No. 6. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 371 



not considered necessary to have one under a super for comb-boney. 

 If the sections contain full ©beets of foundation, tbe queen will very 

 rarely go up to deposit eggs in tbem. 



Some say tbey can dispense with excluders under extracting-supers 

 by baving very tbick extracting combs. In tbe brood-cbamber tbe 

 frames are spaced about one and tbree-eigbtbs incbes from center 

 to center, and tbis same spacing is generally used in tbe extracting- 

 cbamber. If, bowever, a ©mailer number of combs be used in tbe 

 extracting-super, and tbey are spaced one and five-eigbtbs incbes or 

 more from center to center, tbe cells will be too deep to rear brood 

 in, and tbe queen will not lay in tbem. 



EXTRACTING HONEY. 



A boney extractor, costing somewbere in tbe neigbborbood of ten 

 dollars, is a macbine so constructed tbat tbe combs filled witb boney 

 may be put into tbe comb baskets, wben tbey are wbirled rapidly 

 around in tbe tin cylinder, and tbe rapid motion causes tbe bon.ey 

 to fly out of tbe cells by centrifugal force, on tbe same principle 

 tbat mud is tbrown from tbe wbeels of a vebicle wben tbe wbeels 

 are in rapid motion. 



Do not extract from a comb until it is sealed, or at least tbree- 

 fourtbs sealed. Otberwise you will bave tbin, watery stuff, and in a 

 little wbile your folks will say tbey do not care for boney. Unless 

 you bave bad considerable experience, you will do well not to do any 

 extracting except wben tbe bees are busy gathering. They will 

 then be good natured, and not inclined to sting or rob. 



Give a little smoke, take out tbe comb to be extracted, shake off 

 most of tbe bees and brush off the remainder, putting the comb into 

 an empty super brought for tbe purpose. You can take tbe combs 

 from each hive, empty the honey out of them, then put the combs 

 back into the same super; but if you have several colonies it will be 

 more convenient to operate differently. After extracting the first set 

 of combs, take them to tbe second colony and exchange tbem for 

 tbe full combs of the second colony, thus replacing each full set re 

 moved witb tbe set you bave just extracted. Wben tbe last set is 

 extracted, it may be returned to the first colony. 



Before putting the combs in the extractor the cappings must be 

 shaved off, and for tbis purpose you need an uncapping-knife, made 

 specially for the purpose, although you may use a common table-knife 

 after a fashion. Some think it advisable to bave a dish of hot 

 water in which to warm the uncapping-knife, but with a sharp knife 

 it is hardly necessary. 



Some nice honey may be drained from tbe cappings through a 

 colander. Then tbe cappings may be given to tbe bees to clean up 



