61 
Always unite in the evening, after bees have ceased flying. If 
the bees that are to be united are short of 
food they should be fed rapidly (XII.) with 
warm summer syrup (178), given on the 
evening before uniting will take place. 
Bees whose honey sacs are full, are not 
only quieter on that account, but they will 
be more readily accepted by the bees to which they are to be 
united. 
137. Points to be 
observed in Uniting 
Operations. 
XVIII. WAX EXTRACTING. 
Beeswax is worth about ls. 4d. per pound. The economical 
beekeeper should therefore preserve all 
188. Wax old comb, cappings, and scraps of founda- 
Extracting. tion, to be melted into beeswax. Several 
patterns of extractors by which the wax is 
melted by steam heating, are sold at prices varying from about 
10s. upwards; there is also a solar extractor in which the wax 
is melted by the heat of the sun. Steam extractors give the best 
results, and should be used by those who have to deal with much 
comb, but the system of rendering wax by boiling in water is 
very simple, costs practically nothing for appliances, and gives 
satisfactory results; this system is therefore the most suitable 
for owners of small apiaries. 
To extract beeswax by rendering, provide a clean iron pot of 
about eight gallons capacity ; make a bag 
189. Extracting Wax of coarse open texture sacking to contain the 
by Rendering. | comb which is to be rendered ; a bag about 
15 inches long by 10 inches wide would be 
suitable for an 8 gallon pot. Reject any comb containing 
brood. Clear the combs of pollen as much as possible by shaking 
them and then by rinsing them in luke-warm rain water; then 
squeeze the comb into balls, and place these balls in the bag ; 
tie its mouth securely, and place it in the pot, letting it restton 
a piece of wood to prevent its being burnt: place a heavy flat 
stone on the bag to press it down, put sufficient soft water in 
the pot to cover the bag by three inches in depth and yet to 
leave a space of at least three inches between the surface of the 
water and the top of the pot, so as to avoid the risk of setting 
the contents on fire when boiling; boil slowly for about two 
hours, after which cool; as the water cools a thin cake of 
wax of fairly good quality will form on the surface ;| remove 
any dross adhering to its under surface, then break it up and 
place it in a bowl which has been rinsed with boiling water, after 
which about one to four tablespoonfuls of water should be placed 
in the bowl to prevent the wax sticking to it ; then set the bowl 
in a saucepan of water which should be heated until the wax in 
the bowl is thoroughly melted; it may then be ladled into 
moulds or allowed to cool in the bowl. By this system about 
three pounds of very fine wax can be rendered in one boiling 
