OR, MANUAL OF THE APIARY. 



325 



no capped houey can be extracted, it is necessary to uncap it, 

 which is done by shaving off the thin caps. To do this, noth- 

 ing' is comparable in excellence to the Bingham & Hethering- 

 ton honey-knife (Fig. 151). After a thorough trial of this 



Fig. 150. 



From American Bee Journal. 



knife, here at the college, we pronounced it decidedly superior 

 to any other that we have used, though we have several of the 

 principal knives made in the United States. I do not think 

 the bee-keeper can afford to use any other knife. This knife 

 is peculiar for its thick blade, which is beveled on the edge. 



USB OF THE EXTRACTOR. 



Although some of our most experienced apiarists say nay, it 

 is nevertheless a fact, that the queen sometimes remains idle. 



Fig. 151. 



Bingham Knife. — From T. F. Bingham. 



or extrudes her eggs only to be lost, simply because there are 

 no empty cells. The honey-yield is so great that the workers 

 occupy every available space, and sometimes they even become 

 unwilling idlers simply because of necessity. It is true that 

 the proper arrangement and best management of frames for 

 surplus would prevent this. Yet in every apiary such a condi- 



