138 HANDY BOOK OF BEES. 



to certainty for all practical purposes. After deducting 

 the -weiglit of hive, board, and bees, we reckon 5 lb. of 

 honey for every 7 lb. weight. Suppose a hive weighs 60 lb. 

 The hive and board may weigh 10 lb. jointly, and the 

 bees 8 lb., leaving 42 lb. In this case there are 30 lb. 

 of honey, and 1 2 lb. of refuse combs. Another hive may 

 weigh 100 lb., the hive, board, and bees of which may be 

 21 lb. — leaving 79 lb. According to our standard, there 

 would be 57 lb. of honey and 22 lb. of refuse. In the case 

 of hives containing old combs, the yield of honey is less 

 in proportion to weight than it is in young or virgin 

 combs. Again, if the brood be all hatched, there will be 

 less refuse and more honey. And we need not add that 

 the yield of poor lean hives will be found wanting ; and 

 that in the yield of very fat ones, and those beyond 100 

 lb., there wiU be found a surcharge of honey. 



But let us now come to the process of taking honey. 

 As soon as the bees are driven out of honey-hives, they 

 should be carried into a warm room, and not allowed to 

 cool, for it is very difficult to impart heat to honeycomb 

 without melting their wax. The sticks crossing the 

 combs are withdrawn by a pair of pincers, the combs re- 

 moved from their hives, and the honey portions of them 

 caiefuUy cut off and placed on a ilat dish or mUk-pan, 

 standing near the fire, but not so near as to melt the 

 combs. Any pure white comb may be set aside for sale 

 as it is, and all the rest containing honey broken up with 

 a knife, and then put into a bag of cheese-cloth or thin 

 towelling to drain off into a vessel placed underneath. 

 The honey thus drained is as pure as it possibly can be, 

 if the bee-bread in the ceU has not been broken by the 

 knife. As many of the cells contain both bee-bread and 

 honey, there is great danger (in taking honey) of having 

 its flavour tainted by bee-bread. In this school we our- 

 selves are but pupil-teachers. We disapprove of hand- 



