How do you treat your gloves

[lorrick]

Just wondering after extracting today, what is the best way of treating your gloves (besides taking them out for a meal) as they are covered as normal in honey and Popolis ? and I want to keep them supple

 

[Erichalfbee]

Leather?
Change them to Marigolds or you could wear nitrile on top and just throw away.

 

[Swarm]

Neatsfoot oil. Nitrile or vinyl gloves over them does help.

 

[Davelin]

Nitrile and throw them away

 

[Heather]

Vinyl gloves. Go into washing machine with some washing soda. Have about 20 prs.

 

[lorrick]

Thank you one and all, I use Nitrile for my work and never thought of them, and Neats foot oil when I worked in a stable many years ago.
Thank you
Regards
Richrd

 

[Heather]

I find Nitril just one step too far in thinness. Am all for dexterity and sensitivity to bee movement but....good on you if you happy with them.
But Leather belongs on your feet.. not hands, when bee keeping.

 

[Alabamaeee]

Lakeland De Luxe Gloves 2.99 pair. Thin enough for good manipulation and thick enough to help protect from stings. They can sting through them if really determined but they usually don't get the stinger in too far as the material they are made tom is really tough.

 

[Heather]

Can 2nd those... They are great. Only drawback is they are a bit short, so I wear cotton gauntlets . 1 sting in 15 inspections, and that was my fault.

 

[Terry G]

Lakeland De Luxe Gloves 2.99 pair. Thin enough for good manipulation and thick enough to help protect from stings. They can sting through them if really determined but they usually don't get the stinger in too far as the material they are made tom is really tough.

They are, dare I say it, the bees knees, especially (as Heather suggests) when worn with cotton gauntlets.

 

[TOBY-3652]

Nitrile and throw them away

 

[MuswellMetro]

Nitrile and throw them away

agree, £8 for 100,powder free long cuff

 

[Swarm]

agree, £8 for 100,powder free long cuff

:shock: How much?!!?

 

[newportbuzz]

milking gloves and throw them away. cuts down on one vector for disease aswell.

 

[madasafish]

Bare hands are cheaper..and after a few stings #, they don't hurt (much)

# bees tend to think I have bear hands...

 

[Sadders]

I worry about nitrile gloves.

I use them at work and they don't seem very sting resistant to me.

 

[Moggett]

I find the green bathroom marigolds to be the best as they have a longer cuff. Make sure you get the right size i.e a snug fit with no slack on the fingers. I can pick queens off the comb without damaging them using these. They are not sting-proof but far better than nitrile gloves in that respect. Leather gloves are unhygienic and cumbersome.

I have no idea how people use no gloves, I've tried it once with gentle bees - just holding a frame for my mentor when I first started - despite no movement I was stung repeatedly. Maybe it has something to do with chemical ratios in the skin, mozzies go for me too.

 

[Swarm]

Leather gloves are unhygienic .

Only if they are not looked after.

 

[REDWOOD]

Back to the question, put them back on and wash your hands as you would usually, dry without heat and nourish with what swarm said neatsfoot oil

 

[madasafish]

I have no idea how people use no gloves, I've tried it once with gentle bees - just holding a frame for my mentor when I first started - despite no movement I was stung repeatedly. Maybe it has something to do with chemical ratios in the skin, mozzies go for me too.

Bees associate sweat with bears. (ever smelt a bear on a hot day in a zoo?)

So I always carefully wash hands and arms with a non scented soap before bees AND anoint (!) hands with Olbas Oil - which contains cloves - which bees dislike allegedly. Seems to work.. except when you grasp a bee firmly by mistake..