THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEIER. 



which cast', of course, the honey ex- 

 tract >r must he a prime necessity. 



To control swarming cut out queen- 

 cells, extract the outer combs, place 

 them in the center, put on empty box- 

 es, and let them buzz away. 



Another important work for the ex- 

 tractor is emptying- brood combs that 

 are filled, or partly filled, aud have 

 been taken from the bees when you 

 have extracted the brood nest for win- 

 tering. Were you to leave the combs 

 filled, or partly filled, with honey all 

 winter, the chances are your honey 

 would be granulated in the spring. 

 You may feed the granulated honey 

 to your bees, but the dextrose of the 

 honey will be left in a granulated state 

 and the levulose only used. This 

 means wastage of half the honey. 

 Poor economy I think. 



Now to the abuse of this goodly tool. 

 I do not refer in this sentence to whirl- 

 ing it around till the basket bursts, or 

 even getting mad at it and kicking the 

 sides in (no one but an ass would do 

 that), but I refer to the abuse you can 

 do yourself and the bees in not using 

 it judiciously. 



One great fault with apiarists run- 

 ning for extracted honey (amateurs 

 particularly), is generally to extract to 

 death. They extract something like 

 the fellow did the golden egg— that 

 is, they kill the bees getting one crop. 



I speak now to those running an 

 apiary for extracted honey, because 

 the use of an extractor in that case is 

 easily understood, but the abuse i> what 

 is to be guarded against. Don't ex- 

 tract from the brood chamber so late 

 that the bees will not have their honey 

 well evaporated and sealed ere winter 

 sets in. Don't extract unripe honey, 



unless you own afirst-class evaporator 

 and understand your business. Don't 

 extract up to the last moment and then 

 find you have to feed sugar, then turn 

 around in the spriug and get it mixed 

 with your honey. Don't extract from 

 the combs containing brood, unless you 

 turn very, very slow, and don't of all 

 things, use the extractor as a conven- 

 ient machine with which to mix honey 

 and glucose together. 



Lastly, let me say, an extractor is 

 like a gun— a first-class thing in its 

 way. Don 't " monkey " with it unless 

 you can learn, by experience, how to 

 use it, then when you luive learned 

 how, you can not only have the bird 

 that is in the hand, but with it you 

 can go out and kill those two others in 

 the bush. — Bee - Keepers' Magazine. 



HINTS to BEGINNERS. 



In writing this it would be more to 

 my taste if I could commence with a 

 concise and glowing account on month- 

 ly management, but, alas ! I look out 

 on our apiary and see hives covered 

 with snow and the temperature most 

 down to zero and the thought strikes 

 me, what shall I say to the beginner? 

 what shall I tell him to do ? and then 

 my mind runs on many things to say, 

 but will they answer? Shall I say, 

 sweep the snow away ! that would be, 

 to say the least, timely advice, still I 

 say. no, don't do that ! it keeps them 

 warm, let it bank up as it may on all 

 sides, but the front I say most de- 

 cidedly, keep clear from snow. I hear 

 lots of older heads than mine saying, 

 he is wrong ! but. dear reader, I can- 

 not be convinced that I am wrong up 

 to the present time, so I say, keep the 

 entrance clear of snow ; bees must 

 have ventilation, and as long as the 



