Besides a hive tool, a smoker and a veil, what is your favorite tool in the beekeeper’s toolbox? My favorite tool in the beekeeper's toolbox is the swarm catcher. It is a simple but essential tool that allows me to capture swarms of bees without harming them. But I also like nitrile gloves
A beekeeper might want to wear nitrile gloves when working with bees in order to avoid being stung. The gloves also provide protection from the bee's chemicals and other materials that could cause skin irritation.
Benefit
The most obvious benefit gained using nitrile gloves is that they can help prevent honey bee stings (or just make them less severe). This fact assumes that you are already going gloveless and not using thick leather gloves. Other benefits include being resistant to a number of chemicals, including those used in beekeeping. In addition, they provide good dexterity and a snug fit, allowing you to handle delicate frames and comb without crushing bees.
Wearing gloves made from nitrile can help protect you from being stung by an insect. The material is more resistant to chemicals than latex, plastic, or leather gloves, so it is less likely that the stinger will become embedded in your skin.
When inspecting hives with treatments on it is important to wear some protection as your skin will readily absorb any chemicals. Formic and oxalic acid can cause your skin to peel or worse.
Wearing gloves when doing an alcohol mite wash can help prevent your skin from drying out due to exposure to the alcohol. It is important to make sure that the gloves you choose are nitrile gloves, as they will provide the best protection for your hands.
Easy to clean
When working with bees, one of the most important things to consider is cleanliness. Gloves are a great way to keep your hands clean and protected from stings. One of my favorite reasons to use them is that clean up is easy and fast, and they are disposable so we don’t reuse them when visiting different beekeepers. This helps to ensure that we don’t spread any diseases between hives.
My hands are clean at the end of working in the yard. I don't need to wash the sticky off of them or pick the wax and propolis out of my fingernails.
If the nitrile gloves aren’t too dirty, you may be able to use them a second time. If they have touched any chemicals, you should dispose of them.
6 mil is best
The snugger the fit the better the dexterity.Many field specialists believe that snugly fitting 6 mil nitrile gloves are the best option. The reason for this is that a tight fit is important in order to avoid having space at the end of your fingers. This allows you to make more dexterous moves, such as picking up queens. The snugger the fit, the better the dexterity.
I have found that 6 mil gloves are the perfect thickness for me. Anything less than 6 mil seems to rip too easily. If they rip and you need to put on another pair it is difficult if your hands are sweaty (these gloves will make your hands sweat even if it is not that hot). I don't like the feel of thicker gloves, so 6 mil is perfect for me.
No black
Nitrile gloves usually come in purple, but sometimes they come in black. Make sure not to get black nitrile gloves for obvious reasons.
