Hi really simple and silly question, I was looking to purchase a new Bee suit, however I noticed that in regards to the gloves Some are Yellow and some are white.
Does one colour have any advantage over the other? Is yellow or white better?
Well you can get suits in all colours of the rainbow including yellow. The bees were probably attacking the different texture (rough) band. They will go for dark colours though.
PS I have a lilac suit and a pink jacket.
I have bees going for my hair when I go up to look at my hives - it’s brown and they are wary of the darker colours - an older beek told me it’s because bears a brown - not sure how accurate that is but there have not been bears in the wild here for at least a century or more.
Flowers tend to be colourful and bees have vision that sees patterns and detects edges, they can also learn new patterns.
Personally I think it is movement near the hive entrance they detect - everything is seen as a predator wanting to rob them.
I use bare hands and sometimes yellow “marigold” type gloves or disposable opaque gloves
No No…
You should have clean gloves.
If you must wear leather gloves put nitriles on top and throw them away after each apiary visit.
I find milking gloves are quite good. They lie somewhere between nitriles and Marigolds in thickness and protection.
I don’t think there is any difference - I have pale grey gloves, but husband uses gloves that are bright yellow and green. I haven’t seen any difference in attempted sting rates. Flowers are different colours possibly attracting bees but bees don’t sting flowers.
As for wearing white - I think that’s a myth too. Most older bee keepers I know wear jeans and a checked shirt and maybe a veil. I’m inclined to agree with Valli that movement is move of an issue than colour. I think shampoo fragrance may also play a part in why they go for hair.
You are probably better to buy the gloves that fit best than worry about colour.
Very sound advice, given that alarm pheromone apparently smells faintly of bananas! I have never smelled much of it, and have never tried eating bananas before beekeeping, but now I never will!!!
yep mine are kind of dirty too. But I’m buying a better ventilated suit soon from Mann Lake and will probably go ahead and get a new pair of gloves as well. May as well be bright white for a couple of days.
Wow, bananas, I would never have thought bananas. I often have bananas ripening on the back veranda. Yesterday I was cleaning some frames near & box of bananas. A bee started buzzing me like it meant business. I wonder if it was the bananas. I have a little trick for when a bee starts buzzing me near the house, I let it follow me inside the house, then I go back outside again & lock the bee in the house. It doesn’t take long for the bee to forget about me & try to get out the window. That’s where she stays.
lol yes he does wear pink kitchen gloves at times. There are videos on You Tube with with him wearing pink gloves. I have never seen him in a dress though, that would be a sight Wilma