Wow, as a new beekeeper this is something I didn't want to read. I have a suit, gloves and veil. For sure now I will never work bees without them. I watch beekeepers in videos handling bees in shorts, no gloves, no veil. I can't imagine being stung so many times at once especially in the face near the eyes. As a kid I can remember stepping barefoot into yellow jacket nests in the ground at least 2x a summer and screaming while running all the way home. That was hell as a kid. But even as a grown up kid now getting stung like that, Eeeek!!