.U i.v, 1920 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



T' 



[S 



TALKS TO 



ii By lona 



LJ 



'() be sure we 

 have a 1- 

 roady stat- 

 ed that the most 

 liclifjhtful t inie 

 to w 1" k w'itli 

 l)ces is at the 

 time of queen- 

 clipping, during 

 I' r u i t b 1' om, 



wlicu the wliolo world is just starting anew; 

 and yet, in spite of apparent inconsistency 

 we would now like to say that for pure en- 

 joyment and an expanding good w'ill toward 

 the whole world and everyone in it, we know 

 of no time quite like that of the harvest 

 when the heavily laden bees bj^ the thou- 

 sands are busily rushing in their golden 

 wealth to the accompaniment of the most 

 heavenly music they are capable of produc- 

 ing. 



This spirit of work is quite contagious 

 and the beekeeper likely feels inclined to 

 rush about and move the world a bit him- 

 self, and, if he is an extensive beekeeper, 

 there will probably be plenty of chance for 

 it; but for the beginner who is preventing 

 swarming and keeping his colonies supplied 

 with plenty of room as we have previously 

 advised, there will be little work for him to 

 ilo until the honey is ready for removal from 

 the hives. During this intervening time, he 

 would do well to review carefully our last 

 ■ ' Talk ■ ■ concerning robbing, swarming and 

 supering. 



Removing the Comb Honey. 



Comb honey should not be removed from 

 the hive until the cells are completely seal- 

 ed with the possible exception of a 

 few sections in the two outside rows. If 

 removed sooner than this, the honey will not 

 Ije properly ripened and will be likely to 

 ferment. Also such sections are not as nice 

 looking and do not bring as high a price. • 

 On the other hand if sections are left on 

 the hives too long, the snowy-white cappings 

 become soiled and travel-stained by the 

 thousands of feet daily tramping over their 

 surface; and altho such honey is just as good, 

 in fact a little better because riper, still it 

 is not as beautiful and does not sell for as 

 high a price. The different supers will be 

 completed and therefore removed at differ- 

 ent times. Before removing a super of 

 comb honey, it should be placed above the 

 supers not yet completed and just under it 

 should be inserted an escape board, rim side 

 up, and with escape in place. Then the 

 super should be very carefully covered so 

 that not a single bee may enter, for if a bee 

 succeeds in finding a crack big enough to 

 enter, a real case of robbing will soon be in 

 progress, and, unless stopped, will result in 

 one less super of comb honey. If the escape 

 bo;ird is put on during the middle hours of 

 the dav, the super may be removed the next 

 day. 



All that is necessary to prepare comb 

 honey for sale is to take a sharp knife and 

 carefully scrape the particles of wax and 



BEGINNERS 



Fowls 



1 



ILJ 



425 



propolis from 

 the outsides of 

 the sections. 

 S e c t i ons that 

 are to be stored 

 for the family 

 use should be 

 p i 1 ed carefully 

 so that no moths 

 may gain access. 

 Tf left in a damp place, the honey may fer- 

 ment, and if left where there are too great 

 changes of temperature it will granulate 

 more rapidly. Therefore, comb honey should 

 be stored in a dry warm place. 



Harvesting the Extracted Honey. 

 All combs of extracted honey that are 

 three-fourths sealed are ready for extract- 

 ing, but in the case of extracting supers 

 there is no great hurry for removal before 

 the cappings become travel-stained, for at 

 extracting time these cappings are sliced 

 off anyway and the honey removed by means 



The escape-board with rim side up is placeil just 



below the super to be removed. In about 24 hours 



the bees will have left the super when it may be 



removed. 



of an extractor. Therefore, those w^ho have 

 enough supers so that their bees may be sup- 

 plied with plenty of room until the flow is 

 over, will not need to extract until after 

 the flow and then the completed supers may 

 ail be removed. When left on until com- 

 pletely ripened the honey is thicker and has 

 a much finer flavor. The extracting supers 

 should be removed by means of the escape 

 board in exactly the same way as the comb- 

 honey supers. When first removed the hon- 

 ey is warm because of the heat from the 

 bees. Therefore it will extract more readi- 



