Thank you for not hating…I’m with you, everyone knows bees sting! They should be able to do what they want to do as long as it’s not illegal. Good grief. There needs to be more grace in this world and particularly in our country but I won’t get on that soap box. I always wear a hat with a veil because I got stung on the face once and once was enough! Usually wear gloves too and depending on what I’m doing i wear the jacket without the pants or just the hat and veil. Oh and thank you for picking up that piece of straw it was bugging me. :P
Someone handles bees the wrong way without protection gonna learn real quick. I don't want to be stung on the face so I always wear a hat and veil. Later in the summer when I know they're going to be more defensive, I'll wear the jacket too if I'm really digging in. Then I wear nitrile gloves to keep the sticky off my hands. The best protection for me has been good smoking when needed and handling frames carefully and gently, not smashing bees.
When working my hives 98 percent of the time I wear a bee jacket with hood, gloves, and heavy tan Carhartt pants. When observing the hives I wear my street clothes without a suit. Thanks for the wonderful videos. David. 8-)
Even in my 5th year here I still fully suit up, though in the summer we wear ice vests under our jackets. I react to stings enough that I want to prevent as many as possible, and I’m just more comfortable working the bees suited up.
I've seen this beekeeper several times on TicToc. I've been a beekeeper for a couple of years and I've read a lot of the research. I do what works for me and I'm assuming others will do the same. A lot of the beekeepers I follow wear a multiple of different coverings while working their bees. I say, if you don't like the way this woman works her bees then don't watch her.
I’ve seen the Texasbeekeeper, many people have shown her to me simply because I’ll save a bee in need. She’s the reason I found your channel. And why I’m interested in beekeeping myself. That being said she’s not lead me to believe it’s easy. I know there’s more to it, like what I see in your channel. Holy crap all the info you’ve shared for us. Thank you. I can say if I get stung it’s not because she gave me a false idea. Though I learn far more from you. I’m right on the border in Indiana, next to Illinois.
Ive worn darker t shirts before not really thinking about it. I have really long hair and def wear it up so no bees get tangled in my locks. I prefer not to wear gloves but i do wear a hat /veil most of the time. I love what you did here. Your such a good man. Live and let live. And i def agree with your point about staging. Its what most ppl do when shooting videos. There is so much darkness in our world already why add more anger and hate. I wish ppl put all the energy they put into "hating " on ppl into making the world better instead. Thank you for all the time you put into your videos. Your amazing
I wear a full beesuit, either poly cotton or vented. When I first started back in the early 80's the recommendation was always cotton because the static electricity may annoy the bees. The colour of the suits I wear are either olive green or tan. My first bees came from an observation hive, I only wore a veil, dark clothing and bare hands. I don't wear leather gloves instead I wear the industrial version of marigolds. There was beekeeping controversy when the Flow hive came out and the videos were showing people collecting honey without protective clothing. They took on board the criticisms and included beesuits in their deals.
I never where gloves and very rarely get stung unless I've been careless and inconsiderate of the bees. Gloves make a person awkward less considerate of the bees and more likely to hurt the bees. I usually wear a veil just because I don't want the distraction that a bee buzzing in my eyes can cause. I try not to use smoke as much as possible. Normally have the smoker handy and lit though.
I wear a full suit, boots and nitrial gloves. I have no desire to get stung. New allergies can begin at anytime in your life. I had a doctor describe it once like a bucket. You can put a drop in the bucket over and over but eventually it can spill over, that’s an allergic reaction. 🐝-Kirsten
1st comment, first year I wore jacket, hood and gloves until I understood my bees. After several inspections, I only wore glasses to protect my eyes. Only stung 5 times with no reaction hand and arm. Would always recommend protection until the you know your bees and the season.
Hi Dave! I typically wear nitrile gloves and lighter colored clothing to start (shorts and tshirt) especially if it’s just a honey super check. I add a veil when they start bumping me and zinging for my face. If they get even more aggressive, I’ll change into one of those disposable Tyvec painter suits (I do reuse though!). If I know they are grumpy or I have to tear into the entire hive, I’ll don the nuclear bee suit. I still try to keep using the nitrile gloves though and if stung, smoke the hand or change out the glove. I do really like wearing the Tyvec though - not as hot and I get the ones with hoods so bees can’t get at my hair. Best wishes! ❤️🐝🐝
Good stuff! I've seen that girl around and been sent clips of her since I became the token beekeeper friend. Had a similar reaction to a lot of them critics but as I tend to only put my hair up under a hat and tuck my shirt in to work my bees I couldn't fault her for any of it, lol.
I had allergies to the pine needles I was using in my smoker and my mentors one as well. I got laryngitis. Apparently it puts off a carbon that affected my vocal cords. I will now 3x mask when smoking.
My first swarm i caught i handled with no protection. They had nothing to protect and was calm. If they bounce once, i bounce away and suit up. You wont get shot by an army not protecting anything in peace time, but you wont go un-prepared to a base full of resources and thousands of troops. Just my little bit of experience. Still learning alot as a new beekeeper.
I just started keeping bees and it is an art AND science based hobby it seems. We are enjoying seeing our 2 hives develop. We are conservative with our approach to care of the bees, I wear the jacket, hat and veil. my wife and son also have suits and wear them. I go slowly and have a plan each week we check the bees. We all wear gloves and we discuss what we want to do. It is a group effort to make the comfort of the bees a priority. Our comfort is secondary to our safety in the handling. None of us are allergic to bees but we just have limited experience in handling bees. I welcome any advice and we have been documenting our progress on our UA-cam channel. Any advice is well taken and considered!
Jacket hood and gloves. Usually black scrubs and clogs after getting off work in the morning. I don't see any difference in the black scrubs and jeans. Appreciate what you do for the beekeeping community!!
I’m new too bee keeping. I’ve got two hives they both are nucs. One is booming and the other is doing well. I wear a hat and vail and no gloves. The only time I was stung was with gloves. Only been in the hives three times! I’ve ordered a vented jacket with hat and vail. I’ll wear that too give myself a little more protection. I’ve learned that the waggle dance is their way of communication. Where the food, water, and they give directions by pointing in a specific direction. Amazing bugs 🐝 I always use a smoker!
I have been beekeeping for just over a decade. 12 hives in my garden - these are good tempered, jacket with veil and long pants with boots is all that is needed for them. Not much smoke , just sit on the frames. No gloves. I get 1-2 stings per session mainly where I trap bees with my hands.. one hand has no feeling in thumb and half a finger due to an accident. I requeen any bad tempered hives. BUT: there are people I assist. Some of their bees are normally aggressive. Last Thursday I tried to inspect one: took off lid and six stings immediately. Bad tempered etc. So I just left them. I had only a jacket, veil and boots as protection. I will come back when weather is better with full protection , gloves, the lot. You cannot generalise about beekeeping protection. It depends on the bees, the weather, the food supply and whether they have a queen or not. If they are hungry, queenless or the weather is overcast and thunder is likely then they can become bad tempered. Bad tempered hives can become dangerous. The only rule is : be safe . And don't be afraid to stop, close down the hive and walk (or run) away. No shame in that.
