23 



away by spraying around the outside of the building for a few 

 feet with a solution of carbolic acid and water with a little soap 

 added to emulsify it. The carbolic acid should not be used in the 

 house as honey will absorb its odor. 



The extractor, uncapping can and utensils used in handling 

 the honey should be so arranged as to facilitate the work. They 

 should be placed on a raised platform so that the honey can run 

 directly into the storage tanks. Directly below the honey gate of 

 the extractor should be hung a large bag made of fine cheese cloth 

 through which the honey is strained as it comes from the extrac- 

 tor. Under this bag a large funnel can be placed through which 

 the honey may run into a barrel, or it may be run into a tank and 

 later on into a barrel. By this method the honey is not hand- 

 led at all. When a barrej is filled the gate on the receiving tank 

 may be shut and the barrel removed and another put in its place. 

 If barrels are not used for storing honey it may be stored in five 

 gallon cans or large tubs. 



A reservoir might be needed below the straining bag as the 

 honey might come too fast from the strainer and the funnel 

 would not be able to take care of it. 



The number of men working depends upon the rapidity 

 of uncapping and the amount of honey to be extracted. When 

 a large amount of work is to be done three men work well 

 together, one at the extractor, one uncapping the honey (some- 

 times two uncap) and one man supplies them with boxes; in his 

 spare time the man supplying the boxes can clean un the frames 

 getting them ready to be returned to the hives. It is always cdn- 

 venient to have a large tub or shallow tank near the men uncarp- 

 ing in which to lay the uncapped frames or the empty ones which 

 come from the extractor. This tub or tank should have a false 

 bottom through which the honey can flow so that the frames will 

 not be standing in honey. The raispd platform on which tbe ex- 

 tractor stands should be large enough so that full boxes of honey 

 can be placed n<^ar the uncapper and there should also be suf- 

 ficient room for emty boxes to be piled near the man doing the 

 extracting so that he can return the empty frames to the boxes 

 at once. After extracting is over all the supers should be clean- 

 ed of wax and propolis. This is easily done by usinsT a pntty 

 knife or some of the handy scrapers found on the market. The 

 frames should be treated in the same wav, removirg all <he wax 

 which is found on the bars so that there will be no placp'5 ff^r 

 moths to work. This is also a good time to remove anv irrrgular 

 comb and repair frames wh'ch have been broken. Srrers with 

 empty frames should then be neatly piled giving each ore the 

 desired number of comb so that they may be returned to the hives 

 late in the afternoon. The best time to return supers to the 

 hives is towards evening or during the evenmer as the bees will 

 clean up the frames during the night and robbing i=! less likely to 

 occur. Supers may be returned in the afternoon when there is a 

 heavy flow of honey on. At such times the bees do not show a 

 tendency to rob but, if frames are returned during the day when 



