46 BEES FOR PLEASURE AND PROFIT. 



stored in them extracted ; but those which contain brood must 

 be left in the hive till the brood is hatched out. In tliis "vvay 

 two or tliree strong stocks wi\\ build sufficient combs for several 

 hives before the honey flow commences. The foundation should 

 be wired into all frames intended for extracting. In order 

 that a stock may draw out combs as rapidly as possible, it is 

 necessary to feed it with about a pint of syrup daily, beginning 

 with half a pint early in the spring, and gradually increasing 

 it to a pint : if stocks are drawing out combs in a very large 

 number of frames at once, they may sometimes even be fed 

 with more than a pint a day with advantage. The syrup is 

 made by adding a quart of water to four pounds of refined cane 

 (not beet) sugar, and heating it over tlie fiie till all the sugar 

 is melted. It is most important to stir it constantly to prevent 

 the sugar being burnt. Half a teaspoonful of salt and one 

 tablespoonful of vinegar should be added to every quart of 

 water used. 



Doubling. 

 As soon as the honey flow commences, two frames of 

 brood must be taken from each hive and placed in a doubling- 

 box filled with frames of empty comb, spaced 1| inch from 

 centre to centre ; the empty space below formed by removing 

 the two frames can be filled up with a couple of frames 

 of comb. The object of placing two frames of brood in the 

 doubling-box is to induce the bees to ascend at once ; care 

 must be taken that the queen is left below^, and in order to 

 keep her there a sheet of cpieen-excluding zinc must be placed 

 on the top of the frames in the body hive, cut to the exact size 

 of the top of the hive. As soon as the doubling-box is getting 

 full of honey another must be placed between it and the body 

 hive. During a very heavy honey fiow it may even be necessary 

 to place on a third doubling- box, as the bees of ten gather honey 

 much f;\ster than they can ripen it during a heavy honey glut. 



Extracting. 



As soon as the bees begin to seal the honey in the top 

 doubling-box is the time to extract it. It will then be sufficiently 

 ripe, and there wall not be so much uncapping to do. The 

 best way is to shake the bees off the combs and brush off any 

 that remain with a goose wung, or a yucca brush, sold by the 

 dealei-s in bee appliances specially for the purpose. The 



