A Modern Bee-Farm 



CHAPTER XIV. 



THE PRODUCTION OF HONEY. 



THE system hereafter to be described will be based upon 

 the non-swarming principle just explained ; the reader 

 will therefore understand that though not always expressed, it 

 is necessary that the vacant space, having only empty frames, 

 be provided either below or in front of the brood nest, according 

 to the style of hive in use. 



EXTRACTED HONEY 



is that which is removed from the combs by centrifugal force, 

 without breaking them up ; while the liquid is consequently 

 clear, and of far superior quality to that which by old-fashioned 

 methods was obtained by straining the whole mass of honey, 

 pollen, comb, and larvae, through a cloth. 



A common practice is to remove the honey before the cells 

 are capped over, and large weights of such " green stuff" are 

 often boasted of. As a matter of fact, however, such honey 

 never equals that left in the upper tiers until thoroughly 

 " ripened " by the heat and perfect ventilation of the hive. 

 When the combs are at least two-thirds sealed extraction may 

 commence, when generally an article of good consistency will 

 be procured. 



In the process of ripening, "green " honey loses considerable 

 weight by evaporation of the excess of water, and being passed 

 over a series of heated plates, its quality is inferior in every 



