50 



properly strained. It is the attention paid to this necessary detail that 

 aids in the sale of the crop, and wherl honey is properly treated it 

 readily commands a higher price. Fine wire-gauge strainers are usually 

 adopted, but even these are not sufficient to remove the smaller wax- 

 particles. In order to ensure perfect condition it should be passed 

 through good fine cheese-cloth before being run into the tank. Cheese- 

 cloth strainers are excellent, cheap, and are easily made, whilst at the 

 same time they can be readily cleansed. They remove everything but 

 the smallest particles of wax, which should be finally disposed of when the 

 honey is skimmed. This latter process is an important one, and should 

 always be carried out before the honey is put up in marketable form. 



Probably the most satisfactory method of dealing with both large 

 and small quantities of honey is to have a bag of fine cheese-cloth made 

 to reach to within 6 in. of the bottom of the tank, and fastened in 

 position right round the top of the tank. This strainer never blocks, 

 and may be used until the end of the season before cleansing. 



Care of Extracting-combs. 



If proper care is not to be exercised in storing the extracting-combs 

 when removed to the honey-house it is far better that they should be 

 stored in the hives. If the latter plan is adopted the mats must be placed 

 on top of the brood-chamber, and the supers tiered above the mats. 

 Unless the apiary is well sheltered, however, they must be weighted, 

 as the winter gales will easily overset them when only empty combs 

 are stored inside. It is far better to remove the combs if it can pos- 

 sibly be done, and thereby obviate the labour of lifting the supers if it 

 becomes necessary to examine the brood-chamber. But in this case the 

 combs must be properly housed to secure them from destruction by 

 mice and wax-moths. It is not uncommon to find tiers of extracting- 

 combs destroyed as the result of carelessness. Mice are especially 

 destructive, and the damage they will do in a short period is such as 

 to render the greatest trouble worth while in preventing them from 

 gaining access to the combs. The abnormal price of foundation now 

 ruling is making it far more costly to produce combs, and if large 

 numbers have to be annually produced the renewals become a severe 

 tax on the season's profits. 



During extracting many combs may become damaged, but the 

 damage can be repaired by the bees when the combs are returned to 

 the hives. As a rule, however, mice destroy the comlss beyond repair, 

 and no effort on the part of the bees can restore them to their original 

 form. It is during the working season that the beekeeper realizes the 

 value of combs in securing a crop. A shortage of combs during the 

 flow will often prevent the bees being kept in working-trim, and the 

 production of honey will be greatly restricted. Mice destroy the combs 

 to gain access to the pollen, and render them foul and offensive to the 

 bees. In the absence of a mouse-proof room the combs can be stacked 

 in supers tiered one above another. Be sure that there are no holes or 

 cracks in the supers through which the mice can obtain an entrance. 

 Place a queen-excluder at the bottom of the tier and another on the 

 top. Queen-excluders, if used as described, are a complete success in 

 preventing mice from destroying the combs during the off season. 

 Should the wax-moth be detected the combs must be fumigated. 

 Bisulphide of carbon is generally used for destroying insect-life, but it 

 should be used with great caution, as it is highly inflammable. It is 

 far better, when storing the combs at the end of the season, to place a 

 few moth-balls among them. This will usually be sufiicient to prevent 

 the attack of the moths. 