I generally wear a bee jacket with a built in head screen, long (DARK) pants, and Nitrile gloves. Occasionally I will wear bee gloves when the temps are cooling down in fall. Nearly every sting I have received has been when I moved to fast and squished a bee. A couple of times I was stung for no apparent reason beyond a bee just got ornery.
Hi David- Sometimes I’m full suited, sometimes shorts and shirt- depends on what I’m doing and how the bees disposition are. But I always use a smoker. I spoke with my physician, although I am not currently allergic, I thought it prudent to have it on hand should anyone else is, or I become. He agreed and didn’t hesitate to prescribe the epi-pen. I feel better about jabbing myself or somebody else in the leg with the EpiPen as opposed to performing an emergency tracheotomy like MacGyver.
We are brand new beekeepers. We wear full suit with attached netting hood. We wear rubber gloves so far. We feel calm and confident like this and we don't have anything to prove to anyone, so as long as it makes us feel safe, we are free from anxiety, and can calmly do our work with the new bees. LOL, when first inspecting our bees, some family was driving by the house, and there we were in our full bee jump suits. Their kids were hanging out of the car windows pointing at us like we were Roswell aliens or something! Thanks again for your great common sense videos. We are waiting for your half price sale (since Covid job loss, etc.) on your full bee course so we can take it. We really appreciate all of your videos and give you thumbs up! ~Mary and Adam in NH
Always depends on the bees attitudes on what I wear that day. Hat and Vail are usually good and sometimes gloves but there are days where I need my whole coat.
I havent had bees for about 25 years, and wore suit, gloves hat and veil at that time. I plan on getting back into it later this year and will decide just what to wear at that time. Probably full suit, etc until I larn their composure.
Springtime - hat and veil only w/smoker. Summer jacket veil gloves & smoker. Summer they get mean as the flow stops. Fall - same as summer as we don’t get a lot of fall flow. The nicest bees get pretty excited if they get caught up on your hair. I always keep my hair covered. BYW - bears are on the move in North Ga.
I usually only wear a veil, T-shirt and shorts in the summer. If I know I might have a tougher time due to weather conditions or major hive disturbance, I will wear a jacket. If I get stung on my face, I will usually swell around my eyes so, I wear a veil. If I get stung on my hands, I hardly notice it.
Shorts scare me. I will never be brave enough to wear shorts. Once a bee crawls up my leg, past my knee, I'm calling in the navy seals to halt the advancement. 🚫
Hmmmm- per my research… the waggle dance itself produces vibrations in the 10-15 Hz range, however, the concurring wing vibrations which are interpreted by other honey bees via the Johnston organ are between 200-300 Hz. So, I’m going to guess 260 Hertz. ❤️🐝🐝
Good point on anaphylaxis. You never have a reaction the first time. Your mast cells have to produce the proper mediators to release to produce an anaphylactic reaction. I have mast cell activation syndrome. My body considers anything a possible reason to degranulate and release mediators. I can have anaphylaxis from the water hitting my skin in the shower. It is not fun. Never had my throat close, but the feeling of impending doom is a REAL symptom.
We always wear a hat and veil. Haven't needed gloves or suit yet, but they're always nearby if needed. In this hot weather, t-shirt and shorts until the bees tell me not to
I normally wear a veil and jacket but usually don't wear gloves. I am more careful with them and getting stung I believe is good for you. Sometimes a sting will swell like a balloon, sometimes it will barely turn red. The worst so far was a sting to the wrist and I swelled to my shoulder. But didn't have any serious reaction as far as tickling in the throat or breathing issues. I keep a pack of benedryl in the truck just in case.
This is my 50th year of keeping bees. If you are comfortable with bees you don't emit fear pheromones. That's how you get stung. I caught swarms with only a pair of shorts. If you open a hive on a nice day when they are busy be gentle and they will return the favor. I mow around my hive all the time. It's all about your your self confidence. I have been sting as a barefooted kid and many times as an adult. I do dress in white. Biggest thing is to not were loose clothing. I wear a hat so bees don't get caught in my hair. It's mostly common sense.
I always wear a head cover. When I started I was fully dressed. It was soon without the heavy gloves, but I use gloves (the nitril type) most of the time.
I often wear shorts and black tshirt when I'm alone. I don't wear a veil unless I'm moving bees or it's cloudy or overcast or they are being aggressive. Someone else's hive I wear a jacket because some are far more hot than others. Also I make any visitors wear one of my inspectors jackets. Also I would suit up if doing a cutout or messing with bees in something besides a normal hive.
Amen brother! My first time I went in without gloves like you but my bees didnt like it and swole my mittens for me!!! wear safety equipment until you are sure of your bees!!! And I wear a Jacket with hood and gloves!!!
I have not started beekeeping yet ,but I want to wear knights metal armor, whatever I can wear. More power to you all scooping bees with bare hands, no gloves, tank tops, shorts, crocks. No thanks 100% shields up Scotty.
Caught my swarm last summer off a job site I was working at, just scooped them up real easy and slow put them in a box. I have worked on heat pumps with wasps sitting on their nest watching me like a hawk.
I usually wear a beekeeping jacket and gloves most every time. I do walk around the hives all the time with no gear. I also keep a vail in the truck just in case.
I'm new and I like barehanded handling. But as I've heard the bees get worse in the fall when they want to defend their food. I have jacket and hat with veil and I have my gloves and I'm sure I'm gonna wear all my stuff if I hear that they are agitated. I also always start a smoker though I don't always need to smoke them. So far I'm not allergic but I don't want to risk developing an allergy. FYI if you buy a colored veil you won't be able to use it. Made the mistake of buying a raspberry colored hat and veil: FAIL. Make sure your veil is black.
I'm a rookie...one year. I wear everything while in the hive. Just to stroll out and watch from a few feet away, whatever I happen to have on. Sometimes it's just shorts and flipflops.
When I'm working with my bees, I wear a hat like yours. If I'm doing a big job, I wear the pull-up baggy pants also because jeans seem to be kind of tight and easy to sting through and a pullover jacket with hat and Veil
I wear a jacket with a veil and gloves. Even if bees are gentle, accidents can happen, (ie drop or knock into/over something accidently) better to be prepared than sorry.
Usually just wear a veil with T-shirt and shorts, full beesuit in July because of the dearth and Yellow Jackets. Nitrile gloves for biosecurity between hive inspections.
