PRACTICAL BEEKEEPING 



47 



right side up in the super, the foundation becoming firmly fixed in 

 a moment. 



To remove the bees from the supers when the latter are rilled 

 with honey, a handy device known as the Porter bee escape has been 

 provided. It consists of two springs so adjusted as to permit a bee 

 to squeeze out but not to return, operating in effect like a rat 

 trap. This little tin device is fitted in the center of a honey ooard 

 the size of the top of the hive and then slipped under the super the 

 night before it is desired to remove the honey. Care should be taken 

 not to smoke the bees much when removing comb honey as this 

 alarms them and they bite into the white cappings and so cause 

 the sections to run and drip afterwards. By morning the greater 



Fig. 11. A rotary honey extractor. 



part of the bees will be out and the sections can be easily taken 

 away in the best of condition. The super should not be allowed 

 to remain long on the hive after the bees have left it, if the weather 

 is at all warm, as there is no ventilation after the bees are gone and 

 the combs are likely to melt down and cause the honey to run. This 

 same device may be used also with top stories but usually it goes 

 much faster to brush the bees with full frames and it does not mat- 

 ter if the cappings are injured in this case. To keep the bees from 

 returning to the combs as they are taken from the hive, the combs 

 may be placed in what is known as a comb bucket. This bucket 

 is made of tin with a cover and arranged to carry four or five combs 



