30 



THE COMMERCIAL APIARY. 



It is characteristic of industrial enterprise to strive for a 

 lower cost of production and in this regard industrial beekeep- 

 ing makes no exception. The determining factors are econo- 

 mical management of labor, utilization of labor-saving devices, 

 etc., etc. Additional apparatus is also necessary. The solar 

 extractor, for instance, is a device for utilizing the sun's rays 

 in melting down the wax of broken comb, burr comb, granu- 

 lated honey comb, etc., and of great utility in a large establish- 

 ment. This is a strong box, usually somewhat elevated from 

 the ground, and with a removable glass cover. The box is 

 lined with zinc, and has a false bottom at about one-half its 

 depth. This false bottom is made of heavy wire gauze or per- 

 forated zinc supported by means of cross-bars of wood. The 

 bits of comb and granulated honey are thrown in on this false 

 bottom, which, acting as a strainer, allows the wax and honey 

 to pass below as fast as it is melted, and at the same time 

 keeps the balance close up under the glass where it gets the 

 greatest amount of heat. The box is usually painted a dull 

 black and when in use is tilted a little so as to get as much 

 of the sun's direct rays as possible. Once melted the honey 

 and beeswax separate and the clear honey is drawn ofif from 

 the bottom of the box by means of a faucet provided for that 

 purpose, and the cakes of wax can be lifted out and treated as 

 desired. 



A very efficient apparatus for rendering wax is that invented 

 by Smith and Waterhouse and used by the Garden Island 

 Honey Company. This device is designed to handle any kind 

 of wax it is desired to render, but is especially useful in ob- 

 taining that which adheres to the frames after they have had 

 the main part removed by the use of a knife. The apparatus 

 consists of a water tank and a grease or wax trap, the latter 

 being connected with the tank at both top and bottom by 

 means of pipe. The pipe is fitted with a sufficient number of 

 stopcocks for convenient manipulation, and a brick fire-box 

 is built around the water tank to conserve heat, ^^'hen in use 

 the tank is nearly filled with water and wax. A strong fire 

 is built underneath, which brings the water quickly to boiling, 

 and by means of the ebullition and the formation of steam 

 a circulation is started in the pipes. The melted wax is car- 

 ried along with this movement of the water as far as the wax 

 trap where it collects and floats on the top of the water until 

 removed- 



The use of this device in recovering the beeswax from 



