EXTRACTED HONEY. 459 



tion (674), or even with old worker combs, and can be used 

 indefinitely, since the honey is extracted from them, and they 

 are returned unbroken -to the bees. We have now several thou- 

 sands of these combs, some of which have already passed thirty 

 or forty times through the extractor and are now as good as 

 at first, nay, even better; for some, which were very dark, are 

 lighter in color now, on account of the dark cells having been 

 shaved by the honey knife and mended, by the bees, with new 

 wax. These supers are given to the bees, a few days previous 

 to the opening of the honey crop. 



The mat (353), and cloth (353), are removed and the 

 upper story is placed immediately over the frames (fig. 72). 



TGO. One great advantage of this style of supers, lies in 

 the facility, with which the bees can reach the upper story 

 from any comb, or from any part of a comb, either to de- 

 posit their honey or for ventilation, during hot weather. Bees 

 show their preference for these large receptacles very decidedly. 

 For comparison, let two or three wide frames (734)— filled 

 with sections which are of more difficult ventilation and access 

 — be placed in the center of one of these supers with some 

 extracting frames on each side, all equally filled with strips 

 of foundation, and the small sections (723) will be filled last 

 almost in every instance, even although placed nearest to the 

 center of the brood-nest. 



Mr. Langstroth was the first to call the attention of Apiarists 

 to the loss incurred by compelling bees to store the surplus 

 honey in small receptacles. The bee-keeper cannot afford to 

 sell honey stored in small sections, except at a considerable 

 advance over its value in large frames. It is for this reason 

 that some Apiarists have practiced producing comb honey in 

 large frames, which has been sold in ''chunks." They find it 

 pays, in some markets, although sold at a less price than honey 

 in sections. 



For extracting, a super as shallow as that used for one- 

 pound sections is not satisfactory. It requires too much 

 handling, for the quantity of honey that may be stored in a 



