JULY 1, 1912 



409 



Fig. 1. — rortable extracting outfit of Geo. H. Kukpatrick, Rapid City, Mich. 



AN EXTRACTING-OUTFIT ON A LIGHT SPRING 

 WAGON 



BY GEO. H. KIRKPATRICK 



When 1 first established a system of out- 

 yards it was my practice to build honey- 

 houses at each yard ; but 1 have discon- 

 tinued their use for various reasons. The 

 lumbermen cut away the timber, then the 

 rasjoberries follow; IduI these fail when the 

 farmer clears the land and fits it for the 

 plow, so that the beekeeper must move on 

 to a new location. For three years, there- 

 fore, I have used the extract in g-w agon as 

 sliown in Fig. 1. The framework for the 

 top is the same length and breadth as the 

 platform, and 6 feet 4 inches thick. The 

 top is covered with canvas, and the sides 

 and ends with wire screen, the door being 

 in the back end. 



Toward the front of the wagon is a tank 

 which has a capacity of 700 lbs., on the top 

 of which is an uncaioping-can. The tank is 

 fitted with a gravity strainer, and the honey 

 is drawn from a gate under the wagon. 

 With my two-frame automatic extractor I 

 can, with the help of two boys, remove from 

 the hives, extract, and i3ut in cans, 2000 

 lbs. of honey per day. 



When the honey in the upper super is 

 nearly all capped we begin extracting. 

 Thirtv-four 60-lb. cans in the wheelbarrow 



are placed in the wagon, the team hitched 

 on, and the boys and I are off to an out- 

 yard. When we arrive, a convenient place 

 is chosen for the wagon. We find it is al- 

 ways best to locate it where the ground has 

 a little slope, as it is easier for the team to 

 move it when it is loaded. AVhen the whole 

 outfit is located, an adjustable post is plac- 

 ed under each of the four corners of the 

 wagon to hold it steady. As the supers are 

 carried in, they are placed on tlie right side 

 of the wagon and transferred to the left 

 side when emi^tied. 



Fig. 2 shows eleven colonies at the close 

 of an eleven-day flow from milkweed in 

 July, 1911. These eleven colonies produced 

 1320 lbs. in this time. 



MOVING TO FALL PASTURE 



The harvest of raspberry and milkweed 

 closes about the middle of July. We ex- 

 tract the honey and get it into the cans as 

 quickly as possible, then prepare about half 

 of the colonies at each apiary and move 

 them to buckwheat or the willow-herb. A 

 queen-excluder is placed over the brood- 

 chamber, a super containing a full set of 

 combs is put on, and a wire screen set on 

 top. A wire screen for the entrance is also 

 dropped before each colony. When the 

 bees have stopped flying late in the evening, 

 T take a hammer and smoker and a few 

 date staples, and soon Iiave thirty colonies 