For me I normally wear a jacket with a veil and nitrile gloves, sometimes shorts and sometimes pants but I have caught some swarms that i have to wear bee gloves
I am preparing to start my beekeeping journey, and intend to start with a suit and gloves. Later on, I hope to have the confidence and know-how and knowledge of my hives to not wear gloves. I think if I start out taking all precautions then later when I don’t need to, I will be prepared to use as required if circumstances necessitate.
As a new bee keeper myself I wear a bee suit and gloves most of the time. However, I believe its purely down to the individual how comfortable and how experienced they are in beekeeping to whether they should wear protective clothing. I think everybody is aware that bees can sting and some people have an allergic reaction to bee stings.
Bee genetics play a big role. I've heard horror stories about colonies you couldn't even get close to, much less mess with without getting tore up. I've even noticed with my 4 colonies, all the same variety of bee, that one colony is noticeably easier to aggravate than the other three.
Here in NW FL when working my bees I wear shorts & t-shirt and usually a veil. If collecting a swarm shorts & t-shirt and most often get away without the veil. I don't do cutouts.
I wear gloves to keep the sticky off whether nitrile or leather. Always a hat. I have other stuff to do after bees so a sting by my eye is not going to work. I dont swell much at all if I take a sting but who wants that and the itching day two
I tend to wear a full suit and gloves. I think the first thing I would abandon/change with more experience is different gloves so that I have more dexterity.
Depends on the day, during a heavy flow and a really warm day you can almost bet you will see me in nothing but the clothes I have on that day, a very cloudy day I will put my jacket on but if I open the hive up and they do not come at me it comes off. There is days where I have to wear it during the inspections for sure, but in my area there is pretty much a constant flow the entire summer as long as we have moisture. Alfalfa blooms here on a monthly basis the farmer always let's it bloom for a week before cutting, where alfalfa makes great hunny I do not think the pollen Is that great for the bees. I also now and weed around my hives with no issue, well the other day they started bouncing off me but good thing with a zero turn that goes 12 mph is you can run hahaha.
Full opening - jacket hood gloves smoke spray bottle. For a peek, I pop the top without protection, or just gloves and ski goggles, and use the spray bottle
It was great hearing your thoughts on the recent influencer drama. I guess not even the bee community is immune. As for the question, I think the answer is 150-500 Hz.
@@beek That’s true and it’s very unfortunate. This is my first year beekeeping and I’ve found it so refreshing that everyone is nice and eager to help for no reason other than just wanting everyone to succeed. I guess I deluded myself a little.
I don’t understand why everyone has chosen to attack the Texas beekeeper, barnyard bees and the fat bee man have posted videos for years without even a veil. Must be something more to this
They are mad that a pretty blonde is getting all the attention. Some people have showed me her videos and I tell them swarms are gentle you can pick them up with your hands. The reason she is getting articles is because she is a pretty lady. That is odd to the world to see a pretty woman beekeeper.
265 Hz is the frequency you are looking for. (Towne 1994). This sensory system, which is sensitive to air vibrations up to about 500 Hz, is well suited to detect the 200-300 Hz sounds produced by dancing bees (Kirchner et al.Feb 22, 2016 J Comp Neurol . 2009 Jul 10;515(2):145-60. doi: 10.1002/cne.22042. Response characteristics of vibration-sensitive interneurons related to Johnston's organ in the honeybee, Apis mellifera Hiroyuki Ai 1, Jürgen Rybak, Randolf Menzel, Tsunao Itoh Affiliations expand PMID: 19412925 DOI: 10.1002/cne.22042 Although the vibration usually induced on-off phasic excitation in DL-Int-1, vibration applied immediately after odor stimulation induced tonic inhibition in it. DL-Int-2 responded to vibration stimuli applied to the JO by a tonic burst and were most sensitive to 265 Hz vibration, which is coincident with the strongest frequency of airborne vibrations arising during the waggle dance
"Staging the scene" reminds me of the mechanics working on rusty cars who never seem to come across a stuck bolt or nut. It's for the benefit of the viewer to keep the video flowing!
I'm using a ventilated jacket with a vale and using rubber gloves. It's not because of my bee's but I have my hives in our club area where it is 30-40 big hives. They detect sound up to 500 Hz.
Good point. Sometimes with hives in the same yard, you can be working one hive and it is calm, but a few bees that are defensive from another hive flies over and gets the hive you are working all riled up.
Last year 2022, I had a hornet swarm move into an empty hive box, when I nugged the box the yellow face hornets came out, it wasn't the swelling but the pain of about a dozen hornet stings that caused me to get lightheaded and I had to call 911 and take a trip to the ER. My hand was so sensitive to touch I could not stand any pressure on my right hand. The staff insisted they needed to put an ice pack on it.
According to Clarence Collison, in Bee Culture, Honeybees are sensitive to low-intensity stimuli of 265-350 Hz from the Johnston organ in the second segment of their antennae.
Clarence Collison is my beekeeping hero. He was the Academic adviser to the Master Beekeeper program when I was certified. Everything he has written is amazing.
David, I am a new beekeeper i started my packages in late april, i wear a full ventilated suit, leather gloves, i don't use smoke just simple syrup at this time, they are still in a small growth period but i figure around september i will start using smoke.
I was waring a pink shirt while I was out messing with my bees yesterday, and got a lot more attention than I normally do. Not necessarily bad attention, but a lot more. I normally wear nitrate gloves, and a hat that has a veil when I go inside the hive. Most the time I’m in shorts and a t-shirt. I like the nitrate gloves because my girls make a lot of porpoises and if I don’t my hands get sticky and I look like a chain smoker lol
@@beek Don't accept any edited responses for the 'first" contest... That is a way to scam the contest. Put a random comment to be 'first' then put the real answer in after.
I wear a bee suit when working bees, especially in late summer/fall when they are very defensive. I get a pretty bad reaction to stings, so I am careful. New beekeepers beware! You shouldn't learn everything from sensational social media- take several courses from a master beekeeper using proven methods (like David's courses- they are all good). You can experiment later once you are more experienced.
People with latex allergies may become ill or experience stomach upset from banana, avocado, mango, papaya ...I walk with an emergency Benadryl. My dentist was unaware also and changed so many things in his office after I told him. No bandaids, rubber gloves, rubber bands...
My general rule with video recordings; if something looks spurious, I don't trust it to be genuine. Even if it looks legit, a healthy dose of skepticism isn't unreasonable.
Veil and sometimes gloves, usually. If they're riled up, or I'm going to rile them up, then a full suit is necessary. They hear at about 500 Hz in the air, I believe
If its sunny outside, I just wear shorts and tshirt. Barefoot. If its overcast, I will use lots of smoke OR put on my jacket and veil. Last week I really needed to get into my hives, but there were no sunny days in the forecast, so I put on jeans and shoes and my jacket and veil and worked them even with light sprinkle. If I'm gonna be shaking frames of bees or something that drastic, I'm gonna be wearing my jacket and veil. I never wear gloves.
