302 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



May 15 



with a robber cloth. If one is slow in get- 

 ting this upper story removed after the 

 bees are smoked, especially if the colony is 

 of the nervous kind, many of the bees will 

 rush back on the combs again. 



Extracted-honey producers during the 

 progress of the flow usually lift up the near- 

 ly tilled super and place the empty one un- 

 derneath. When this method is followed, 

 the partly filled super is at the bottom at 

 the close of the honey-flow. It is almost 

 impossible to smoke the bees out of a story 

 of honey if the combs are unsealed, or even 

 though only partly so; and if such a super is 

 being handled, or if for any reason the bees 

 do not run down readily, we proceed as fol- 

 lows: 



As shown in Fig. 2, the super next the 

 brood-nest, which is the one that usually 

 contains the unsealed honey, if any, as ex- 

 plained above, is pried loose from the brood- 

 chamber in order to break loose any brace- 

 combs that may have been built between 

 the upper combs and the brood-combs be- 

 low. A little smoke is blown in as shown, 

 and then this super let down again on the 

 brood-chamber in its usual position. Smoke 

 is Used until the bees on the lower third of 

 the combs, at least, have run down below, 

 and then a comb from one side of the super 

 is removed as shown in Fig. 3. If robbers 

 are bad, ihis comb, after the remaining 

 bees are shaken off, is placed in the empty 

 super provided for the purpose; but if there 

 are no robbers about, the remaining bees 

 need not be shaken from this first comb re- 

 moved, but it may be merely set outside 

 the hive-body, the bees left on it protecting 

 the honey from robbers. A little smoke is 

 blown in the place made vacant by the re- 

 moval of the one comb; and with a long 

 brush, as shown in Fig. 4, the bees are 

 brushed from the side of the hive and also 

 from the side of the next comb. Now this 

 next comb is pried loose and slid over to 

 the side of the hive. Fig. 5, and then the 

 two sides of the combs thus spread apart 

 are swept clean of bees. The comb at the 

 side of ttie hive is then removed to the emp- 

 ty super, the third comb slid to the side, 

 and so on across the hive. This work 

 should be done quite quickly or else the 

 sides of the combs first ireed of bees will be 

 covered with those that may run back. As 

 soon as all the combs are removed, and the 

 super freed from btes, it should be lifted of? 

 the hive at once, it having been previously 

 loosened, as explained, and placed on the 

 wheelbarrow, Fig. 6, before any of the bees 

 below have a chance to return. 



If the first comb removed is set outside of 

 the hive as in Fig. o, as mentioned, the re- 

 maining bees should now be shaken from 

 this comb as in Fig. 7, and the comb placed 

 in the super in the wheelbarrow with the 

 rest. 



At first thought all this seems like a slow 

 and laborious method of removing combs 

 to extract; but the most honey one man 

 ever removed in one day in our yards (8000 

 pounds) was removed by this plan. Of 



course, we carried quite a number of bees 

 into the extracting-room with this 3000 

 pounds of honey — perhaps as many as 

 wouki be found in two natural swarms; but 

 none of these bees were allowed to escape 

 from the extracting-room during the day, 

 but were carried out at night after they had 

 clustered near the windows where we could 

 get them. If there are bee-escapes above 

 the windows they should be closed until 

 toward night; and then, after most of the 

 bees have been carried out, the escapes 

 may be opened and the remaining bees 

 smoked so that almost all of them will go 

 outside. 

 Remus, Mich. 



LOADING AND UNLOADING POWER HON- 

 EY-EXTRACTORS, 



How Systematic Handling of Combs Saves Time. 



BY O. B. METCALFE. 



There are some bee-keepers just now who 

 are contemplating the purchase of a power- 

 driven extracting-outfit. My advice is that, 

 if one has as many as 300 colonies of bees 

 run for extracted honey, he should get a 

 power-driven outfit, especially if all the col- 

 onies are in one yard. I know of some bee- 

 keepers who are hesitating about getting an 

 engine, because they feel that they are not 

 mechanics enough. All such I would urge 

 to get one by all means. It is great fun. I 

 do not know of any thing I enjoy more than 

 making my gasoline-engine get up and go 

 when it does not want to. 



Fig. 1 of the series of moving pictures 

 stiows a young man, Mr. N. C. Wayne, who 

 worked with us last season, in the act of 

 lifting two frames from the frame-box with 

 his left hand. His next move is to take one 

 of these frames by the middle of the top-bar 

 with his right hand prior to putting them 

 both into the baskets at once, as shown in 

 Fig. 2. In order thus to load the extractor 

 as quickly as possible, the uncappers must 

 put the combs in the comb-box with the 

 top-bars all turned one way; and the ratchet 

 which holds the power on or lets it off should 

 be set at the notch which will just keep the 

 extractor turning slowly. Small hoppers 

 on the comb-baskets in the extractor would 

 help greatly in doing very rapid work. I 

 believe that a hopper-shaped guide on the 

 top of each basket in an eight-frame extract- 

 or would increase the amount a fast man 

 could extract by about 200 lbs. per hour when 

 working his best. 



Fig. 3 shows Mr. Wayne unloading the 

 extractor. The comb he holds in his right 

 hand was previously taken out with his left 

 hand and transferred to the right. In this 

 operation the operator should never take his 

 eyes from the work of his left hand. The 

 power can be put on one notch further or so 

 as to run the extractor about as fast again 

 as when loading the extractor; and the left 

 hand must have nothing to do but to lift 

 the combs straight up as the baskets pass. 



