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	Bee Gloves
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Bee gloves prevent bees from stinging your hands (usually) and keep them from crawling up inside your sleeves.  They are usually made with leather hand coverings and canvas or cotton forearm coverings, with ventilation on the forearm.  Sometimes, the entire glove is canvas and cotton, but get leather if you can, as it is more sting-resistant.

Unless you're just starting out in beekeeping, BeeCARE doesn't recommend you always wear gloves when you are working the hives.  However, gloves are needed if you have aggressive bees or are especially sensitive to stings.  After you have become experienced with your bees and with handling hive components, do without the gloves if you can.  Wearing bee gloves can make it harder to maintain a firm grip on frames as you are lifting and inspecting them, therefore making it easier to drop the frame!  Gloves are generally clumsy to work with, so you drop things more easily and lack the ability to manipulate objects (like frames, tools, etc.) like you should.  Wearing gloves also makes it much easier to kill bees while you are handling the hive woodenware, since you can't feel them through the gloves.

Follow good apiary etiquette to minimize the chances you'll ever be stung.  But if your bees have a history of being aggressive, wear gloves to prevent stings to your hands.

Note: Certain races of domestic honeybees, such as Buckfast, are naturally more aggressive than others.  If you want to avoid stings when working with these bees, you will need gloves and a bee suit or jacket.

You may shudder at first when you are working the hives without wearing gloves, and bees are buzzing all around you and crawling on your hands.  Don't worry.  If you behave properly otherwise and have selected a good time to open the hive, they will usually not sting.  And bees can also sting through gloves, even leather!  If they do sting, it is much easier to scrape off the sting sac with your fingernail than it is with something else if you are wearing gloves.  And remember, not wearing gloves decreases your chances of being stung in the first place.

Keep a pair of gloves handy for when the bees are aggressive and have demonstrated a propensity to sting.  However, in this case, you may consider coming back another day rather than forcing the issue.  So, it's your call.  Photographs you may see elsewhere on this site of us wearing gloves were taken when the bees were especially boisterous.  So, we really are practicing what we're preaching.

For exporters: ECCN# 1A995

Apiary Etiquette
Basic Beekeeping Equipment
Beekeeper's Clothing
Preparing to Visit the Apiary

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