EXTRACTED HONEY—HONEY FLOW AND HARVEST. 
CHAPTER XII. 
The outfit for extracted-honey production, it will be remembered 
(page 11), is the same for comb-honey except that an extractor and an 
uncapping-knife will be needed, and instead of comb-honey supers ex- 
tracting-supers will be needed. 
Differences Between Comb and Extracted Honey Production. 
As already pointed out it is much easier to produce extracted honey 
than to produce comb honey, for bees are less inclined to begin work in a 
super of small section boxes than they are in a super of large combs; also 
the bees are obliged to convert considerable honey into wax in order to 
draw the foundation of the sections into comb, whereas in extracted-honey 
production the same comb is used year after year and the bees are there- 
fore able to store all their freshly gathered honey in the combs, instead of 
converting part of it into wax. Furthermore, the extracted-honey pro- 
ducer is able to give an abundance of empty combs in order to prevent 
swarming, but the comb-honey producer is obliged to keep his colonies 
more crowded for room in order that the sections shall be well filled and 
most of them completed. For partially sealed sections of comb honey 
bring a lower price than fully sealed sections, while this is not true of ripe 
but unsealed honey in extracted-honey supers, all of which can be ex- 
tracted and sold. 
These differences, as we have already noted, necessitate a difference in 
management, and we shall accordingly discuss the management for ex- 
tracted-honey production and the management for comb-honey production 
separately. 
Preceding the Honey Flow. 
Throughout the spring each colony from which the beekeeper expects 
surplus should be supplied with sufficient packing to keep it warm, a good 
queen, and plenty of stores—at least 10 pounds or the equivalent of two 
combs of honey. In case one uses double-walled hives as we advised, 
the top packing should be left on as long as it does not interfere with 
handling the colonies, and the entrances should not be made large until 
the weather becomes so warm and the colonies so strong that more ventila- 
tion is necessary, as indicated by bees hanging out on warm days. Some- 
times it may be of advantage to leave top packing and contracted entrances 
until a few weeks before the main honey flow. 
‘If colonies become crowded for room before the honey flow, they should 
be given a hive-body ‘containing frames of drawn comb, or foundation in 
case one lacks the drawn comb. This hive-body should be the same size as 
the brood-chamber, so that two or three frames of brood may be raised 
71 
