1919 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



15 



the cellar, the inference is that there 

 is too much ventilation. 

 Osage, Iowa. 



Beginning in Extracted Honey 

 Production 



By Oscar Ritland 



IF we are going to make the pro- 

 duction of "Extracted Honey"' 

 our life work it is of the great- 

 est importance to start right. For if 

 we do no: start right we cannot ex- 

 pect to succeed later on. 



In this paper I will give some of 

 the things which I think are import- 

 ant to anyone who is going to start 

 in the production of "Extr?cted 

 Honey." 



First, I would provide myself with 

 several of the leading textbooks on 

 beekeeping and study them over and 

 over again, and I would also sub- 

 scribe for one or two of the bee 

 journals. These ough; to be pre- 

 served for future reference. I have 

 every issue of the bee journals since 

 I began taking them, and I refer to 

 them constantly. New problems are 

 continually coming up and in the 

 back issues of the journals I can find 

 a solution to most of them. 



During the winter there is very 

 little to do with the bees. Then is 

 the time to make everything ready 

 for the coming year. If any hives are 

 to be made or bought, winter is the 

 time to attend to that. Frames 

 should be filled with foundation and 

 everything gotten in readiness, for 

 when summer comes we are usually 

 busy, and what a satisfaction it is 

 to have everything ready. 



Finally spring draws nearer and 

 we long for the time when we can 

 work with the bees on the summer 

 stands. If they are quiet in the cel- 

 lar I think there need be no hnrry 

 •about removing them. I would sug- 

 gest about April 1 to 10 for central 

 Wisconsin, depending upon the sea- 

 son. I like to have my bees out a 

 few days before soft maples bloom. 

 The queens usually begin laying 

 about the time of removal from the 

 cellar and there will be some brood 

 when the first pollen comes. 



From now on we want to do every- 

 thing in our power to make the colo- 

 nies prosper, so as to have them 

 strong early. Every colony should 

 be examined shortly after being 

 placed on the summer stands. If any 

 are found to be queenless the sim- 

 plest way to dispose of them is to 

 unite them with weaker colonies, 

 having a queen. Any colonies found 

 short of stores may be fed by giving 

 a comb of honey saved from the pre- 

 vious fall for this purpose. 



If the apiary is in a well protected 

 location and the hives are well made, 

 so there are no gaps at the corners, 

 and the covers fit snugly, I doubt if 

 it would pay to cover the hives with 

 paper. But if it is in a windy place, 

 or the hives are gaping at the cor- 

 ners, I think I would paper every 

 time. 



I do not fear a cold spell coming 

 shortly after the bees are removed 

 from the cellar as then there is only 

 little brood in proportion to the ma- 



ture bees. But after two or three 

 weeks of nice weather the brood will 

 have increased considerably while the 

 mature bees will have decreased; 

 then should a cold spell come, some 

 of the brood is liable to chill. This 

 is when the raper pays, and pays big, 

 for we do not want the bees to have 

 any setback at this time. If we can- 

 not get them strong and overflowing 

 with bees before the clover flow is 

 well advanced we will lose part of 

 the surplus. 



All queens' wings are clipped be- 

 fore the colonies become too popu- 

 lous, and as I keep a record of ever/ 

 colony, I make a note of it in the 

 book. I also keep a record of the 

 number of frames of brood each 

 colony has at each examination, 

 which enables me to tell which colo- 

 nies can spare brood in case I want 

 to help a weak colony. I find there 

 is quite a difference in the strength 

 of the various colonies in the spring. 

 Some have only three frames of 

 brood, while others have seven or 

 eight frames. In order that all colo- 

 nies may be ready for the same 

 treatment, at the same time, I draw 

 nearly mature brood from the 

 stronger and give to the weaker ones 

 until all are prosperous. 



As soon as a colony becomes 

 strong enough so that it fills one 

 story with bees, brood, pollen and 

 honey, a second story should be 

 given without excluder. If there is 

 any doubt as to whether a colony 



Royal palms near "Cubanacan," Indian name 

 of the place where is located now the city 

 of Santa Clara, Cuba. "Cubanacan" means 

 heart or center of Cuba, and the Indians 

 were right, as our city is in the middle of 

 the island. Urbans Trista. 



actually needs another story, I would 

 put it below the original brood 

 chamber, for there it can do no harm, 

 and as the bees need room they move 

 down. 



Any combs containing drone comb 

 should be placed by themselves and 

 used only over an excluder as stor- 

 age room, in order that the bees 

 need not waste time and energy in 

 raising drones. 



I prevent swarming by the well- 

 known plan of placing the brood 

 above the excluder and letting the 

 queen fill the lower chamber anew. I 

 leave one comb, containing the least 

 brood, below, and the queen keeps 

 right on laying. 



It is rarely necessary to place the 

 brood above again. After the brood 

 has been above the excluder for ten 

 days it will all be sealed and will be 

 fine for making increase. Here is 

 something I have learned about mak- 

 ing increase. It pays to make only a 

 moderate amount and to make it 

 early and strong. I think there 

 should be a laying queen in every 

 new colony from July 10 on, unless 

 the colony is made proportionately 

 stronger. For if a colony does not 

 become strong by fall it will be weak 

 in the spring and will not be ready 

 for the clover harvest. Far better, 

 then, to make only a moderate in- 

 crease and make it strong. 



If we have everything ready in the 

 line of extra hive bodies, etc., we can 

 simply add extra stories as the bees 

 need room. I want enough hive 

 bodies ready at the beginning of the 

 season to hold the largest possible 

 crop, for I don't extract until the 

 whole crop is ready. 



When we extract we must have 

 everything arranged conveniently and 

 the most uptodate tools to work 

 with. There is a great deal of satis- 

 faction in having everything go 

 smoothly. I have used the steam un- 

 capping knife two seasons and am 

 well pleased with it. The secret of 

 success seems to be to have plenty 

 of steam so that the jet does not die 

 down every time one gets into a 

 comb. 



I have also used the new friction 

 drive power extractor two seasons 

 with great satisfaction. It certainly 

 sends the honey out of the combs. 

 All of my combs are wired, so they 

 can whirl at great speed without in- 

 jury. A small gasoline engine fur- 

 nishes the power. The same engine 

 runs the saw in the winter and the 

 cream separator and churn between 

 times. 



This past season I built a honey- 

 house and workshop. It is 16x26, 

 two stories high, with bee cellar un- 

 der it. The upper story is used for 

 storing supplies and the first floor 

 for extracting honey, making hives, 

 etc. 



As the years go by, the stock of 

 extracting combs grows larger and 

 the crops of honey will be larger as 

 a result, and swarming will be more 

 easily controlled. The extracting 

 combs are valuable and should be 

 cared for. 



We ought also to try to improve 

 our bees each year by requeening 

 with queens of better stock. If our 



