hard and will eventually start to split as the leather degrades, hence the neatsfoot.

Ah... thanks I'll gets some neatsfoot then. would clear boot polish keep them suppel ?

 

[pargyle]

Thanks for the advice I've lots of washing soda and will try that first , again I'm concerned as to what this will do to the leather.

Got to be worth a try .. the hotter the water the better the washing soda will work .. you might try putting them in a pan of the stuff and 'boiling' the gloves up in it. I've boiled some frames in a washing soda solution this year in a Burco boiler .. certainly got rid of virtually all the propolis.

I've found that for agressive bees (not mine - I won't tolerate nasty bees) that a pair of marigolds with a pair of nitriles on top - with a few drops of Olbas oil rubbed in is sufficient protection .. the double layer is too thick for the stings to penetrate and the Olbas oil deters them from getting close enough to sting.

 

[Curly green finger's]

Got to be worth a try .. the hotter the water the better the washing soda will work .. you might try putting them in a pan of the stuff and 'boiling' the gloves up in it. I've boiled some frames in a washing soda solution this year in a Burco boiler .. certainly got rid of virtually all the propolis.

I've found that for agressive bees (not mine - I won't tolerate nasty bees) that a pair of marigolds with a pair of nitriles on top - with a few drops of Olbas oil rubbed in is sufficient protection .. the double layer is too thick for the stings to penetrate and the Olbas oil deters them from getting close enough to sting.

I also clean frames using boiling washing soda , not something to be done inside though .
I've also cleaned frames in a cold solution it takes longer

My two nasty hives are in the garden i can't wait to sort them out in the spring they've been a pain this summer , always the last to get inspected ... funny though the one colony albeit very diffencive was my best honey producer .. why is that the case ?

I think you suggested the olbas oil before and some one else said they use something similar soaked in a Hive cloth .
Something else I've found very useful since I started beekeeping ..
Shh... I've been asked where all the hand towels have gone.

 

[pargyle]

I also clean frames using boiling washing soda , not something to be done inside though .
I've also cleaned frames in a cold solution it takes longer

My two nasty hives are in the garden i can't wait to sort them out in the spring they've been a pain this summer , always the last to get inspected ... funny though the one colony albeit very diffencive was my best honey producer .. why is that the case ?

I think you suggested the olbas oil before and some one else said they use something similar soaked in a Hive cloth .
Something else I've found very useful since I started beekeeping ..
Shh... I've been asked where all the hand towels have gone.

Yes .. the value of these tips you don't find in the Bee books (and are rarely acknowledge by some people whoe teach beekeeping !) is immense .. so much gets passed on in this forum that you would never find anywhere else.

 

[Curly green finger's]

Yes .. the value of these tips you don't find in the Bee books (and are rarely acknowledge by some people whoe teach beekeeping !) is immense .. so much gets passed on in this forum that you would never find anywhere else.

I agree , what's better reading a book that someone has wrote or getting collective knowledge from beekeepers all over the country and also from beeks that have been beekeeping before I was born .

I would much prefer to read posts than read a book.
On to bees I'm of to weigh hives in the snow something I'm doing and have been doing weekly weighing that is!

 

[masterBK]

My wife bought me some leather gloves in 1974. Never ever needed to use them. The only people I know that use them are "hammer and chisel" ham fisted beekeepers who get the bees really worked up. People might be quicker and more enclined to requeen their stroppy colonies and become better handlers of bees if they didn't use them. It is better to go bare handed if you can. Unfortunately I get skin problems (a type of dermatitis) from contact with propolis so use nitriles most of the time and marigolds for the slightly more aggressive colonies. .

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Ah... thanks I'll gets some neatsfoot then. would clear boot polish keep them suppel ?

Go to the pharmacist and buy a pot of lanolin - rub that in.

 

[Curly green finger's]

I would much prefer to not use gloves and I don't as I've said.for a beginner though what would be the best @ masterbk
Thanks jbm.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I would much prefer to not use gloves and I don't as I've said.for a beginner though what would be the best

Always started my beginners with marigolds

 

[Curly green finger's]

Always started my beginners with marigolds

How did they fair with the frames sticking to the marigolds .
I've only started 1 new beekeeper so I can't give much advice on the matter but maybe it's a confidence thing he started with leather gloves. But spent all this season inspecting without gloves , he's been stung but it doesn't faze him .

