§ XI V.J THE HONEY-EXTRACTOR. 195. 



cog-wheel causes the spindle to revolve at great speed. 

 The machine is mostly used for frames of combs taken 

 from stock hives whilst the honey-gathering is at its height. 

 When the frame is removed from the hive whilst at 

 full work, the bees have to be shaken or brushed off 

 with a feather, and those cells that are sealed have to 

 be uncapped by sha\ing the waxen lids off with knives,, 

 of which there should be two, one to be kept immersed 

 in a vessel of hot water, whilst the other is used until it 

 becomes cold, and so alternately until the required work 

 is accomplished. The knife being warm very much aids- 

 in slicing through the wax as near the top as possible,, 

 and prevents tearing the tender comb. This must be 

 done carefully so as to disturb the form of the cells as 

 little as possible, and not to touch the brood cells, from 

 which honey cells are easily distinguished. The frame 

 is placed in one of the wire cases, and a second may 

 be treated in the same manner and dropped into the 

 extractor. A few turns of the handle eject the honey by 

 centrifugal force, and a little practice will inform the 

 operator of the requisite degree of speed, though some 

 honey is more tenacious and takes a few more turns than- 

 other. When on examination it is found that the honey 

 is gone out of one side, the cases will then have to be 

 reversed, and a few more turns will clear the cells on the 

 other side. The frames should now be returned to the 

 hive for the bees to refill, and two other frames of comb 

 may take their places in the extractor, and so on until all 



