772 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



Bee. 9, 



you get your honey. It is as reasonable as can be that cotnb- 

 houey L-olouies will pack more honey in their brood-chambers 

 than will those having unlimited store-comb above. The fact 

 that mv colonies run for comb Imiariably winter better than 

 extracted colonies, beat into my head this fact. 



It is necessary, then, that colonies run for extracted shall 

 have a larger brood-chamber than do the comb-honey colonies. 

 This is no argument in favor of small hives. We want large 

 hives for comb honey, and larger still for extr.icted. 1() 

 Langstroth frames is nearer right for comb than 8 ; and 10 

 to 20 for extracted. I have two apiaries in American hives, 

 run for extracted honey. A portion of these, instead of full 

 depth, are half-depth size, '2 shallow chambers with 6-inch 

 frames equaling one chamberof full-depth size. I am running 

 these using 3 and 4 shallow chambers or 2 deep ones for a 

 brood-nest. 



Swarming is the great difficulty that hinders cheap or in- 

 expensive methods. I have thi* year had but one swarm from 

 140 colonies in these big brood-chamber hives. At the begin- 

 ning of the flow I put the chamber containing brood and stores 

 at the top, the dry combs at the bottom. This puts the brood 

 up near the extracting-combs and a set of dry combs under. 

 With this arrangement strong colonies will occupy the extras 

 above about as quickly — sometimes more quickly — than the 

 ones beneath. As the honey crowds the brood in the top of 

 brood-nest the queen occupies below, instead of swarming. 



The first point, then, is a large brood-chamber, depth 

 being import^ut. Depth is much more effective than width, 

 and the brood at the lop when the flow begins. This big, deep 

 brood-nest with unlimited comb room above practically solves 

 the swarming problem, reducing it to the minimum. 



The next thing is to get rid of the immense amount of 

 labor required with present methods, during the flow. Aside 

 from the swarming problem, it is much easier to manage comb- 

 honey colonies than extracted, if the cxlnicting be done darlnn 

 the flow. It is just as simple and easy to get on a super of sec- 

 lions as one of combs, and just as easy to shift the full sections 

 to the top as to shift extractiug-supers in a similar way. I 

 would do this in either case. To put empty combs under a 

 full set draws the bees from the brood-chamber and dis- 

 courages swarming, and will frequently draw the honey 

 there too, hence another necessity for large brood-chambers, 

 lest too much go to the extra. 



The second point, then, is no extracting during the flow, 

 but plenty of extras to hold the crop and have it fully ripe. 

 At any time, during the flow, or later, the cos,t of extracting 

 and casing is fully as great with the extracted honey as with 

 comb. I would by all odds prefer to remove and case the 

 comb— it is less labor and more pleasant work. 



The third point is removing from the hives. Here, my 

 methods are identical for both comb and extracted. The first 

 requisite is a window In the honey-room (or any room most 

 convenient, even a tent with a screened hole), the screen run- 

 ning ,ibove the window and open at the top. The opening 

 may extend clear across the entire width, but should be sever- 

 al inches above the window. A better way is to let the screen 

 run up like an inverted V to a small opening, and on that 

 opening have a box or trap so that the bees pass through a 

 cone into it, then the trap can be carried among the hives to 

 liberate the bees, and thus avoid young bees congregating about 

 the windows. 



When I am ready to remove the honey I just smoke at the 

 top and send the bees down on the run, holding the smoke 

 right alter them (not before) until the most are out, when the 

 super is lit once removed. If honey is coming in, or so that 

 they will not rob, the supers may stand about the yard awhile 

 and many bees go out there. If not safe outside, I take them 

 at once to the room and set them before the window and close 

 to it in a strong light. The bees will at once begin to go on 

 the screen and work upward to the trap or outlet, the noise of 

 those on the window helping to draw the others. If to be ex- 

 tracted at once I begin on that having the fewest bees. Even 

 If I have to shake oti a few bees it is cheaper than to handle 

 the combs one by one in the yard. When they would rob, thi 

 chambers are gotten into the house so quickly that they don't 

 know what is up till it is all over with. 



The fourth point is having enough extras to hold the en- 

 tire crop, and extracting later. One can thus remove it at any 

 time and store it in the honcy-houso. When a convenient time 

 comes to extract, the honey will have to bo warmed. This 

 looks like a big task, tho really but a very simple matter. A 

 8tove in the honey-room will do the work. Shut all doors and 

 windows or other openings, and a very little fire will heat the 

 room til iH) or lOO degrees. Keep the room at this degree for 

 about 24 hours, when the honey will be ready to entract. 