I usually visit the hives in my regular clothes with no hat/veil. If I am to touch the hive at all, I wear jacket, hat, and veil. One day, a few months into my beekeeping this year, one of my bees got caught in my short hair. It was exactly as Mr. Burns said... I thought she was trying to kill me and she thought I was trying to kill her. Sadly, she stung my hairline and lost her life. I was really sad about the whole thing.
30 year hobby beekeeper, 10 hives, retired from work. I visit my hives every day, I know my bees. I never wear a suit, never wear gloves, and most of the time never wear a viel, never suggest a new beekeeper do this. Yep, you can do this if you know your bees. Getting them out of a house or a tree is another story. And yep, I get stung, all the time.
I wear a full ventilated suit. I only keep a couple of hives though so I just bear the heat for an hour every couple of weeks and I try to pick cooler days. I hear that getting stung occasionally rather than frequently can result in a development of an allergy, but I have never heard anyone quote actual numbers. is there a recommendation for how many times someone should get stung in order to prevent developing an allergy?
To start out im new to bee keeping when I get my first hive going im going to be wearing pants long sleeve hat and veil and gloves at a minimum! I haven't been stung probably a decade... I don't know what it would do so that's why I have that as my minimum...
I always have a veil, but the rest of it completely depends on what I'm doing, how long I'm going to be messing with them, what time of day it is, what the weather is like, and which colony I'm in.
Well I suit up completely ! I don't like getting stung. But cutting grass I'm in shorts and t-shirts and yes I've been stung a few times! But the Hive was bumped by lawen mower and there was some critters visiting at night. So I moved the hive up 18 in. that ended the problems.
I start out every inspection without any protection on but have it next to me in a bucket and will put them on if bees start bumping me..I've only put vail on once this year but I wasn't using smoke at that time
I think one of the primary concerns that didn't make it into your response here is Africanized bees. Erika is in Texas, and the original observer is in southern California. There's a risk there that should be recognized, and people talking about "know your bees" - that's the point. You don't know a swarm unless you know it 100% came from your colonies. PPE: people have heir own preferences on that, and I think the original observer's intention was to point out that it can be misleading for people who don't know anything about bees and raise a potential risk for them that they think removing swarms or doing cutouts can be done like i is represented in these videos. The other issue, regarding staging: some of Erika's videos can be misleading in what they present to people when all the prep work is done. Someone who goes in, no PPE, with a sawzall to open up a wall is going to get a rather unpleasant surprise when they pull open that section and bees come boiling out. The shed floor, for instance, doesn't really show anything other than her pulling up the floor - no smoke (or sugar water, depending on the beek's preferences), no use of PPE when opening it, etc.. Which is fine. However people want to stage things is their business. But someone who doesn't know bees might think that's normal, and maybe they don't try to do any removal themselves, but have a beekeeper do it, and then start peppering the beek with questions about why they're not doing it barehanded like they "saw in this video of this gal removing bees". Or worse, maybe they do try to do it themselves like they saw in that video, and discover some unpleasantness. I think, however, we can all agree that acting like you "just happened" to have a mated, caged queen in your pocket on a swarm call (like the umbrella swarm vid) is absolute silliness and taking staging WAY too far.
I am a first-year keeper and wear a ventilated jacket and gloves. I do this as a precaution, and as I get more comfortable, I may not wear as much, we shall see. Both of my hives can be gentle, and I can get within a couple of inches of the hives without PPE on. However yesterday I was watching them as they bearded, and I guess one of them didn't like me being around 5 feet away and one of the girls got me on the forearm. When it comes to Ms. Thomas, (and any other beekeeper that is) can wear whatever they want. I do enjoy watching her videos, and her comfort level while working the bees helps boost my confidence, but that doesn't mean I'm going to find a swarm and work them without the gear I'm comfortable wearing. To each, their own. Thank you for playing devil's advocate, I enjoy your content and the educational spin you put on all of your videos, you did the exact same thing here. Bravo!
I too sometimes don't wear any equipment, however most of the time I do wear a cheap veil. During times when I have to get into the hive at less than optimal times or conditions, I do have a full ventilated jacket and gloves. Basically I dress appropriately for the conditions. To answer your question, I believe the frequency response of the Johnston's organ is up to 500Hz* * McNeil, M.E.A. 2015. Sounds of the hive Part 1. Am. Bee J. 155(9): 985-989
Thank you for not hating…I’m with you, everyone knows bees sting! They should be able to do what they want to do as long as it’s not illegal. Good grief. There needs to be more grace in this world and particularly in our country but I won’t get on that soap box. I always wear a hat with a veil because I got stung on the face once and once was enough! Usually wear gloves too and depending on what I’m doing i wear the jacket without the pants or just the hat and veil. Oh and thank you for picking up that piece of straw it was bugging me. :P
I got over confident with my hive early on but as they grew in size I learned a few lessons from stings
So true. It's like, "You use to be so nice, but now why do you hate me so much."
Someone handles bees the wrong way without protection gonna learn real quick.
I don't want to be stung on the face so I always wear a hat and veil. Later in the summer when I know they're going to be more defensive, I'll wear the jacket too if I'm really digging in. Then I wear nitrile gloves to keep the sticky off my hands. The best protection for me has been good smoking when needed and handling frames carefully and gently, not smashing bees.
When working my hives 98 percent of the time I wear a bee jacket with hood, gloves, and heavy tan Carhartt pants. When observing the hives I wear my street clothes without a suit. Thanks for the wonderful videos. David. 8-)
Even in my 5th year here I still fully suit up, though in the summer we wear ice vests under our jackets. I react to stings enough that I want to prevent as many as possible, and I’m just more comfortable working the bees suited up.
Great, stay to what makes you most comfortable.
Tell me about this ice vest please.
I need to get some ice packs
I've seen this beekeeper several times on TicToc. I've been a beekeeper for a couple of years and I've read a lot of the research. I do what works for me and I'm assuming others will do the same. A lot of the beekeepers I follow wear a multiple of different coverings while working their bees. I say, if you don't like the way this woman works her bees then don't watch her.
I’ve seen the Texasbeekeeper, many people have shown her to me simply because I’ll save a bee in need.
She’s the reason I found your channel. And why I’m interested in beekeeping myself.
That being said she’s not lead me to believe it’s easy. I know there’s more to it, like what I see in your channel. Holy crap all the info you’ve shared for us. Thank you. I can say if I get stung it’s not because she gave me a false idea. Though I learn far more from you.
I’m right on the border in Indiana, next to Illinois.
