(i L K A N I N f4 S IN BEE C U L T U R 1'^ 



July, 1922 



How to Take Off the Honey. 



While supers of honev can be removed 

 from the hive without a bee-escape without 

 much trouble during the lioney flow, at the 

 close of the honey flow the bee-escape is al- 

 most a necessity. 



If the bee-escape is not used, the combs 

 must be. taken out of the extracting-supers 

 one at a time and the bees brushed and 

 shaken off. To do this, an empty super 

 should be at hand in which to put the combs 

 as they are taken from the bees. When the 

 hive is first opened the bees should be 

 started down out of the super with smoke 

 and should not be permitted to return. As 

 eacli comb is taken out it should be given a 

 quick jerk to shake off most of the bees, 

 then those remaining should be brushed off 

 with a bee-brush or a large turkey-wing 

 feather. The first two or three combs can 



Putting in the hee-escape board. 



be shaken in front of the entrance, but the 

 remainder can be shaken back into the now 

 vacant portion of the super on the hive. If 

 robbers are troublesome, the honey should 

 be kept well covered with a piece of can- 

 vas. In doing this kind of work, two can 

 operate to better advantage tlian one. 



In taking off comb-honey supers without 

 a bee-escape, most of the bees should be 

 smoked out of the super. As the cover is 

 lifted, the bees should be started down at 

 once with smoke and kept on the go until 

 they are out of the super. If they are per- 

 mitted to stop on the way they will fill 

 themselves witli honey, and, after they once 

 got their heads into a cell, they pay but lit- 



tle attention to smoke. When the cover is 

 first lifted, the bees on top of the sections 

 can be brushed off over the edge of the 

 super, the operator brushing and smoking at 

 the same time. While the bees are being 

 driven down, the super should be pried 

 loose but not lifted until most of the bees 

 have gone below. Then one end of the 

 super should be lifted and at the same time 

 pulled slightly backward so one end will 

 rest on the brood-chamber or the super be- 

 low, while the super being removed is 

 brought almost to a vertical position. This 

 should be done so quickly that the bees on 

 the bottom of the super do not have time 

 to go back into the super before they can 

 be brushed off. When this operation is com- 

 plete most of the bees should be out of the 

 super, and it is ready to be carried into the 

 shop Avhere the rest of the bees will soon 

 leave it and fly to the windows when they 

 can be permitted to escape by opening the 

 window for a few seconds. Great care should 

 be taken to keep the honey where the bees 

 can not get at it; for, if they should be able 

 to do so, they would rob it out and carry 

 it back to the hives. 



When the bee-escape is used in removing 

 the honey, simply lift the super and insert 

 the bee-escape board with the bee-escape in 

 place below it, being sure that the flat side 

 of the escape-board is down, and that the 

 bee-escape is in position so that the bees 

 can pass down througli it. See that there 

 are no cracks through which bees might 

 gain access to this super, for when the bees 

 desert it robbers would get in if they could 

 find an opening anywhere large enough to 

 squeeze through. Witliin 12 to 24 hours the 

 bees sliould all, or nearly all, be out of the 

 super when it can be taken away without 

 disturbing the bees. This is by far the best 

 way to take off honey, especially at the 

 close of the season. 



When taking away the honey, the bee- 

 keeper must not forget that the bees must 

 have enougli honey left for their own use 

 during* the fall, winter and spring. Thou- 

 sands and thousands of colonies are lost or 

 rendered practically useless every year, be- 

 cause their owners fail to leave them 

 enougli to live on during the time but little 

 or no nectar is to be had from the flowers. 

 One of the best ways to provide for the 

 bees is to have a second story for each hive. 

 At the close of the honey flow this second 

 story should be nearly two-thirds full of 

 honey. This can easily be arranged when 

 producing extracted honey; but, when comb 

 honey is being produced, it is necessary to 

 plan ahead to have this honey stored in the 

 combs. It is a good plan to take off comb- 

 honey supers a little before the honey flow 

 closes, and give a second story so the' bees 

 will store some honey in it. After the two- 

 story equipment is once supplied, tliis sec- 

 ond story can usually be filled with honey 

 during the early part of the honey flow to 

 make sure tliat it will be on liand when 

 needed. 



