ONE YEAR AMONG THE BEES. 119 



In removing the frames of honey from the hives of bees, we limit 

 ourselves to the upper story, exclusively. We never extract honey 

 from the brood chamber, but leave all that is stored there for the use 

 of the bees. There has been considerable discussion with apiarists 

 for some years past in regard to the proper time for extracting honey, 

 with special reference to the condition of the same in the combs. 

 Honey, when first gathered by the bees, is thin and unripe, and by 

 letting it remain in the combs until the bees seal it or cap it over, it 

 becomes thoroughly ripe. If taken from the comb soon after being 

 deposited and before it is sealed over, it frequently is so thin that it 

 will sour ; but in most cases it will ripen into a fair quality of honey 

 in time, if kept away from dampness. By extracting before the combs 

 are sealed up, it saves considerable labor, not having to uncap the 

 honey and the extracting being more easily done. It is now generally 

 conceded that the proper time to extract is about the time of the seal- 

 ing of the combs. Some extract when the bees begin sealing, and 

 some just after the combs are well sealed. 



The most extensively used packages for handling extracted honey 

 are square tin cans holding sixty pounds each, and are shown on the 

 left in figure 16. The most popular small package, for retailing, are 

 Mason's glass fruit-jars, and also quart and half-gallon tin cans. For 

 a small local trade, the common tin fruit-can, holding a quart, is the 

 cheapest, and is in every way very convenient. Having a large open- 

 ing, this can will admit of removing the honey in granulated form, and 

 such cans may be filled and placed away until cold weather and the 

 honey will be formed in a sugary mass resembling lard. All ex- 

 tracted honey will granulate during autumn and winter, and many pre- 

 fer to use it in this form, but if not desired in this form, it may easily 

 be brought back to liquid by placing the package containing it in hot 

 water. It must not be boiled, but simply heated until it returns to 

 liquid. 



The large can shown 011 the right of the picture with the faucet, is 

 very convenient for filling small packages, and also for retailing in 

 small amounts. All extracted honey should be thoroughly strained, 

 and no strainer made of wire will give as good satisfaction as a piece 

 of thin muslin or cheese-cloth made in the form of a bag, about ten 

 inches long, holding perhaps five pounds of honey, the weight of 

 which forces it through the cloth. 



HIVING SWARMS. 



It has been the common practice, when the bees swarm and settle 

 on trees and they usually settle on fruit-trees to cut off the branch 

 containing the swarm. This is not only laborious, but it is a great 

 damage to fruit-trees, and many valuable trees from this cause have 



