560 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



May 1 



the cappings is not affected as to its quality, 

 because it quickly passes over the heated 

 surface that melts the wax and both run into 

 a receptacle where they cool. It is well 

 known that a quick heating of honey, even 

 though the temperature be raised above the 

 melting-point of wax, 145 degrees, to pre- 

 vent granulation for bottling purposes, does 

 not appreciably affect the flavor of the hon- 

 ey, and apparently it would not with a ma- 

 chine of this kind. If any one knows to the 

 contrary, let us hear from him. We know 

 that, in a solar wax-extractor, the honey 

 and wax run together. Because of the slow 

 melting, the flavor of the former is impaired. 



The fact that, after a day's uncapping, 

 the honey and the wax will both be in mar- 

 ketable shape, is a strong argument in favor 

 of the new method. The old uncapping-cans 

 or boxes necessarily have to have a large 

 enough capacity to take a day's cappings or 

 more. After a day's work they must be al- 

 lowed to stand until the cappings drain dry, 

 after which they must be separately handled 

 in a wax-extractor. 



Mr. L. E. Mercer's outfit, which we illus- 

 trated on page 218 in our issue for Feb. 15, 

 is of very simple design, having the advan- 

 tage that it allows for the storage of a lot of 

 combs just prior to their being put through 

 the extractor. In this one respect it is su- 

 perior to the one here illustrated by Mr. Pe- 

 terson; and it is also superior in that it is 

 simpler in design, and its construction will 

 cost less. 



An American patent has just been grant- 

 ed, under date of Jan. 8, to F. R. Beuhne, 

 of Victoria, Australia. On examining the 

 claims it would appear to us that the basic 

 feature of melting the cappings as fast as 

 they are shaved off the combs, by any and 

 all means, has not been covered; but appar- 

 entlj' the receptacle for heating the uncap- 

 ping-knife as shown in the illustration of the 

 Peterson machine is covered ; so also a com- 

 bination of horizontal tubes that are design- 

 ed to receive and melt the cappings. But 

 such tubes, in our judgment, are not materi- 

 al to the broad principle of melting cap- 

 pings in some other manner. 



Two other men, one in California and the 

 other in Texas, claim to have used the prin- 

 ciple for over two yeais. Just what effect 

 this will have on the Beuhne patent we are 

 unable to say. The situation seems to be 

 somewhat mixed up : and for the present, at 

 least, some time will have to elapse, per- 

 haps, before it is fully determined who owns 

 and controls, if any one does, the broad 

 principle of melting the cappings as fast as 

 they are removed from the combs in some 

 manner otiwr than that shown in the Beuhne 

 patent. 



We see no reason, however, why any one 

 could not make a machine at the present 

 time on the lines described on page 218, Feb. 

 15 But any one who makes such a ma- 

 chine would have to hold himself in readi- 

 ness to pay royalty, possibly, to some one 

 who could establish his rights to priority in 

 the invention. — Ed.] 



TRANSFERRING TO SECTIONAL 

 BROOD-CHAMBER HIVES. 



How to Prevent Swarming, and at the 



Same Time Force the Bees to Work in 



the Snpers from the Beginning 



of the Honey- flow. 



BY J. E. HAND 



"I should like to try a few sectional hives 

 the coming season. How and when can 1 

 transfer my bees to these hives with the least 

 loss to the colonies so treated? My bees are 

 in ten-frame Langstroth hives, and I want to 

 produce comb honey." 



Mr. Editor, this is a fair sample of many 

 letters that I have received during the pust 

 season, and with your permission 1 will ans- 

 wer them through Gleanings. 



WHEN TO TRANSFER. 



Assuming that your bees are in good con- 

 dition, and that the hives are well stockcii 

 with bees and brood, and that each colony 

 has a good prolific queen, the best time to 

 transfer is at the beginning of the honey-flow 

 from which you expect to get your surplus 

 honey crop; hence itis very necessary that you 

 thoroughly understand your location and the 

 exact time of the blooming of the flowers of 

 every honey-producing plant iu your vicini- 

 ty, and especially those from which your 

 main flow comes, so as to have your dish 

 right side up to catch the honey when it 

 comes. 



HOW TO TRANSFER. 



Our new hives should be in readiness, con- 

 sisting of two shallow brood chambers with 

 frames of foundation, and a super filled with 

 sections and foundation. The super should 

 be separated from the brood-apartment by a 

 queen-excluding honey-board. We will now 

 begin work by removing the hive that we 

 wish to transfer from its present stand antl 

 place it back and a little to one side (entrance 

 in the same direction), so as to be out of 

 range of the flying bees, and at the saiDe 

 time be handy to operate. In doing this we 

 place the new hive on the stand from which 

 we took the old one. After blowing a little 

 smoke into the entrance of the hive, and rap- 

 ping on it a few times so as to cause the tees 

 to till their honey sacs, we will open it and 

 find the queen, and shake her off the comb 

 in front of the new hive, together with the 

 bees that are on the comb with her, letting 

 them run in at the entrance, being sure that 

 the queen is in the new hive. 



We will proceed to shake the bees from 

 the remaining combs in like manner, leaving 

 enough bees on the combs and in the hive to 

 care for the brood. We now have our bees 

 and queen in a new hive with full sheets of 

 foundation in both frames and seirtions. 

 Those the bees will immediately begin to 

 draw out into combs, since the honey-tlow is 

 already begun. When the bees in the new 

 hive have commenced work nicely on the 

 foundation, say in 48 hours after transferring, 

 we will remove the bottom brood chamber. 