Ive worn darker t shirts before not really thinking about it. I have really long hair and def wear it up so no bees get tangled in my locks. I prefer not to wear gloves but i do wear a hat /veil most of the time. I love what you did here. Your such a good man. Live and let live. And i def agree with your point about staging. Its what most ppl do when shooting videos. There is so much darkness in our world already why add more anger and hate. I wish ppl put all the energy they put into "hating " on ppl into making the world better instead. Thank you for all the time you put into your videos. Your amazing
I am fully covered as I'm one of those whose allergic and carry epipen with me. I won't let allergies slow me down. Just take precautions.
I wear a full beesuit, either poly cotton or vented. When I first started back in the early 80's the recommendation was always cotton because the static electricity may annoy the bees. The colour of the suits I wear are either olive green or tan. My first bees came from an observation hive, I only wore a veil, dark clothing and bare hands. I don't wear leather gloves instead I wear the industrial version of marigolds. There was beekeeping controversy when the Flow hive came out and the videos were showing people collecting honey without protective clothing. They took on board the criticisms and included beesuits in their deals.
I never where gloves and very rarely get stung unless I've been careless and inconsiderate of the bees. Gloves make a person awkward less considerate of the bees and more likely to hurt the bees. I usually wear a veil just because I don't want the distraction that a bee buzzing in my eyes can cause. I try not to use smoke as much as possible. Normally have the smoker handy and lit though.
I wear a full suit, boots and nitrial gloves. I have no desire to get stung. New allergies can begin at anytime in your life. I had a doctor describe it once like a bucket. You can put a drop in the bucket over and over but eventually it can spill over, that’s an allergic reaction.
🐝-Kirsten
That's a good analogy.
1st comment, first year I wore jacket, hood and gloves until I understood my bees. After several inspections, I only wore glasses to protect my eyes. Only stung 5 times with no reaction hand and arm. Would always recommend protection until the you know your bees and the season.
Hi Dave! I typically wear nitrile gloves and lighter colored clothing to start (shorts and tshirt) especially if it’s just a honey super check. I add a veil when they start bumping me and zinging for my face. If they get even more aggressive, I’ll change into one of those disposable Tyvec painter suits (I do reuse though!). If I know they are grumpy or I have to tear into the entire hive, I’ll don the nuclear bee suit. I still try to keep using the nitrile gloves though and if stung, smoke the hand or change out the glove.
I do really like wearing the Tyvec though - not as hot and I get the ones with hoods so bees can’t get at my hair.
Best wishes! ❤️🐝🐝
That's a great plan. Thanks for sharing
Back yard beekeeper here. I always ware protective gear (veil and gloves.) I also try to hold my tongue. It saves me from adversity. Silence is gold.
Good stuff! I've seen that girl around and been sent clips of her since I became the token beekeeper friend. Had a similar reaction to a lot of them critics but as I tend to only put my hair up under a hat and tuck my shirt in to work my bees I couldn't fault her for any of it, lol.
Yup, a little disclaimer might help.
I had allergies to the pine needles I was using in my smoker and my mentors one as well. I got laryngitis. Apparently it puts off a carbon that affected my vocal cords. I will now 3x mask when smoking.
That's good to know. Wow.
My first swarm i caught i handled with no protection. They had nothing to protect and was calm. If they bounce once, i bounce away and suit up. You wont get shot by an army not protecting anything in peace time, but you wont go un-prepared to a base full of resources and thousands of troops. Just my little bit of experience. Still learning alot as a new beekeeper.
I just started keeping bees and it is an art AND science based hobby it seems. We are enjoying seeing our 2 hives develop. We are conservative with our approach to care of the bees, I wear the jacket, hat and veil. my wife and son also have suits and wear them. I go slowly and have a plan each week we check the bees. We all wear gloves and we discuss what we want to do. It is a group effort to make the comfort of the bees a priority. Our comfort is secondary to our safety in the handling. None of us are allergic to bees but we just have limited experience in handling bees. I welcome any advice and we have been documenting our progress on our UA-cam channel. Any advice is well taken and considered!
Jacket hood and gloves. Usually black scrubs and clogs after getting off work in the morning. I don't see any difference in the black scrubs and jeans. Appreciate what you do for the beekeeping community!!
Thank you!
I’m new too bee keeping. I’ve got two hives they both are nucs. One is booming and the other is doing well.
I wear a hat and vail and no gloves. The only time I was stung was with gloves. Only been in the hives three times!
I’ve ordered a vented jacket with hat and vail. I’ll wear that too give myself a little more protection.
I’ve learned that the waggle dance is their way of communication. Where the food, water, and they give directions by pointing in a specific direction. Amazing bugs 🐝 I always use a smoker!
I just wear a hat and veil, and I always use a smoker. Of course, this is my first year with a colony I started from a package, so it’s still growing.
John you are off to a great start. Thanks for sharing.
I have been beekeeping for just over a decade. 12 hives in my garden - these are good tempered, jacket with veil and long pants with boots is all that is needed for them. Not much smoke , just sit on the frames. No gloves.
I get 1-2 stings per session mainly where I trap bees with my hands.. one hand has no feeling in thumb and half a finger due to an accident. I requeen any bad tempered hives.
BUT: there are people I assist. Some of their bees are normally aggressive. Last Thursday I tried to inspect one: took off lid and six stings immediately. Bad tempered etc. So I just left them. I had only a jacket, veil and boots as protection. I will come back when weather is better with full protection , gloves, the lot.
You cannot generalise about beekeeping protection. It depends on the bees, the weather, the food supply and whether they have a queen or not. If they are hungry, queenless or the weather is overcast and thunder is likely then they can become bad tempered. Bad tempered hives can become dangerous.
The only rule is : be safe . And don't be afraid to stop, close down the hive and walk (or run) away. No shame in that.
I generally wear a bee jacket with a built in head screen, long (DARK) pants, and Nitrile gloves. Occasionally I will wear bee gloves when the temps are cooling down in fall.
Nearly every sting I have received has been when I moved to fast and squished a bee. A couple of times I was stung for no apparent reason beyond a bee just got ornery.
Hi David-
Sometimes I’m full suited, sometimes shorts and shirt- depends on what I’m doing and how the bees disposition are. But I always use a smoker.
I spoke with my physician, although I am not currently allergic, I thought it prudent to have it on hand should anyone else is, or I become. He agreed and didn’t hesitate to prescribe the epi-pen. I feel better about jabbing myself or somebody else in the leg with the EpiPen as opposed to performing an emergency tracheotomy like MacGyver.
yes, I agree...I haven't had my MacGyver training either....
