242 CARE AND MARKETING OF HONEY 



once, while the honey is warm, it will he an advantage, as 

 it will flow more freely than if allowed to get cold by 

 standing a day or so in a cold room. 



The cappings, or cell covers, should be shaved of! with 

 a sharp knife, warmed by standing it in a pitcher of hot 

 water, and if cut from the bottom with a sawlike motion, 

 while the top of the frame is held forward, the cappings 

 will remain in a sheet and fall into the pan held below. 



When the uncapped combs are put into the cages of 

 the extractor, they should be so placed that the bottom 

 bars go around first, for thus the honey is more easily 

 thrown out as it leaves the cells in the direction of the 

 pitch given them by the bees when they are building their 

 combs. 



It is always advisable to return combs wet with honey 

 in the evening, so that the excitement they cause may be 

 over by the morning. Returning such combs at unsuit- 

 able times, and placing scraps of comb about for the bees 

 to clean, are undoubtedly the cause of much robbing. 



Before putting honey into kegs, place the kegs in a 

 dry place, driving up the hoops occasionally. Through 

 tin and glass no moisture can pass. The wood can be 

 made a little like glass by paraffining it. Have your kegs 

 hot by standing in the sun or otherwise; pour two or 

 three pounds of hot paraffin into the keg, bung tight, roll 

 the keg over and over, tipping it on each end, then knock 

 out the bung and pour out the paraffin. 



If you have been lively about it, you will get most of 

 your paraffin back, but a thin coating will be all over the 

 inside surface. 



About the worst thing you can do is to have the wood 

 of the keg soaked so the hoops are very tight before put- 

 ting in the honey. The honey will suck all the moisture 

 out of the staves, loosen the hoops, then ferment, and 

 perhaps burst the keg. 



There are other things besides bees and hives needed 



