CHAPTER VIII. 



THE PRODUCTION OF EXTRACTED HONEY. 



Extracted or run honey possesses many advantages over comb 

 honey. In the first place, it is much easier to produce, and 

 a good stock will make much more of it than it will of section 

 honey : the reason of this is not far to seek, as the bees do not 

 have to build so much comb, because when they have filled the 

 combs with honey we extract it and return them to the hive. 

 Extracted honey is also much easier to send long distances, 

 whether in large or small quantities. The apiarist will there- 

 fore do well to produce extracted honey, although it does not 

 command so high a price as the beautiful sections. If we have 

 plenty of frames of empty comb, so much the better; but if 

 not, we must make the bees build them early in the season 

 before the honey flow commences. 



How to Produce Combs. 



As soon as the bees are strong enough with brood hatching 

 out freely, a frame with a full sheet of foundation should be 

 placed in the centre of the brood nest, and others added every 

 few days till the hive is full ; and the bees must be gently fed 

 with syrup meanwhile: any combs which contain no brood 

 should be taken away and the honey extracted (see page 46) ; 

 they will then be ready for placing in doubling-boxes to give 

 to the bees so soon as the honey flow commences. 



When there is no room to place any more frames in the 

 body hive, and when the bees are strong enough, four or five 

 frames should be lifted out and placed in a doubling-box, their 

 place being taken by frames fitted with foundation ; all must 

 be kept covered up very warm, and at first the bees should 

 be confined to half the doubling-box, the rest being divided off 

 with a dummy. As fast as the foundation is drawn out the 

 frames can be removed, and the syrup which the bees have 