We are brand new beekeepers. We wear full suit with attached netting hood. We wear rubber gloves so far. We feel calm and confident like this and we don't have anything to prove to anyone, so as long as it makes us feel safe, we are free from anxiety, and can calmly do our work with the new bees. LOL, when first inspecting our bees, some family was driving by the house, and there we were in our full bee jump suits. Their kids were hanging out of the car windows pointing at us like we were Roswell aliens or something! Thanks again for your great common sense videos. We are waiting for your half price sale (since Covid job loss, etc.) on your full bee course so we can take it. We really appreciate all of your videos and give you thumbs up! ~Mary and Adam in NH
Yesterday, i Had my first hive inspection without gloves....i felt like such a rebel!
Always depends on the bees attitudes on what I wear that day. Hat and Vail are usually good and sometimes gloves but there are days where I need my whole coat.
I havent had bees for about 25 years, and wore suit, gloves hat and veil at that time. I plan on getting back into it later this year and will decide just what to wear at that time. Probably full suit, etc until I larn their composure.
I wear a ventilated jacket and nitrile gloves. I’m a new bee keeper and protection helps me be calm and relaxed. I strive to be slow and gentle.
Springtime - hat and veil only w/smoker.
Summer jacket veil gloves & smoker. Summer they get mean as the flow stops.
Fall - same as summer as we don’t get a lot of fall flow.
The nicest bees get pretty excited if they get caught up on your hair. I always keep my hair covered.
BYW - bears are on the move in North Ga.
I usually only wear a veil, T-shirt and shorts in the summer. If I know I might have a tougher time due to weather conditions or major hive disturbance, I will wear a jacket. If I get stung on my face, I will usually swell around my eyes so, I wear a veil. If I get stung on my hands, I hardly notice it.
Shorts scare me. I will never be brave enough to wear shorts. Once a bee crawls up my leg, past my knee, I'm calling in the navy seals to halt the advancement. 🚫
Hmmmm- per my research… the waggle dance itself produces vibrations in the 10-15 Hz range, however, the concurring wing vibrations which are interpreted by other honey bees via the Johnston organ are between 200-300 Hz. So, I’m going to guess 260 Hertz. ❤️🐝🐝
Good point on anaphylaxis.
You never have a reaction the first time.
Your mast cells have to produce the proper mediators to release to produce an anaphylactic reaction.
I have mast cell activation syndrome. My body considers anything a possible reason to degranulate and release mediators.
I can have anaphylaxis from the water hitting my skin in the shower.
It is not fun.
Never had my throat close, but the feeling of impending doom is a REAL symptom.
We always wear a hat and veil. Haven't needed gloves or suit yet, but they're always nearby if needed. In this hot weather, t-shirt and shorts until the bees tell me not to
I normally wear a veil and jacket but usually don't wear gloves. I am more careful with them and getting stung I believe is good for you. Sometimes a sting will swell like a balloon, sometimes it will barely turn red. The worst so far was a sting to the wrist and I swelled to my shoulder. But didn't have any serious reaction as far as tickling in the throat or breathing issues. I keep a pack of benedryl in the truck just in case.
This is my 50th year of keeping bees. If you are comfortable with bees you don't emit fear pheromones. That's how you get stung. I caught swarms with only a pair of shorts. If you open a hive on a nice day when they are busy be gentle and they will return the favor. I mow around my hive all the time. It's all about your your self confidence. I have been sting as a barefooted kid and many times as an adult. I do dress in white. Biggest thing is to not were loose clothing. I wear a hat so bees don't get caught in my hair. It's mostly common sense.
I always wear a head cover. When I started I was fully dressed. It was soon without the heavy gloves, but I use gloves (the nitril type) most of the time.
I often wear shorts and black tshirt when I'm alone. I don't wear a veil unless I'm moving bees or it's cloudy or overcast or they are being aggressive.
Someone else's hive I wear a jacket because some are far more hot than others. Also I make any visitors wear one of my inspectors jackets.
Also I would suit up if doing a cutout or messing with bees in something besides a normal hive.
Amen brother! My first time I went in without gloves like you but my bees didnt like it and swole my mittens for me!!! wear safety equipment until you are sure of your bees!!! And I wear a Jacket with hood and gloves!!!
I have not started beekeeping yet ,but I want to wear knights metal armor, whatever I can wear. More power to you all scooping bees with bare hands, no gloves, tank tops, shorts, crocks. No thanks 100% shields up Scotty.
Whenever I go out to the bee yard, I always wear bee gloves, a hat, and vail. I am not allergic to bee stings but always wear protection.
Caught my swarm last summer off a job site I was working at, just scooped them up real easy and slow put them in a box. I have worked on heat pumps with wasps sitting on their nest watching me like a hawk.
I usually wear a beekeeping jacket and gloves most every time. I do walk around the hives all the time with no gear. I also keep a vail in the truck just in case.
I'm new and I like barehanded handling. But as I've heard the bees get worse in the fall when they want to defend their food. I have jacket and hat with veil and I have my gloves and I'm sure I'm gonna wear all my stuff if I hear that they are agitated. I also always start a smoker though I don't always need to smoke them.
So far I'm not allergic but I don't want to risk developing an allergy.
FYI if you buy a colored veil you won't be able to use it. Made the mistake of buying a raspberry colored hat and veil: FAIL. Make sure your veil is black.
I'm a rookie...one year. I wear everything while in the hive. Just to stroll out and watch from a few feet away, whatever I happen to have on. Sometimes it's just shorts and flipflops.
When I'm working with my bees, I wear a hat like yours. If I'm doing a big job, I wear the pull-up baggy pants also because jeans seem to be kind of tight and easy to sting through and a pullover jacket with hat and Veil
I wear a jacket with a veil and gloves. Even if bees are gentle, accidents can happen, (ie drop or knock into/over something accidently) better to be prepared than sorry.
Usually just wear a veil with T-shirt and shorts, full beesuit in July because of the dearth and Yellow Jackets. Nitrile gloves for biosecurity between hive inspections.
For me I normally wear a jacket with a veil and nitrile gloves, sometimes shorts and sometimes pants but I have caught some swarms that i have to wear bee gloves
I am preparing to start my beekeeping journey, and intend to start with a suit and gloves. Later on, I hope to have the confidence and know-how and knowledge of my hives to not wear gloves. I think if I start out taking all precautions then later when I don’t need to, I will be prepared to use as required if circumstances necessitate.
That sounds like a good approach!
As a new bee keeper myself I wear a bee suit and gloves most of the time. However, I believe its purely down to the individual how comfortable and how experienced they are in beekeeping to whether they should wear protective clothing.
I think everybody is aware that bees can sting and some people have an allergic reaction to bee stings.
Bee genetics play a big role. I've heard horror stories about colonies you couldn't even get close to, much less mess with without getting tore up.
I've even noticed with my 4 colonies, all the same variety of bee, that one colony is noticeably easier to aggravate than the other three.
You make good sense John. Common sense prevails.
I wear a protective jacket and veil and gloves... always
Bravo
Just a veil if I'm doing a basic inspection. If I pulling the hives apart, then I put the suit on. No pants...once in a while gloves.
