JULY 15, 1913 



499 



all of the wax without loss of temper, with 

 a much smaller amount of labor, and with 

 a feeling of satisfaction which is pleasant 

 indeed. We have been told, over and over 

 again, in the bee journals, to secure a wash- 

 boiler, or perhaps two or them, in which to 

 melt our combs over a stove, and, with a 

 dipper, to dip up the melted combs and 

 place them in an outspread piece of burlap 

 in the wax-press. To us tins seems all 

 wrong. To begin with, the best place in 

 which to work is the good old outdoors, 

 where there is an abundance of room and 

 where we may make as much muss as 

 we please. Next, a wash-boiler is tl>o small, 

 particularly if one has 100 or more colonies. 

 Further, dipping with a dipper is a waste 

 of time ; and, last, a square piece of burlap, 

 which we are advised to use in the direc- 

 tions which accompany the Hatch wax- 

 press, is a nuisance. 



When we began using our Hatch press 

 we blindly followed directions. The combs 

 were dumped into the tank (4 ft. by 2 by 

 1), and were transferred with a dipper to 

 the press. The loss of time, with the eon- 

 sequent cooling of the wax which accom- 

 panied this dipping, soon disgiisted us. We 

 then made a frame of slats ; with stones we 

 weighted it down to the bottom of the tank, 

 and placed in each of several gunny sacks 

 two sets of old combs. The mouths of these 

 sacks were tied securely, and they were 

 thrown into the tank. The advantage is 

 obvious. With a stick we could remove one 

 of the sacks from the boiling water and 

 place it in the pan which had been momen- 

 tarily transferred to the corner of the tank. 

 The steaming mass could then be quickly 



placed under the screw, a little kot water 

 quickly added with a pail, and the pressure 

 begun. 



Now I must call attention to an addition- 

 al appliance wliich I think will prove a 

 boon to my fellow beekeepers. It is the 

 Aiken wax-honey separator used as a wax- 

 water separator. The one we use was made 



out of a 60-lb. can. The tube to the right, 

 shown in the drawing, comes from the bot- 

 tom of the can and extends up to within 

 about 1/2 inch or a little less of the spout 

 to the front, and carries off the excess of 

 water. This hot water may be emptied back 

 into the tank, thus saving the heat it eon- 

 tains. This separator had been used to 

 separate honey and wax coming from the 

 capping-melter, and for this purpose the 

 little tubes, ^/^ inch in diameter, were large 

 enough; but for separating wax and water 

 each should be of the same diameter as the 

 spout of the wax-press. The reader will 

 readily see why. If nothing but water is 

 coming from the press it can not escape 

 fast enough, and, as a consequence, the lay- 

 er of wax rises, flows otf, and is followed 

 by water. On the other hand, if nothing 

 but wax is entering the separator, the lay- 

 er will become too thick, Avill harden before 

 it can escape, and thus clog the opening. 



It is our intention to improve our outfit 

 by uniting the water overflow with the tank, 

 thus saving more heat and the time wasted 

 in emptying by hand. 



In order to have the separator work well 

 out of doors it is necessary to have warm 

 weather and to work fast. 



Cadott, Wis. 



[When we began rendering wax from old 

 combs we used burlap sacks to hold the ref- 

 use in the press. On the advice of a num- 

 ber of other beekeepers, however, we tried 

 the square pieces of burlap ; and after get- 

 ting used to them we found that we pre- 

 ferred them, for they do not burst quite as 

 easily as the sacks, and it is not so difficult 

 to shake out the refuse after it has been 

 pressed. Furthermore, a smaller receptacle 

 may be used for melting up the combs if 

 they are merelj' thrown into the water, and 

 there is less danger of starting the pressing 

 before every particle of comb is thoroughly 

 melted. It is true that it takes a little long- 

 er to dip the melted comb into the press; 

 but if a pail is used for a dipper this part 

 of the work takes very little time indeed; 

 and by the new plan that we have recom- 

 mended for several years, of leaving the 

 plug in the outlet of the press, the hot wa- 

 ter and wax do not escape at once but re- 

 main in the can, thus preventing the refuse 

 from chilling. 



One advantage of the sacks is that they 

 may be placed under the framework, and 

 then, before the pressing commences, a 

 large amount of wax may be dipped off the 

 top of the water, so that there is much less 

 in the refuse at the time the pressing begins. 



We have used the wax and water sepa- 

 rators, but we really prefer the simpler out- 



