GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



May, 1922 



shall use two of these screen baskets for the 

 cheesecloth strainer, one to be draining 

 while the other is in use. When a second 

 bag is in place in the tank the work may be 

 resumed without further delay. 



This plan is no better than depending on 

 settling tanks alone; but it is usually much 

 cheaper, and ordinarily but one tank is 

 needed. To be sure, the one tank when full 

 lias to be kept from running over, so can- 



Fig. 2. — Cheesecloth bag that strained 10.000 lbs. 

 of honey before it had to be cleaned. The par- 

 ticles of cappiugs and other foreign material float 

 to the surface so that the strainer really has little 

 to do. 



ning is immediately necessary. With a 

 number of large tanks the canning may be 

 postponed, if desired. 



The Disposal of the Cappings. 



B. J. Kleinhesselink of Hardin, Mont., has 

 suggested a very practical improvement on 

 the capping-melter. It is simple, but some- 

 times the simplest ideas are the most valu- 

 able. The bottom of the melter, instead of 

 being flat, has V-shaped corrugations (Fig. 

 3).' The melting surface is thereby greatly 

 increased; but what is more important, the 

 ridges assist greatly in the quick melting of 

 tlie cappings, leaving cleared spaces under- 

 neath the wax for the honey to run away 

 quickly. There is nothing to clog up, even 

 if old brood-combs are being uncapped so 

 that there is considerable fibrous material in 

 the wax. In my opinion, the capacity of 

 such a melter is about 50% greater than one 

 of the same size but having a flat bottom, 

 and, what is more important, the honey is 

 less likely to be injured. 



Most of the time we had two uncappers at 

 work with steam knives. The capping-inelter 

 with two operating is crowded, or else there 

 is practically no room for the storage of un- 

 capped combs. It is easy, however, to build 

 a rack on one end of tlie table having a tin 

 trough underneatli to catch the dripping 

 honey frosn the uncapped combs. This al- 

 lows the entire length of the melter for the 

 two operators (Fig. 3). 



Unless steam is available, it is not pleas- 

 ant to stand over a two or three burner gaso- 

 line stove in a room already too warm for 

 comfort. Therefore, personally I have never 

 been over- enthusiastic over capping-melters. 



Moreover, the honey is frequently injured 

 somewhat, both in flavor and in color. I do 

 not believe the capping-melter exists that 

 does not have at least a slight effect on the 

 honey. In extreme instances the color is 

 changed so greatly that a difference can be 

 noticed 50 feet away when a jar of honey 

 from the melter is compared in a good light 

 with the same-sized jar containing honey 

 direct from the extractor. I shall give some 

 statistics in a later article as to the propor- 

 tion of honey in the cappings compared with 

 that extracted, but 15% is probably a mini- 

 mum and 30% to 35% a maximum of the 

 total amount of honey that is cut off with 

 tlie cappings. With care a capping-melter 

 need not darken the honey greatly, and if 

 this honey is mixed with the honey that is 

 extracted the effect is not very noticeable. 

 I have always felt it a mistake to pour honey 

 badly discolored from a capping-melter in 

 with good honey. With a capping-melter 

 liaving a corrugated bottom, I am satisfied 

 tliat the honey, if the melter is carefully 

 handled, need not be greatly injured. 



In any building having steam it is advis- 

 able to avoid the use of separate stoves by 



Fig. 3. — Capping melter in which the hot water i.'; 

 heated by steam. The steam enters at the lowest 

 end of the melter and the water overflows at the 

 highest end. The extracting was done so far from 

 the power house tliat the steam contained a great 

 deal of water. To get dry steam for the uncapping- 

 knives we had to use a copper boiler over a stove. 

 We have experimented with four or five different 

 electrically heated knives, but have always re- 

 turned to the steam knive, as there is no difficulty 

 in maintaining a uniform temperature with a 

 steam-heated blade. The rack built beyond the 

 end of the melter furnishes storage space for un- 

 capped combs and gives two operators plenty of 

 room for uncapping. 