I wore a jacket and gloves yesterday BUT it was just too hot. Took it all off and just my cowboy hat/veil and black shirt 😃
Here in NW FL when working my bees I wear shorts & t-shirt and usually a veil. If collecting a swarm shorts & t-shirt and most often get away without the veil. I don't do cutouts.
Good to know!
I wear gloves to keep the sticky off whether nitrile or leather. Always a hat. I have other stuff to do after bees so a sting by my eye is not going to work. I dont swell much at all if I take a sting but who wants that and the itching day two
I wear a full suit (jumpsuit with built in veil) when I work my hives. It makes me feel confident, and I think that affects the bees.
Oh that is a good point, the better protected we are the more confident we are while we are doing our inspections.
I tend to wear a full suit and gloves. I think the first thing I would abandon/change with more experience is different gloves so that I have more dexterity.
Oh I know, when I set the frame back into the hive, my gloves always gets stuck under the frame. So annoying.
Depends on the day, during a heavy flow and a really warm day you can almost bet you will see me in nothing but the clothes I have on that day, a very cloudy day I will put my jacket on but if I open the hive up and they do not come at me it comes off. There is days where I have to wear it during the inspections for sure, but in my area there is pretty much a constant flow the entire summer as long as we have moisture. Alfalfa blooms here on a monthly basis the farmer always let's it bloom for a week before cutting, where alfalfa makes great hunny I do not think the pollen Is that great for the bees. I also now and weed around my hives with no issue, well the other day they started bouncing off me but good thing with a zero turn that goes 12 mph is you can run hahaha.
Full opening - jacket hood gloves smoke spray bottle.
For a peek, I pop the top without protection, or just gloves and ski goggles, and use the spray bottle
Ski goggles. That's awesome.
Suit, gloves, and veil
I use a complete suit when dealing with brood box.
Veil and gloves the rest of the time.
Spring and summer shorts with a bee
jacket. In late summer and fall full bee suit
It was great hearing your thoughts on the recent influencer drama. I guess not even the bee community is immune. As for the question, I think the answer is 150-500 Hz.
You want to see bee drama, check out the comment section of any FloHive video. Lots of obnoxious people on both sides.
Drama is everywhere.
@@beek That’s true and it’s very unfortunate. This is my first year beekeeping and I’ve found it so refreshing that everyone is nice and eager to help for no reason other than just wanting everyone to succeed. I guess I deluded myself a little.
I don’t understand why everyone has chosen to attack the Texas beekeeper, barnyard bees and the fat bee man have posted videos for years without even a veil. Must be something more to this
They are working with their own bee;s and explain a swarm coming into their apiary is full of honey and looking for a home, look like calm bees
They are mad that a pretty blonde is getting all the attention.
Some people have showed me her videos and I tell them swarms are gentle you can pick them up with your hands. The reason she is getting articles is because she is a pretty lady. That is odd to the world to see a pretty woman beekeeper.
Every adult should make their own decision... Armchair quarterbacking/beekeeping is silly.
I choose to ware a veil when I dig into a hive.
265 Hz is the frequency you are looking for.
(Towne 1994). This sensory system, which is sensitive to air vibrations up to about 500 Hz, is well suited to detect the 200-300 Hz sounds produced by dancing bees (Kirchner et al.Feb 22, 2016
J Comp Neurol
. 2009 Jul 10;515(2):145-60. doi: 10.1002/cne.22042.
Response characteristics of vibration-sensitive interneurons related to Johnston's organ in the honeybee, Apis mellifera
Hiroyuki Ai 1, Jürgen Rybak, Randolf Menzel, Tsunao Itoh
Affiliations expand
PMID: 19412925 DOI: 10.1002/cne.22042
Although the vibration usually induced on-off phasic excitation in DL-Int-1, vibration applied immediately after odor stimulation induced tonic inhibition in it. DL-Int-2 responded to vibration stimuli applied to the JO by a tonic burst and were most sensitive to 265 Hz vibration, which is coincident with the strongest frequency of airborne vibrations arising during the waggle dance
"Staging the scene" reminds me of the mechanics working on rusty cars who never seem to come across a stuck bolt or nut. It's for the benefit of the viewer to keep the video flowing!
I work barehanded, wearing a veil. Sometimes I’ll wear a cutoff shirt when it’s really hot, don’t mind getting stung anywhere, just not the face.
I'm using a ventilated jacket with a vale and using rubber gloves. It's not because of my bee's but I have my hives in our club area where it is 30-40 big hives. They detect sound up to 500 Hz.
Good point. Sometimes with hives in the same yard, you can be working one hive and it is calm, but a few bees that are defensive from another hive flies over and gets the hive you are working all riled up.
Last year 2022, I had a hornet swarm move into an empty hive box, when I nugged the box the yellow face hornets came out, it wasn't the swelling but the pain of about a dozen hornet stings that caused me to get lightheaded and I had to call 911 and take a trip to the ER. My hand was so sensitive to touch I could not stand any pressure on my right hand. The staff insisted they needed to put an ice pack on it.
According to Clarence Collison, in Bee Culture, Honeybees are sensitive to low-intensity stimuli of 265-350 Hz from the Johnston organ in the second segment of their antennae.
Clarence Collison is my beekeeping hero. He was the Academic adviser to the Master Beekeeper program when I was certified. Everything he has written is amazing.
I wear Hat and veil most times and gloves sometimes. I have been stung sometimes but not much
Sounds like the majority of us 😉
David, I am a new beekeeper i started my packages in late april, i wear a full ventilated suit, leather gloves, i don't use smoke just simple syrup at this time, they are still in a small growth period but i figure around september i will start using smoke.
Yup, just know what you need to do and wear to be safe.
I was waring a pink shirt while I was out messing with my bees yesterday, and got a lot more attention than I normally do. Not necessarily bad attention, but a lot more.
I normally wear nitrate gloves, and a hat that has a veil when I go inside the hive.
Most the time I’m in shorts and a t-shirt.
I like the nitrate gloves because my girls make a lot of porpoises and if I don’t my hands get sticky and I look like a chain smoker lol
I wear long sleeve, veil and rubber gloves. I don't use smoker all the time.
After getting stung in the face last year... lesson learned :-)
I'm the opposite. I ALWAYS use a smoker.
@@beek Don't accept any edited responses for the 'first" contest... That is a way to scam the contest. Put a random comment to be 'first' then put the real answer in after.
I wear a bee suit when working bees, especially in late summer/fall when they are very defensive. I get a pretty bad reaction to stings, so I am careful. New beekeepers beware! You shouldn't learn everything from sensational social media- take several courses from a master beekeeper using proven methods (like David's courses- they are all good). You can experiment later once you are more experienced.
