126 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



some time late in the fall give the bees a 

 feeder full of warm syrup at 4 or 5 P. m., 

 and in an hour give them another. Then 

 when they have stopped flying, brush them 

 into a new hive with as many solid combs 

 of sealed honey as they can cover. By fill- 

 ing with warm syrup the bees to be cured, 

 we effectually prevent any chance of fail- 

 ing to cure the disease by the above method, 

 though we seldom bother to cure any cases 

 fo.und late in the season, as bees are easy 

 to I'aise here, and we prefer to remove all 

 chances of infection earlier in the season. 



When the season is over, one should be 

 ready to melt the combs taken from diseas- 

 ed colonies. Have your steam-boiler stand- 

 ing outside the shop; run steam inside 

 tlii-ough a half-inch pipe, into both wax- 

 presses, and into several barrels or tanks. 

 Melt the combs either by direct steam or by 

 boiling, as preferred; then when there is a 

 lot of hot melted comb, fill a press, put on 

 the pressure, begin to melt more combs, oc- 

 casionally turning down the jack-screw of 

 the first' press, then fill the second press 

 and repeat. About the only limit to the 

 amount that one can render is the limit of 

 the steam sui)ply. It is not wise to get too 

 small a boiler. With our powerful presses 

 we get the best results by pressing the first 

 time, just as the melted comb comes from 

 the boilers, taking care to dip up plenty of 

 water with the comb, but having a little 

 steam constantly running into the press. 

 After the wax ceases to run in a decided 

 stream, we loosen up the screw, fill the press 

 with boiling water, turn on more steam, 

 which shakes up the slumgum, causing it to 

 take up more water; again apply the pres- 

 sure, finally drawing off all the wax and 

 water into a deep Aikin wax-separator, 

 which runs the wax into one can and the 

 water into another, where it may be used 

 again. 



Any combs, either from the brood-nest or 

 super, that show no disease may be extract- 

 ed if the honey is not candied. The extract- 

 or should be a small one, used for no other 

 [urpose. Combs of candied honey (provid- 

 ed the old brood-combs are not full of co- 

 coons) may be run through the Powers cap- 

 inng-melter. Such honey may be shipped 

 in winter, to be used for manufacturing 

 jurposes if one has a market for such 

 goods. 



If diseased honey is to be saved for feed 

 (and the bee business is not such a bonanza 

 that it is not necessai-y to save every such 

 by-product), we now have a new method of 

 saving all of it. When rendering, we cut 

 out any diseased parts of combs containing 

 some honey ; pile these frames and combs of 



honey in the capping-melter ; cover with 

 doubled canvas, and steam. Tlie honey, 

 somewhat thinned by the steam, runs out at 

 a great rate, is separated from the wax, 

 and then canned. Tliis is somewhat similar 

 to the method recently described by Mr. 

 Wesley Foster, p. 473, Aug. 1, 1912, but by 

 using a big steam supply from a regular 

 boiler the work is more rapid. If we have 

 much honey to save from diseased combs 

 another year, we expect to build a large 

 cupboard of galvanized iron in which shelves 

 of combs, standing, may be shoved, so as to 

 melt a large quantity at once. 



In the footnote to Mr. Foster's article 

 mentioned above, the editor intimated that 

 such a process sterilizes the honey; but our 

 tests compel us to sound a warning, as we 

 find that a teur .-rature of only 180 degi'ees 

 Fahr. is readied by the honey so steam- 

 melted. Of course, a saving of fuel would 

 result if the honey so melted were at once 

 boiled over a fire. Before feeding such 

 honey we dilute it until it is about one- 

 fourth water, then boil it over gasoline- 

 stoves (so as to control the temperature, 

 thus avoiding boiling over and the danger 

 of fire). For this purpose we use wash- 

 boilers with a cover on each. We do not 

 put on the cover at once, as lioney which is 

 being heated has some queer notions. When 

 it first begins to boil, one must watch close- 

 ly, turning down the blaze as necessary, and 

 stirring. Then, as a rule, after it has boiled 

 for perhaps five minutes, the tendency to 

 boil over is past, and the cover may be put 

 on the boiler. The cover should have a one- 

 fourth-inch hole in it, at the top, where the 

 steam may escape. Do not go away and 

 leave the boiling honey, as some lots will 

 again boil over unless watched and stin'ed, 

 while other lots will boil furiously without 

 danger. We boil the honey for fifteen min- 

 utes at least; then a few daj's later, usually 

 wlien the honey is needed for feed, we again 

 boil it for about five minutes. 



If the directions which have -been given 

 are followed, using a cover on each boiler 

 (an idea that we obtained from Mr. R. D. 

 Bradshaw, of Payette, Ida.), the feed is so 

 safe that I have felt no anxiety in using it 

 freely, in outside feeders, in yards of as 

 many as 275 colonies. 



When through rendering, the floor and 

 walls, as well as the tools and clothes, 

 should be freely sprayed with a very strong 

 carbolic solution, so as to avoid any chance 

 of the bees picking up any thing that might 

 lead to the disease ; for, even if the carbolic 

 solution should fail to kill all germs and 

 spores, the strong odor is so objectionable 

 as to prevent bees from working on any 



