36 



THE AMERICAN BEE KEEPER. 



February 



the combs given to the next hive that 

 is opened. This is supposing that only 

 one man is at work, or that there is a 

 limited number of combs on hand. If 

 there are plenty of combs, the honey 

 may all be removed and empty combs 

 put in its place before the extracting is 

 commenced. It is better, however, to 

 extract the honey as soon as possible 

 after it is off the hives, as it is then 

 warm and extracts more easily than 

 after it has cooled. 



There is no need whatever of feeding 

 after extracting. If the season is ov^r, 

 enough hcney shouM be left in the hive 

 for the wintering of the bees. It wouUl 

 be a waste of labor to extract the 

 honey and then feed it back again. If 

 doney is still coming in, there is no 

 need of feeding. 



The cappings should be placed in 

 some vessel that has holes in its bot- 

 tom. A pan or a pail of tin may be 

 used, with a lot of holes punched in its 

 bottom. Or a large can may be used 

 with a fa'se Dottom of wire cloth to 

 support the cappings whi^e the honey 

 drains off to the bottom of the can. 

 After the 'appings have thoroughly 

 drained they may be washed and the 

 water used in making vinegar. Then 

 the cappi^p-s may be made into wax 

 that will be of the clearest and finest 

 imaginable. It is not necessary to 

 strain the honey. Let it stand a few 

 days, when all pieces of comb, etc., 

 will rise to the top. This may be 

 skimmed off and the honey drawn off 

 into kegs tins or cans. Extracted 

 honey ought not to be left exposed to 

 the air, as it thereby loses its flavor 

 and aroma. 



Flint, Mich. 



H. W. Brice. in B. B.-K. R.. points 

 out the lessons which past failures 

 should teach and their value as a guide 

 to futui'e practice. Admonishes be- 

 ginners ae-ainst too-early handling of 

 bees in the sprins:. and particularly 

 against the Indiscreet spreading of 

 brood. 



Seasonable Suggestions. 



U'riltcn for the Amrrimii Bcc-Ktcpei; 



BY ED. .lOLLEY. 



While the work of the bee-keeper in 

 winter is not attended with hustle and 

 bustle of summer, yet the bee-keeper 

 who would be ready for the spring 

 work when it comes must not sit all 

 winter with folded hands. Now is the 

 time to get your new supplies ready 

 for next season. And now is the best 

 time to clean the propolis from your 

 old supplies. You can scrape off more 

 propolis now in one hour than you can 

 in three in warmer weather. Now is 

 the best time to render your old combs 

 into wax. The weather being cold, the 

 combs can be easily pulverized, which 

 is a great help in separating the wax 

 from the dirt. The pulverized combs 

 should be put in a barrel containing 

 two or three times as much water as 

 broken combs. Stir occasionally for a 

 day or two, and then d'p the broken 

 comb off the top and render them. The 

 greater part of the dirt will have set- 

 tled below the wax. 



About this time of year, too, we have 

 more or 'ess anxiety as to whether our 

 bees have stores enough to last them 

 until more can be gathered. It is best 

 not to disturb colonies that went into 

 winter quarters with an abundance of 

 stores until the warm weather of 

 spring has opened up. But any colo- 

 nies that we fear may not have enou2;h 

 we had better look them over any time 

 that it is warm enough for the bees 

 to fly cut. Take the cushions off and 

 lift the quilt and take a hasty look. If 

 you think they will need feed, the best 

 thing to do is to put th'-ee or four 

 pounds of loaf sugar, slightly damp- 

 ened, on the top of the frames; tuck 

 them up good and warm and let them 

 alone until it is warm enough to feed 

 sugar syrup. This is cheaper and easier 

 to give at this time of year than sugar 

 syrup; safer than the ca^dv that nine- 

 tenths of the novices would make. 



Apply castor oil to the projecting 

 ends of brood frames, edges of closed 

 end frames, following boards or any- 



