the best veil ..... thoughts please ?

[Dusty Rhodes]

Shirts with sleeves rolled up and T shirts, but no shorts.

Please! This is a family friendly Forum!

I can't shake the image from my mind.

Dusty

 

[bontbee]

I imagine it must be really uncomfortable to be dressed up in a bee suit, veil, gloves and all that kind of paraphernalia while doing bee work on a hot day like today.

Did you wear suit etc when you started out?

 

[kazmcc]

Please! This is a family friendly Forum!

I can't shake the image from my mind.

Dusty

I thought "what's he going on about and went back to read it again...............ohhhhhh! Oh no!"

Thanks for leading me to that image!

 

[BeeJayBee]

Shirts with sleeves rolled up and T shirts, but no shorts.

That's brave of you!

 

[Hivemaker.]

Good Connie popping weather.

It is... lots of them around here, but made it three less this evening.

 

[pargyle]

I think this probably tells us more about you than it does your bees or your equipment.

Inspecting quietly and gently, no rushing, no clattering around, using a dummy board so as not to roll the bees - and the bees won't need to sting you every time. It's not in their interest to sting without provocation.

The alternative is, you have angry bees - which shouldn't be tolerated. I suggest you get someone with experience in, to inspect their way and give you an informed opinion.

Dusty

+1 ... Dusty has it in spades.

I don't have an expensive suit - in fact, these days I just have a jacket with a round veil - second hand BB wear I think - I wear a long sleeved cotton shirt under it and I don't seem to sweat unduly in it - I've had the odd sting on the jacket but they don't seem to get through the second layer. The veil on it is very good- no problems seeing through it.

Gloves are marigolds with blue nitriles over the top (more for the ability to change them if they get sticky and chuck them away than to stop any stings getting through). A few drops of Olbas oil on the nitriles and spread seems to help - don't get many stings unless I'm clumsy or accidentally trap a bee.

Being gentle and giving the bees the chance to move away is the key - I don't smoke them except occasionally when I want to put the lid back on and they want to play on the top bars - certainly never use smoke before or during an inspection.

I wouldn't tolerate bees that sting me all the time - or are generally agressive - no need for that - get a better queen.

 

[Michael Palmer]

Shirts with sleeves rolled up and T shirts, but no shorts.

Couldn't imagine anything else on a day like this. 85˚ and humid. Blazing hot sun. No breeze. Made up 158 mating nucs from overwintered colonies of mating nuc frames. So hot we set up the canopy to give the made 4 ways some shade before they were driven to the mating apiary.

Wear a full suit and gloves and all that? I'd rather get stung a little than die of heat stroke.

 

[bontbee]

I wouldn't tolerate bees that sting me all the time - or are generally agressive - no need for that - get a better queen.

But even the nicest bees can go bad, on occasion, very suddenly. Had it with two colonies last year - two different strains which had been so calm that no veil was required...and then they went ballistic. I was very glad of the veil and gloves when it came to requeening them

 

[Hivemaker.]

Wear a full suit and gloves and all that? I'd rather get stung a little than die of heat stroke.

Same here.

 

[pargyle]

But even the nicest bees can go bad, on occasion, very suddenly. Had it with two colonies last year - two different strains which had been so calm that no veil was required...and then they went ballistic. I was very glad of the veil and gloves when it came to requeening them

Yes ... mine are generally well behaved but there have been the odd occasion when they were a but tetchy - I certainly would not be without a veil ... gloves ? Well I'm working on that !!