 However, if the chambers bo piled solid, and in such a way as 



to interfere with a free circulation through them, it may be 

 necessary to keep the heat for 36 to 48 hours. 



The past month I removed honey and piled it into a brick 

 room 10x16 feet. Built against and opening into this room 

 on the south, is my 6x6 feet solar wax extractor. By opening 

 the solar extractor into the room the temperature soon went 

 up to 'JO and 100-^, and by evening the honey extracted just 

 as nice as direct from the hives. 



Having this fully ripened honey extracted, my fifth point 

 would be at once, before candying, put it into retail packages. 

 If, however, it is to be retailed at hoiue and drawn into buck- 

 ets and whatever the customer brings, such portion must be 

 kept in a tank, and this tank should be arranged with some 

 kind of a heating appliance, especially if the honey candies 

 freely. 



In addition to the foregoing, I wish to offer some thoughts 

 that will probably be new to the most of you. For three or 

 four years I have entertained a new departure in producing 

 extracted. The system would include the large brood-nest 

 and large surplus room, but instead of having a large stock of 

 extracting-combs I would have only a few " baitcombs," which 

 I would keep permanently, the bees would be allowed to build 

 their comb as much as needed. This honey would be removed 

 and stored as previously described, and the bait combs ex- 

 tracted in the usual way. The new combs I cut out and crush 

 between rollers similar to a clothes wringer, but simple and 

 cheap, the honey dropping into a vat to drain off, much as 

 cappings in an uncapping-can. I would thus produce as fine 

 an article as could be had, and a very superior grade of wax. 



It takes about two pounds of wax to hold 50 pounds of 

 honey. If the yield should be reduced '4 by the bees having 

 to build their combs there still would not be so much loss ; 12 

 pounds of honey at 5 cents is 60 cents. The wax from the 

 38 pounds of honey would be worth 30 to 40 cents at least. 

 Without having given the matter a thorough test I should es- 

 timate that the larger per cent, of wax, together with the de- 

 creast amount of labor both in the work of extracting and in 

 caring for extracting-combs, would more than offset any de- 

 crease in yield. I could crush thousands of pounds in the time 

 I could throw out hundreds with the extractor. 



You will, in view of the foregoing plan, understand that I 

 do not believe in the theory of great quantities of honey being 

 consumed in the production of wax. At present I cannot 

 accept anywhere near the 15 or 20 pounds to 1 ratio. More 

 than this, I do not believe we can get any considerable more 

 extracted per colony than of comb. I am carefully studying 

 this problem, and have for about 20 years produced both comb 

 and extracted side by side. To here give all the proofs of my 

 position would make this paper altogether too long. 



In a few words, improved methods of extracted-honey pro- 

 duction means producing a superior article at much less out- 

 lay for fixtures and labor — especially labor — and putting much 

 of this labor outsideof the honey season. 



I hope that these thoughts may receive thoughtful consid- 

 eration, and that they shall prove helpful to the fraternity. I 

 regret that limited honey-flows — even this year of great plenty 

 — have prevented a more thorough knowledge of the new 

 method, and also prevents me being with you at this meeting. 



R. C. AiKiN. 



J. C. Stewart — I take a great deal of care of my combs 

 after I have gotten them. 



E. A. Wander — I tried the clothes wringer on unfinisht 

 sections, but it was quite a job to get them started through 

 the rollers. 



Mr. lloltermann — If it pays to have combs built, and then 

 filled with honey and crush tne combs to get out the honey, it 

 strikes me that it would be more profitable to have the combs 

 built right In the sections in the first place. 



SucvcNfiifiii Bcc-Kov|>inK 



was the subject assigned Mr. G. M. Doolittle, of New York, 

 who had no paper prepared, but spoke extemporaneously. His 

 center thought was that all depended upon the hee-keeper 

 himself. Study yourself; make tho most of yourself. Uj the 

 very best that you can. Don't be half-hearted. (Set the best 

 hives, the best'bees, and a thorough knnwledee of your busi- 

 ness and your location, and then apply this knowledge. 



Mrs. L. Harrison, of Illinois, sent the following paper, 

 which was read by Dr. Miller : 



it«-e-Kec|>iiis for Wumen. 



There is implanted in the heart of uuisl women a desire 

 for independence and an opportunity to supply her wants by 

 the exercise of her own powers. Let these dormant buds, 

 which have so long been covered by the decree of fashion, and 

 by the inborn intuition of the other sex for clinging vines, he 



