63 



XVIII.— WAX BXTEACTING. 



Beeswax is worth about Is. 4d. per pound ; from each bar- 

 -„_ ^ frame hive worked for sections there 



r." ^.^^ would probably be three-quarters of a 



Extracting. pound of wax per season, and rather more 



i worked for extracting (118). The economical beekeeper 

 should therefore preserve all old comb, cappings, and scraps of 

 Eoundation, to be melted down for beeswax. Several patterns 

 3f extractors by which the wax is melted by steam hea,ting, are 

 sold at prices varying from about 10s. upwards ; there is also 

 a solar extractor in which the wax is melted by the heat of the 

 sun. Steam extractors give the best results, and should be 

 used by those who have to deal with much comb, but the 

 system of rendering wax by boiling in water is very simple, 

 costs practically nothing for appliances, and gives satisfactory 

 results ; this system is therefore the most suitable for owners 

 of small apiaries. 



To extract beeswax by rendering, provide an iron pot of about 

 eight gallons capacity ; make a bag of 

 139. Extracting Wax coarse open texture canvas to contain the 

 by Eendering. comb which is to be rendered ; a bag about 

 15 inches long by 10 inches wide would be 

 suitable for an 8 gallon pot. Break or crumble the comb 

 which is to be dealt with into a small tub containing luke- 

 warm water, rejecting any comb which contains brood ; then 

 gather the fragments of comb lying in the water, press them 

 into large lumps, place the lumps in the bag, tie the mouth of 

 the bag securely, place the bag in the pot, letting it rest on a 

 piece of wood or a plate to prevent its being burnt, place a 

 heavy stone on the bag to press it down, put sufficient soft 

 water in the pot to cover the bag by three inches in depth and 

 yet to leave a space of at least three inches between the surface 

 of the water and the top of the pot, so as to avoid the risk of 

 setting the contents on fire when boiling ; boil for about two 

 hours, after which cool ; a cake of wax of fairly good quality 

 will form, and float on the water ; remove any dross adhering 

 to its under surface, then break it up and place it in a bowl 

 containing a little water, and set the bowl in a saucepan of 

 water which should be heated until the wax in the bowl is 

 thoroughly melted ; it may then be ladled into moulds or 

 allowed to cool in the bowl. By this system about three 

 pounds of very fine wax can be rendered in one boiling in an 

 8 gallon pot ; more could be dealt with by using a larger pot. 



XIX.— EOBBING. 



The term ' ' robbing ' ' as applied to bees, signifies the robbing 



../> « I.I.- of the honey stores in one hive, by the 



140. Robbing. ijggg „f ^j^o4gj._ ^ 