People with latex allergies may become ill or experience stomach upset from banana, avocado, mango, papaya ...I walk with an emergency Benadryl. My dentist was unaware also and changed so many things in his office after I told him. No bandaids, rubber gloves, rubber bands...
My general rule with video recordings; if something looks spurious, I don't trust it to be genuine. Even if it looks legit, a healthy dose of skepticism isn't unreasonable.
You kinda got some wisdom going on there my friend.
Veil and sometimes gloves, usually. If they're riled up, or I'm going to rile them up, then a full suit is necessary.
They hear at about 500 Hz in the air, I believe
Yuppers, we have to learn to read their attitude.
If its sunny outside, I just wear shorts and tshirt. Barefoot.
If its overcast, I will use lots of smoke OR put on my jacket and veil.
Last week I really needed to get into my hives, but there were no sunny days in the forecast, so I put on jeans and shoes and my jacket and veil and worked them even with light sprinkle.
If I'm gonna be shaking frames of bees or something that drastic, I'm gonna be wearing my jacket and veil.
I never wear gloves.
I usually visit the hives in my regular clothes with no hat/veil. If I am to touch the hive at all, I wear jacket, hat, and veil. One day, a few months into my beekeeping this year, one of my bees got caught in my short hair. It was exactly as Mr. Burns said... I thought she was trying to kill me and she thought I was trying to kill her. Sadly, she stung my hairline and lost her life. I was really sad about the whole thing.
30 year hobby beekeeper, 10 hives, retired from work. I visit my hives every day, I know my bees. I never wear a suit, never wear gloves, and most of the time never wear a viel, never suggest a new beekeeper do this. Yep, you can do this if you know your bees. Getting them out of a house or a tree is another story. And yep, I get stung, all the time.
Question: why do the old timers ring a bell when catching a swarm? Thanks
We used to think that by banging a pan it would attract the swarm to settle down. Same myth I guess.
Just hat when small hives and normal inspection. Gloves and suit when harvest.
cool
@@beek thank you. Great videos 👍.
This video had me rolling. Good one. I didn’t see any statistics on cars falling off a hoist. I think it’s 1 for every 43 trillion.
Exactly!!
I wear a full ventilated suit. I only keep a couple of hives though so I just bear the heat for an hour every couple of weeks and I try to pick cooler days. I hear that getting stung occasionally rather than frequently can result in a development of an allergy, but I have never heard anyone quote actual numbers. is there a recommendation for how many times someone should get stung in order to prevent developing an allergy?
Usually just a veil. sometimes also washing up gloves if the swarm I am collecting is a bit stingy.
Indeed
To start out im new to bee keeping when I get my first hive going im going to be wearing pants long sleeve hat and veil and gloves at a minimum! I haven't been stung probably a decade... I don't know what it would do so that's why I have that as my minimum...
Thanks again for the chat and info yesterday. My answer/ guess is 500 hz. Always an informative video, can’t wait for the next one.
So nice meeting you. I've got the footage coming up in a new video soon. Thanks for stopping in.
I always have a veil, but the rest of it completely depends on what I'm doing, how long I'm going to be messing with them, what time of day it is, what the weather is like, and which colony I'm in.
I wear full gear, since I am new to bees I still working on getting constable with them. My girls
*Not As Easy As It Looks* 👍🇺🇸🐝
First year beekeeper here and I wear a vented jacket/veil and gloves along with long pants.
Nothing between your pants and shoes? I've never had an issue much there unless I'm squadding the my socks are exposed.
I always wear my suit, that gives me ease of mind. In case some thing goes wrong. I’m not scared just don’t like getting stung.
I wear a veil and gloves every time. I also wear a thick flannel shirt most of the time, second year beekeeper!
Absolutely. Good to hear. Do you wear bee gloves are work gloves?
@@beek bee gloves! I want to try rubber gloves to see if I can do it with them, regular bee gloves are HOT!!!!
Well I suit up completely ! I don't like getting stung. But cutting grass I'm in shorts and t-shirts and yes I've been stung a few times! But the Hive was bumped by lawen mower and there was some critters visiting at night. So I moved the hive up 18 in. that ended the problems.
I start out every inspection without any protection on but have it next to me in a bucket and will put them on if bees start bumping me..I've only put vail on once this year but I wasn't using smoke at that time
I think one of the primary concerns that didn't make it into your response here is Africanized bees. Erika is in Texas, and the original observer is in southern California. There's a risk there that should be recognized, and people talking about "know your bees" - that's the point. You don't know a swarm unless you know it 100% came from your colonies.
PPE: people have heir own preferences on that, and I think the original observer's intention was to point out that it can be misleading for people who don't know anything about bees and raise a potential risk for them that they think removing swarms or doing cutouts can be done like i is represented in these videos.
The other issue, regarding staging: some of Erika's videos can be misleading in what they present to people when all the prep work is done. Someone who goes in, no PPE, with a sawzall to open up a wall is going to get a rather unpleasant surprise when they pull open that section and bees come boiling out. The shed floor, for instance, doesn't really show anything other than her pulling up the floor - no smoke (or sugar water, depending on the beek's preferences), no use of PPE when opening it, etc.. Which is fine. However people want to stage things is their business. But someone who doesn't know bees might think that's normal, and maybe they don't try to do any removal themselves, but have a beekeeper do it, and then start peppering the beek with questions about why they're not doing it barehanded like they "saw in this video of this gal removing bees". Or worse, maybe they do try to do it themselves like they saw in that video, and discover some unpleasantness.
I think, however, we can all agree that acting like you "just happened" to have a mated, caged queen in your pocket on a swarm call (like the umbrella swarm vid) is absolute silliness and taking staging WAY too far.
I am a first-year keeper and wear a ventilated jacket and gloves. I do this as a precaution, and as I get more comfortable, I may not wear as much, we shall see. Both of my hives can be gentle, and I can get within a couple of inches of the hives without PPE on. However yesterday I was watching them as they bearded, and I guess one of them didn't like me being around 5 feet away and one of the girls got me on the forearm.
When it comes to Ms. Thomas, (and any other beekeeper that is) can wear whatever they want. I do enjoy watching her videos, and her comfort level while working the bees helps boost my confidence, but that doesn't mean I'm going to find a swarm and work them without the gear I'm comfortable wearing. To each, their own. Thank you for playing devil's advocate, I enjoy your content and the educational spin you put on all of your videos, you did the exact same thing here. Bravo!
I too sometimes don't wear any equipment, however most of the time I do wear a cheap veil. During times when I have to get into the hive at less than optimal times or conditions, I do have a full ventilated jacket and gloves. Basically I dress appropriately for the conditions.
To answer your question, I believe the frequency response of the Johnston's organ is up to 500Hz*
* McNeil, M.E.A. 2015. Sounds of the hive Part 1. Am. Bee J. 155(9): 985-989