EXTRACTING HONEY SECURING COMB HONEY. 79 



two assistants uncap and extract the honey. If the bees are not gath- 

 ering honey and are therefore prone to rob, the person who removes the 

 combs from the hives should be assisted by an active boy who can 

 cover hives or cases quickly or lift the latter when necessary. The 

 combs when emptied may be returned at once to the hives if the bees 

 are still engaged in storing. The slight damage which they have sus- 

 tained under the uncapping knife or in the extractor will soon be 

 repaired ; indeed, with a little experience the uncappers will be able to 

 smooth and trim irregular combs in such a way as to render them 

 straighter after they have been through the extractor. It is particu- 

 larly desirable, in order to straighten the combs of transferred colonies 

 and get them in good working trim, that they be run for extracted 

 honey during the first year or two 5 moreover, a good yield of extracted 

 honey is more likely to be obtained from recently transferred colonies 

 than comb honey, especially if the manipulators are beginners in the 

 work. 



When the extracting is done after the close of the gathering period, 

 the greatest care should be taken not to start robbing. The surplus 

 combs should be returned to the hives just before nightfall, and not 

 even a taste of sweets of any kind should be left exposed. The object 

 in returning the combs is to have them cleaned up, and also to have 

 them under the protection of the bees until cool weather puts a stop to 

 the destructive work of wax-moth larvae. When sharp frosts occur, the 

 surplus combs may be removed from the hives and placed in a dry, cold 

 room. An open loft (if not infested with mice or if the combs are pro- 

 tected from the latter) is a good place, and it is much better to place 

 the combs so they do not touch each other. 



COMB HONEY. 



The general directions given in the preceding chapter on spring ma- 

 nipulation to secure populous colonies apply as well to those designed 

 for comb honey as to those which are to produce extracted honey. If any 

 difference is to be observed it is even more important that the former 

 be brought to the opening of the honey flow with the brood combs com- 

 pactly filled with developing bees to the exclusion of honey, than that 

 the latter should be so ; and colonies not strong enough to enter sections 

 readily, if at all, may still be utilized, and often do fairly well in the 

 production of extracted honey. 



The old-fashioned surplus boxes holding 25 to 30 pounds are regarded 

 quite as relics of the past by those who use frame hives and produce comb 

 honey in fine marketable shape, and even if for home consumption the 

 pound (fig. 56) and 2-pound sections are always preferred, since they 

 are so cheap, permit the use of comb foundation, and are in neat shape 

 and of convenient size for the table. 



Section holders (fig. 57) with sections folded and in place, each sec- 

 tion supplied with thin foundation, preferably full sheets, but at least 



