82 DR. MILLER^'S 



A. It may be extracted early if it is sealed; otherwise not till 

 the crop is well over. It may sour, and the flavor may be poor. 



Q. Owing to the lack of supers I extracted some honey when 

 about two-thirds capped. Will it do to sell it that way? 



A. If the honey is very thin, it is better not to sell it in that 

 condition, but the mere fact that a third of it is still uncapped 

 does not condemn it. If it is good, thick honey, it does not matter 

 that it was partly unsealed. If thin, it may be brought to a better 

 consistency by letting it stand uncovered where it will be heated 

 to 100 or 125 degrees. 



Extracting-Combs. — Q. Can I get honey out of the extracting- 

 frames without the extractor? Can I melt it over the stove some 

 way without breaking the comb, and will the bees store honey in 

 the comb again? 



A. No; if you want to save the combs, it's the extractor or 

 nothing. 



Q. Can good extracting-combs be built in Hoffman wired 

 brood-frames from 2-inch starters of medium brood-foundation? 



Will they stand extracting as well as combs built from full 

 sheets? 



A. Yes, fairly good. 



No; and for two reasons. Most of the comb will be built with- 

 out any foundation, and the septum of natural comb is more 

 tender and thinner than that in foundation. Also, the wires in 

 this natural comb will not be all in the septum, as will the wires 

 in full sheets of foundation. 



Q. Can new combs be used for extracting when built on full ' 

 sheets of comb-foundation and wired? 



A. Yes; but while they are new and tender it is well to use 

 caution in extracting, if they are very full. Turn not too rapidly, 

 and extract perhaps half the honey on one side. Reverse the 

 comb and extract all the other side. Then reverse again and fin- 

 ish the first side. 



Q. Which would you recommend, the 8 or 10-frame, full or 

 shallow super, for the production of extracted honey? 



A. Ten-frame hives, or larger, for brood-chamber, and I 

 think I should prefer shallow extracting combs. 



Extractors. — Q. Will it pay me to get an extractor for twenty 

 colonies? 



A. Yes; or for three, especially if you expect to increase. 



Q. I am thinking of buying an extractor. What kind would 

 you advise me to get? How about the Novice 4-frame non- 



