I have had some allergic reactions this year and initially thought it was bee sting related but that was ruled out. Finally I think I have found the culprit to be propolis, obviously if I wear gloves etc this is not an issues but as you all know plenty of opportunities to come into contact with the stuff as a beekeeper. Just wondering if anyone else has issues, I get itchy red patches on my fingers with the skin becoming thin and sensitive, also if I though my face or worse still rub my eyes I’m in trouble.
B****r! Bad luck chap.
Only practical suggestions I can think of is to make sure your nitriles are the long cuff type and routinely double gloving in the event the outer pair split or tear.
If you have an unzippable suit fencing style hood, you could simply drop that over your head when cleaning frames etc to act as a physical stop in case you absent mindedly try and touch your face etc. Have at least two hive tools and have a plastic tub of strong washing soda to keep hive tool in to prevent build up.
Depending on how sensitive your allergy is, it might be worth always washing your beesuit on its own and keeping anything bee related in a dedicated “dirty area” rather than all over the shop like I do. Although none of us are fans of single use throwaway stuff nowadays, there may be an occasional role for a pack of disposable paper overalls to wear when extracting etc. Take particular care when taking your kit off (oooer!) that your outer gloves come off first and your inner gloves come off last.
You never know Woodgatherer, you could turn this to your advantage as a great reason to become a tidy, organised, clean and bio secure beekeeper Best of luck chap