THE HONEY EXTKACTOR AKD ITS USE. 185 



number is obtained. This indicates the wisdom of em» 

 ploying the bees, at intervals when their labor is not 

 directed towards surplus, in building such combs foi 

 future use, as elsewhere suggested. 



HOW TO EXTRACT. 



If one or two empty frames are at hand, place them in 

 an empty hive. Remove the hive to be extracted from 

 its stand, and put this empty hive in its place. Open the 

 hive that has been removed, find and cage the queen, and 

 place her in the empty hive on the old stand. Now shake 

 and brush the bees from the combs in front of the empty 

 hive, and take the combs to the room where the extract- 

 ing is to be done. With the honey knife, remove all cap- 

 ping from both sides, where the honey is sealed over. 

 The knife must be drawn from heel to point, in order to 

 cut the capping off smoothly, and avoid bruising the ends 

 of the cells. After all the cells are uncapped, place two 

 or four combs in the extractor, as it may hold, and turn 

 it with sufficient speed to throw out all the honey. 

 When the cells on one side are emptied, reverse them 

 and extract the opposite side. Proceed in this way un- 

 til all are emptied. Honey may be thrown from the 

 most tender combs without injuring them. When ex- 

 tracting from old combs, we get no pollen or anything 

 but the pure honey, thereby avoiding the impurities in- 

 cident to old fashioned strained honey. The inexperi- 

 enced should carefully observe the speed requisite to throw 

 out the honey, and where there are brood-combs, avoid 

 turning fast enough to dislodge the brood. 



Some writers claim that it is not practicable to extract 

 combs which contain any brood. I have practised it 

 freely, and when it is done judiciously, I see no harm re- 

 sulting, while several desirable ends are accomplished. 

 I do not wish any honey that has been in the hive one 



