108 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Queries mmd Replies. 



Pounds of Beeswax from One Hive, 



Query 828.— How many pounds of bees- 

 wax can be rendered out of the combs of one 

 dovetailed hive, with a solar wax extractor ? 

 —Subscriber. 



Various amounts, according to age, 

 condition, etc. — J. M. Hambaugh. 



With old combs I do not think you 

 will get more than one pound. — H. D. 

 Cutting. 



From one to two pounds, according to 

 age and condition of combs. — James 

 Heddon. 



If new combs, perhaps 2 pounds ; if 

 very old comb, not over X pound. — G. 

 L. Tinker. 



I have never used a solar extractor ; 

 probably from 1% to 2 pounds. — Mrs. 

 L. Harrison. 



I do not know. Much would depend 

 upon the age and condition of the 

 combs. — M. Mahin. 



It depends upon how many combs, 

 what size of combs, and how old they 

 are. — Dadant & Son. 



About one pound from an eight-frame 

 Langstroth hive (whether dovetailed or 

 not). — Mrs. J. N. Heater. 



One pound, more or less, depending 

 somewhat upon the age of the combs, 

 and the thoroughness of work. — Eugene 

 Secor. 



I do not know, as I never tried it. I 

 Should think about one pound, or a little 

 more, would come out of eight combs. — 

 Mrs. Jennie Atchley. 



It depends upon the state of the 

 combs. If in a good condition, about 

 two pounds. If filled with pollen, co- 

 coons, etc., if you get % pound you will 

 do well. — G. M. Doolittle. 



That would depend upon the age of 

 the combs. Old combs with the cells 

 filled with the cocoons of the larvse of 

 the bees will not yield as much wax as 

 new combs. — J. P. H. Brown. 



That will depend upon whether foun- 

 dation is used, if it is light or heavy, or 

 whether the comb is made by the bees ; 

 the more brood there has been reared, 

 the less wax can be secured. — A. B. 

 Mason. 



I do not know. I never used the 

 dovetailed hive, or the solar wax ex- 

 tractor. This question is not very clear. 

 You do not say how many stories high — 

 there may be 10, 20 or 30 combs. — E. 

 France. 



I once rendered a lot of such combs in 

 a wax extractor, and got very near two 

 pounds from eight combs, on the aver- 

 age, and I suppose a " solar " would do 

 as well. But combs are not alike. — R. 

 L. Taylor. 



' I have never tested the matter, but I 

 do not see why more or less could be 

 taken from a "dovetailed" than from 

 any other hive. As nothing is said 

 about size, the query reminds me of 

 "the old chestnut," viz. : " How big is 

 a piece of chalk ?" — J. E. Pond. 



All that there is in it, which will de- 

 pend upon the completeness of the 

 combs. A large solar wax extractor, 

 such as Mr. Larrabee now has in the 

 College apiary, is a most excellent ad- 

 junct to any bee equipment. The one 

 here is mounted" on two old tricycle 

 wheels, and is very convenient. — A. J. 

 Cook. 



Your question is too indefinite to haz- 

 ard an answer. You do not give the 

 size and number of the combs, and I 

 know of no hive in general use that is 

 put together with the joint known by 

 mechanics as "dovetailed work." I have 

 noticed, when rendering combs with my 

 solar wax extractor, that combs of the 

 Langstroth size will yield from 2% to 3 

 ounces of clean wax per comb. Combs 

 of the same size vary considerably in the 

 amount of wax they contain ; some sets 

 of combs of the Langstroth size average 

 over 3 ounces per comb. — G. W. Dem- 



AREE. 



Much more will depend upon the age 

 of the com.bs than upon whether the 

 hive was dovetailed or nailed together. 

 You will do well to get about one pound 

 from an eight-frame hive of ordinary 

 combs. — Editors. 



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