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

How did they fair with the frames sticking to the marigolds .

I think it's important to have them well fitting, and well worth paying the few pennies extra for decent ones, it takes quite a bit of propolis buildup for it to be an issue so the top tip is, bucket of strong washing soda solution always at the ready and wash your hands still wearing the gloves after each session.
I started my liking for marigolds when a few of us on here did some 'works experience' with ChrisB - he insisted we all wore marigolds (I hardly wore gloves beekeeping before then) and it was a top tip, easier to clean propolis off gloves than your hands, you didn't mind washing with gloves on in a slightly mucky hive tool bucket, any stings weren't that bad and, apart from being a bit sweaty at the end of a day of hive inspections your hands were still reasonably clean

 

[drex]

Any non beekeeper who wants to look inside one of my hives gets given leather gloves. I supply marigolds for those more interested in learning the art. I agree with JBM, swill them off at the end or during a session and a pair lasts me most of the season

 

[pargyle]

Any non beekeeper who wants to look inside one of my hives gets given leather gloves. I supply marigolds for those more interested in learning the art. I agree with JBM, swill them off at the end or during a session and a pair lasts me most of the season

Genuine marigolds seem to fare better and last longer than the cheaper own label ones.. JBM is right about getting the best size for your hands..
Too small and the finger ends tear..too large and you lose the 'feel' ... surprisingly you can still feel a bee through them. If it's going to be a messy inspection or I'm dealing with bad tempered bees a pair of nitriles over the top works really well.

I have leather gloves for apiary visitors but I wouldn't let anyone try and handle bees with those on... I just can't manage with leather gauntlets although I know at least a dozen beekeepers who still use them ...and frankly some of the gloves I wouldn't use in the blackened gummed up state I've seen them in ... apiary hygiene ? No contest ...

 

[Antipodes]

I don't think nitriles have taken precedence over the use of leather here, but may do yet. Some here in AUS recommend a latex washing up glove.

In the early 1970s dad got wolverine leather beekeeping gloves from the USA. They were a top quality leather glove, but I can't see that anyone sells them anymore.

 

[deemann1]

I like the aus armour gloves they fit good and leather isn't too thick on them , got a pair for each apiary

 

[Bee Boys]

I like the aus armour gloves they fit good and leather isn't too thick on them , got a pair for each apiary

Same with hummble bee gloves.

 

[Popparand]

I've tried different types of gloves but I like the leather ones... I've got two volcano hives which I need to either requeen or unite in the spring.
My f0 and f1 amms are very gentle and I don't wear gloves at all I'm glad that there 85 miles apart from the mongrel bees ... my mentor said that my mongrel bees are mainly Italian bees I don't no how there still Italian bees as they were my grandads bees from the late 90s

Most of your grandad's bees are probably foraging in the Elysian fields by now. But then, you never know with bees....

 

[Curly green finger's]

Most of your grandad's bees are probably foraging in the Elysian fields by now. But then, you never know with bees....

I've worked out the years since and 20 year old queens maybe.

 

[Apiarisnt]

Genuine marigolds seem to fare better and last longer than the cheaper own label ones.. JBM is right about getting the best size for your hands..
Too small and the finger ends tear..too large and you lose the 'feel' ... surprisingly you can still feel a bee through them. ...

Agree with all of the above, and can also recommend the long cuff Marigolds ('Longer Bathroom Gloves')

BUT...

give them a thoroughly good clean in detergent, washing soda and the works before taking them near a hive. I do not know what they spray the long cuff ones with or pack them with but I tried using a pair straight out of the packet and had a dozen stings within a few minutes. Now washed, they cause no problems and add a little more protection.

 

[Popparand]

The trouble with long cuff Marigolds etc is that they do not have an elasticated cuff, so the bees crawl up inside and whack you on the wrist and forearm because they think they are going to get squashed. So reluctantly I have gone to leather gloves with a long elasticated canvas cuff. No more stings.