240 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 



is imminent, supers are filled with such 

 sections as they are found during the 

 removal of honey and placed beneath 

 colonies engaged in finishing, when work 

 is resumed with vigor and dispatch. 



Frames containing a small patch of 

 brood will attract the bees above much 

 sooner than will baits of empty comb, 

 and, unless left upon the hive throughout 

 the season, will not discolor the honey 

 in adjoining sections. 



Theoretically, such baits should ac- 

 centuate the aptitude for the storage of 

 pollen and darken the cappings of combs 

 in proximity; but in actual practice, we 

 have yet to encounter the first instance 

 of pollen in appreciable quantities, or the 

 least marring of adjoining cappings, 



unless the sections have been too long 

 left upon the hive. 



LITTLE THINGS THAT COUNT. 



Undoubtedly the most annoying and 

 aggravating situation imaginable, is that 

 of having a lot of new and accurately 

 constructed hive-bodies, upon exposure 

 to the elements, begin warping and gap- 

 ing at first one corner and then at 

 another. Unless dovetailed, many such 

 corners will, in our climate, during a 

 single season, begin acting in this dis- 

 gusting and Satanic way. To overcome 

 this abominable tendency of square nailed 

 corners, many of my hive bodies are, as 

 shown in the picture, held firmly together 

 at the corners by small 2 x 4 tin clips. 

 Ft. Smith, Ark., April 9, 1910. 



^^-^^ 



Some Experience in the Use of a Cappings -Melter. 

 Removing Honey Without Bee Escapes. 



The following excellent article is from a Colorado subscriber who, for private reasons, does 

 not wish his name or postoflfice published.— Editor. 



& 



'DITOR Review: The difi'erent 

 articles in the Review, describing 

 the methods of taking off and 

 extracting honey, have been very good; 

 but as one method will not suit all, I will 

 describe the equipment and method three 

 of us used with a six-frame, power 

 machine. 



The uncapping box is just wide enough, 

 so that the ends of the frames will rest 

 on the sides of the uncapping box after 

 they are uncapped and waiting to go in 

 the extractor. The box is two feet long, 

 and the bottom is open except for a piece 

 of galvanized iron around the edges that 

 projects in about two inches so that the 

 cappings will not fall on the edge of the 

 melter, which is just below the uncap- 

 ping box. 



The cappings-melter is the same size 

 as the uncapping box, and is four inches 

 deep inside. It is a double tank, thei 



outer tank being six inches deep, 21 

 inches wide, and 24 inches long. The 

 inner tank is four inches deep, 17 inches 

 wide and 20 inches long; leaving a two- 

 inch water space all around. The open 

 space between the top edges of the two 

 tanks is covered, except a small hole for 

 filling with water; this cover keeps the 

 heat and steam from coming up in the 

 face of the person doing the uncapping. 

 The outlet is a tube leading from the 

 bottom of the inner tank out through the 

 side of the outer tank. This tube is 

 always open so that the honey and wax 

 can run out, as fast as melted, into an 

 Aikin honey and wax separator; the 

 honey running into a pail to be emptied 

 in the barrel with the rest of the honey, 

 and the wax into a tin mould. A screen 

 should be used inside the melter to hold 

 back the unmelted wax and refuse. This 

 ^screen is the full width of the melter and 



