534 



Gleanings in Bee Culture 



in a case marked "fancy," and the only 

 qualification they had was being filled to the 

 wood, the surface of the comb being nut- 

 brown in color. Many bee-keepers make 

 this mistake, thinking that a section of hon- 

 ey sealed to the wood must be fancy, when 

 most of such sections are only No. 1 from 

 the soiled surface of the comb. It is better 

 to remove honey from the bees as soon as it 

 is sealed, all but the outside row of cells next 

 to the wood, which will save the appearance 

 of the capping from travel-stain. In remov- 

 ing comb honey from the bees the escape- 

 board is one of tlie most convenient inven- 

 tions given to the fraternity since the mov- 

 able-frame hive. By its use we can remove 

 the honey without the least annoyance or 

 damage. 



When possible, comb honey should be 

 stored in the supers until the time arrives 

 for cleaning, grading, and crating it. Ex- 

 posure to damp atmosphere has ruined many 

 fine crops of honey. To test this, take a sec- 

 tion that has some open cells filled with hon- 

 ey. If, when holding it over on its side, the 

 honey runs from some of those cells, you 

 will know that the honey has taken mois- 

 ture. If it has been left so long as to break 

 through the capi)ings, heat should be ap- 

 plied at a temperature of 100 degrees for sev- 

 eral days, and thereafter at 80 degrees. If 

 the honey-room has a southern exposure, 

 and the doors and windows are kept closed 

 night and day, the room will warm up dur- 

 ing the day; and by not allowing the air to 

 escape it will keep warm through the night, 

 and usually will not need any artificial heat 

 unless kept until cold weather. 



While the honey is in the sui)ers, stacked 

 eight to ten high, I fumigate with bisulphide 

 of carbon by placing an empty super on top 

 of the tier, and in it a saucer with one ovmce 

 of bisulphide. I then cover it with a heavy 

 cloth, allowing it to stand and evaporate. 

 If this is done at the close of the day's work 

 the building can be closed and locked. There 

 should be no fire or blaze in the room after 

 the bisulphide is exposed to the atmosphere, 

 as it is an explosive. 



I also use a torch that has a strong open 

 light, set in the bee-yard for an hour or two 

 in the evening, which catches many millers 

 by scorching their wings as they fly through 

 the blaze. See illustration. 



If we are to advance and maintain prices 

 for our product we must have uniform 

 grades, and use packages for shipping that 

 will reduce the breakage to a minimum that 

 we may get better freight rates. I under- 

 stand that our supply-dealers are going to 

 give us a better shipping-case, lined with 

 corrugated pai)er, which I am quite sure will 

 reduce the breakage at least one-half. When 

 comb honey is shipped in small consign- 

 ments the cases should be in carriers of not 

 over eight to a carrier, with a placard stat- 

 ing what it is and how it should be handled. 

 In fact, bee-keepers should do all that is pos- 

 sible to get their product in the hands of 

 the consumer in a perfect condition. 



Camillus, N. Y. 



THE GRAVITY STRAINERS NOT ADAPTED FOR 

 THICK HONEY. 



BY O. B. METCAIiFE. 



On page 327, June 1, the editor asks for 

 reports on the Powell gravity strainer. I 

 I am ready to report now, for I tried that 

 principle two yeais ago, and found that it 

 was not practical for our thick honey. In 

 place of the iron pipe used by Mr. Powell I 

 soldered a semi-cylindrical piece of galvaniz- 

 ed iron up the outside of the tank, and a 

 spout on this. This was cheaper, lighter, 

 and (I should think) much more durable, 

 as it could not be so easily knocked off. The 

 one I made was 24 inches in diameter and 

 36 inches deep. I used a screen at the top 

 to catch all large particles, and to spread 

 out the honey so it would not pour down with 

 such force. 



When I made this strainer the idea was 

 original with me; and as it was the first 

 gravity-strainer scheme I had ever tried I 

 expected to revolutionize soon the bungle- 

 some old methods of straining and settling 

 honey. I expected to draw the honey right 

 from it into five-gallon cans ready to ship. 

 If I had to run it into a big ...ettling-tank I 

 would not be bothered with it, for I can 

 skim a five or seven thousand pound tank, 

 and forget about it, while I could clean up 

 such a contrivance as the Powell gravity 

 strainer. I think, however, that for bee- 

 keepers who have thin honey it will work 

 well enough to can direct from it. Some 

 may wonder how they are to know whether 

 or not their honey is thin enough to strain 

 M'ith such a small gravity strainer. If I un- 

 derstand the physics of this gravity-strainer 

 proposition it is as follows: The can must 

 be of sufficient diameter so that the column 

 of honey will not move downward faster 

 than impurities will rise in the grade of hon- 

 ey to be strained. Could not a bee-keeper 

 who wants to know how large a gravity 

 strainer he needs take some of his thick hon- 

 ey as it comes from the extractor, and, by 

 pouring it into a tall glass vessel, note how 

 fast the impurities rise in it, and, taking in- 

 to consideration how fast he extracts honey, 

 figure about how large a strainer he will 

 ha\ e to have without trying all sizes as we 

 did? 



We have finally settled on a 5000-lb. tank 

 which we use as a gravity strainer in a way 

 that involves the same princijjles as the 

 Powell strainer, the only difference being 

 that we substitute another man on the gang 

 for the up-pipe or outside tube. It is the 

 business of this man to keep the honey al- 

 ways near the top of the tank, and to draw 

 it off as fast as it runs in from the extractor. 

 It works very well when it is standing right 

 out in the boiling hot sun, and for the most 

 part our honey now comes in from the out- 

 yards in shape to ship. At first thought 

 this extra man seems to be expensive; but 

 he is not, for the honey must at some time 

 be drawn off, weighed, and the cases nailed 

 up. The one man can do all of this, and 



