772 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Nov. 



to 200, and it is another big job to increase 

 2(X) back to 400 again in the spring. The 

 retison why we increase them here, or divide 

 them up, is because it does not pay to take 

 full colonies to raise queens, even if they 

 were as handy to manipuhite. Now, if we 

 could be sure of wintering safely our queen- 

 rearing colonies, it would save us a good 

 ;deal of time and expense. 



A VALUABLE ARTICLE. 



Some Excellent Hints in regard to Ripening | 

 . Extracted Honey, and Extracting Rip- 

 ened Honey. 



•^AT-s 



IMKTHI 



Alton- KIPENING COMB HONEY. 



SEE tluit many bct'-kft'inTs complain of the ex- 

 tractor tlirovviiijj' hont-y over the top of the can, 

 anid that yoii offer a new rim intended to pre- 

 vent this, free to all who are thus troubled. I 

 think you would have to furnish one for every 

 one of j;our extractors now in use, if the purchaser 

 should try to extract much honey after cool weath- 



'er has set in, especially if the honey is well ripened. 



I use the Dadant plan of tiering- up for extracted 



honey almost altogether; and I may remark right 



here, that I do not think a really first-class article 



of exti-acted honey can be produced in any other 

 way, to say nothing of the numerous other advan- 

 tages the plan presents. Where there is a late fall 



.crop, though, the apiarist must be careful to get 



. the extracting finished before cool weather sets in 



■or he will he troubled with the honey flying out of 

 the extractor in a fine spray, or be obliged to leave 

 a great deal of the honey in the combs, unless he 

 takes the i)recaution to warm the honey before ex- 

 tracting. I have no doubt that all who have com- 

 plained of honey flying o\er the top of the extract- 

 or, or remaining in the combs at the rate of a pound 

 to each comb, have been trying to extract honey 

 that was too cold. 



. ^ In the winter of 1881-'83 I extracted several bar- 

 rels of well-ripened honey at a time when the tem- 



, perature averaged 5° below zero. I did it by placing 

 the honey up close to the ceiling, and keeping the 

 temperature of that part of the room at about 100° 

 vintil the honey would come out easily. When this 

 honey tecame cold it could be cut into chunks 

 which would retain their angular shape for hours. 



• I have some of this season's honey to extract yet, 

 and am doing it at odd times when I have nothing 

 else to do— on cold days when 1 can not work with 

 the bees, for instance, I warm it by hanging the 



: combs in my comb-honey room, which I keep heated 

 as I will describe further on. 



RIPENING COMB HONEY. 



Most apiarists and connoisseurs of honey are 

 aware that honey taken from the hive as soon as 

 sealed does not compai-e in quality with that which 

 has been allowed to remain on the hive for some time 

 to be ripened by the bees. Not only that, but un- 

 less stored in a warm dry place, this newly gather- 

 ed honey begins to deteriorate as soon as it is re- 

 moved from the hive. It readily absorbs moisture 

 from the air, becoming thin and sometimes sour, 

 while often the honey granulates in the cells. All 

 unsealed and broken cells leak, making the pack- 

 ages unattractive to the eye, and disagreeable to 

 . haindlp. Sometimes,, even, so much is absorbed 

 ■ that the caps burst and the honey is utterly ruined 



in appearance. All this might have been prevent- 

 ed had the honey been first pi-operly ripened and 

 then properly stored. We can not allow comb hon- 

 ey to remain on the hive to ripen, because this 

 spoils its appearance, which in the market is worth 

 even more than quality. Artificial ripening, though, 

 is much better than no ripening at all, and in many 

 cases would add fully 10 per cent to the selling 

 price. 



Mr. Doolittle has told us how he ripens his comb 

 honey by storing in a room which for several weeks 

 is kept at a temperature of from 80 to 100°. By this 

 means the honey is improved in quality, all un- 

 sealed and broken cells evaporated, so that there is 

 no leakage, and the capacity to absorb moistui-e 

 materially decreased. 1 think, though, that very 

 few honey-producers follow this plan, because they 

 think it t«o much trouble; and my object in writ- 

 ing this i , to show how easy it is to ripen honey in 

 this way. My comb-honey room is about 4x 9 ft., x V 

 ft. high, the honey being piled on shelves as near 

 the ceiling as possible. For the last three.years I 

 have heated such a room by means of a large oil- 

 lamp. This will easilj' keep the room heated up to 

 100°. and the temperature may be kept so uniform 

 that I have used it as a place for hatching queen- 

 cells, the cells being put in cages, and stacked up 

 so that a glance would tell when a queen had 

 hatched. 



The expense of keeping a room heated in this 

 way is insignificant, and the only care or labor re- 

 quired is to fill the lamp every day, and trim the 

 wick morning and evening. 1 was afraid at first 

 that the odor of the oil might injure the honey, but 

 have not been able to see any ill eflect. I would 

 caution all, though, to use good oil, and to keep 

 the lamps clean, and the wicks well trimmed. Of 

 course, to keep the room warm in this way in cool 

 weather it must be made very close. It should be 

 built inside of a larger room. Mine has no provi- 

 sion for ventilation, except through a keyhole and 

 the cracks, and I do not think any thing more is 

 needed, except to open the door for a short time 

 two or three times a day. 



In warming up honey for extracting I have used 

 an oil-stove inorder to warm up the cold honey a 

 little more quickly than the lamp would do it. 



Dayton, 111., Oct. 30, 1884. .1. A. Green. 



Friend G., we are very much obliged in- 

 deed for your exceedingly valuable commu- 

 nication. Although it is in the same line 

 with what our friend Doolittle has written, 

 the friends will notice that you give us many 

 additional facts. Since you speak of it, I 

 feel satistied that such a room as you men- 

 tion would, by a little pains, be made so as 

 to answer perfectlv in place of a lamp nurs- 

 ery. The expense would not be so very 

 milch more than the expense of a lamp 

 nursery either. We shall be very glad of re- 

 ports from such rooms made to answer the 

 purpose of the lamp nursery. I have some- 

 times thought that the odor of the coal oil 

 was detrimental to the young queens; but 

 with a room so large as you mention, and 

 with the lamp cleaned twice a day, as you 

 suggest, I think there would be no trouble. 

 Our friends should be very careful in filling 

 such a lamp, not to run it over. Perhaps 

 some of you would do well to let your wives 

 give you a lesson or two in regard to keep- 

 ing lamps bright and clean. 



