274 BEE MANIPULATION. [Ch. v. 



frames, or across from comb to comb. Such cells must 

 be severed and the materials melted down for wax. 

 There are also cases in which fine white combs of honey- 

 can be taken from the end frames of the stock hive ; 

 but probably not more than one comb could be removed 

 in a season without impoverishing the bees. 



§ XVI. EXTRACTING HONEY. 

 Those of our readers who prefer eating " run honey " 

 to honey in the comb may be glad of some instruction 

 as to the best method of separating the two. Beyond 

 all question they will find this in the use of the honey- 

 extractor (page 193), but in default of such, and for 

 extracting honey from combs made in supers, the fol- 

 lowing should be the course pursued : — 



Take a sharp knife, and slice the combs on both sides, 

 keeping the knife parallel with the partition wall, so that 

 every cell may be laid open. Place these broken combs 

 in a sieve, or on a piece of muslin stretched across and 

 tied round the opening of a pan or large-mouthed jar. 

 Allow the honey to flow out of the combs spontaneously, 

 and reserve the squeezing process for a separate jar, so 

 that the honey of the first-drained jar may be perfectly 

 pure, both in appearance and flavour. That which has 

 pressure put on it will be waxy in flavour and thick. 

 Some persons recommend that the opened combs be 

 placed in the sun, as the heat will cause the honey to 

 run more freely. The great disadvantage of this is the 



