THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 



209 



We all know how easy it is to trip up and 

 shake off the bses from a light brood 

 comb, but when you begin to shake one of 

 these great, fat combs of honey, that 

 weigh from seven to eight pounds each, 

 you run up against something real. So it 

 did not take long to "invent" abetter way 

 than shaking. We now smoke 90 oer 

 cent, of the bees out of the upper story. 

 then, before they have time to come back 

 above, lift the upper story off and set it 

 on one of the empty bodies we carried 

 out on the wheel-barrow. If there is an 

 other story to come off this hive, repeat 

 the operation and set the last on top of 

 t!ie first removed. These upper stories 

 should be placed in such a position that 

 you can stand in one place and remove 

 the honey and just swing around and be 

 in a position to sweep the bees from the 

 combs in front of the hive. In removing 

 the com.bs from the hive, take hold with 

 the thumb and first finger as usual and 

 lift out the comb: now let go with the 

 right hand, and, without changing the po- 

 sition of the left hand in the least, let the 

 comb swing down towards the entrance. 

 Now turn your left hand in such a posi- 

 t'on that the top-bar of the frame will be 

 towards you, or, in other words, were 

 you to crane your neck a little either way 

 you could see the bees on either side of 

 the comb. Now take your bee brush in 

 your right hand, and you are in a position 

 to sweep the bees from both sides of the 

 comb without changing your position, 

 more than to rock your comb just a little. 

 As fast as the combs are freed of bees 

 they are placed in the other empty body 

 on the wheel-barrow, and if robbers are 

 troublesome keep covered with the robber- 

 cloth. 



We will now wheel our load into the 

 honey house; as we enter the honey house 

 with our load of honey, we turn a little to 

 the right, as we want to unload a little in 

 front of the center of the house, as this 

 point is opposite of the uncapping barrel. 



This uncapping barrel is simply a 

 cracker barrel, that can be had :.t any 

 grocery, usually for the asking. Bore 



some holes in the bottom for the honey to 

 drain through into a galvanized wash tub 

 below, some supports being provided to 

 hold the barrel up. from the bottom of the 

 tub, so as to form a reservoir to hold 



CRACKER B,i\RRE'i. AS AN UNCAPPING CAN. 



what honey drains out while using. You 

 will need several tubs, as the cappings 

 will drain for a long time; and when one 

 barrel is full, it is set over an empty tub 

 to drain. 



The knack of uncapping is not acquired 

 in a day. so this job usually falls on one of 

 the boys. Delbert, my oldest son. does 

 the uncapping at the Kalkaska Co., yard_ 

 while Arthur does most of it here at 

 Remus. 



ADVANTAGES OH THICK COMBS. 



Our old framo. with 1 1-16-inch wide 

 top bar, is not to my liking. All of cur 



