9 6 



CHAPTEK X. 



SUPER-CLEARERS. 



THE operation of removing the honey from the 

 hive and ridding the hive of bees, although, until 

 quite recently, the one operation dreaded by bee 

 keepers, can now be performed with little or no 

 disturbance in as many minutes as formerly the 

 operation required hours, and without the inflic- 

 tion of a single sting upon the operator if ordinary 

 care be taken. This is effected by the use of a 

 super-clearer, an American invention. 



The most simple form of clearer is a cone made 

 of perforated metal, fixed in the gable, or gables, 

 of the hive roof, as shown by Fig. 7, p. 17. In 

 use it is simplicity itself. The super to be cleared 

 is gently prised up, small spills of wood (match 

 ends will do) inserted at the corners, and through 

 the orifice thus formed a few puffs of smoke are 

 blown into the hive. After waiting a moment the 

 operator should raise the super, whilst an assis- 

 tant places a quilt over the body-box or super 

 below, when the full super may be replaced above 

 it ; the covering quilt of the super is then removed 

 and the roof put on. The bees, finding communi- 

 cation with the hive proper cut off, make tracks 

 for home through the cone, and once out they 

 cannot return. Stray bees on the prowl (for bees 

 are inveterate robbers) also fail to effect an 

 entrance. By reason of the perforations in the 

 cone, the bees are attracted to its base, where 

 they fail to gain admission ; and robbers can find 

 their way inside only when they are sufficiently 

 numerous entirely to cover the cone. 



For the reason last given, the cone as a clearer 



