16 



d warm situation. Extraction is carried out by means of an 

 extractor (Fig. 7) which consists of a tin cylinder fitted with 

 an inside cage working on a spindle, to the top of which is 

 attached a handle so that when the latter is turned the cage 

 will revolve. The cage will accommodate either two standard 

 or shallow combs, one on either side, or twelve sections, six 

 on either side. 



The fijst operation in extracting honey is to uncap the 

 combs. For this purpose a special knife can be purchased, 

 but an ordinary sharp carving knife will serve the purpose 

 equally well. A jug, the depth of the length of the knife 

 blade, is filled with hot water, and the knife inserted. If a 

 cold knife is used it will tear the comb and spoil it for future 

 use. A large meat dish will also be required to receive the 

 cappings as they are cut off. A comb should be taken in the 

 left hand, held by one lug, the other lug being rested on the 

 meat dish with the comb in a vertical position. The top is 

 then shghtly iuchned towards the right hand, in which the 

 knife is held. By this means the cappings, when cut off, will 

 fall clear of the comb and will not adhere to it, which would 

 be the case if the comb were held quite upright. The cappings 

 are removed by cutting upwards from the bottom of the comb 

 with a see-saw movement. A neat operator will be able to 

 remove all the cappings in one upward movement. Between 

 the cappings and the honey there is an air space, so that if a 

 thin cut is made the knife will pass through this air space, 

 and very little honey will be left on the cappings, thus saving 

 the considerable labour which would be involved in draining 

 them if a thick cut is made with a consequent large amount 

 of adhering honey. 



Having removed the cappings from each side of two combs, 

 the latter are then placed one in either side of the cage, in 

 the pocket provided for this purpose. The cage is then turned 

 rather slowly. The combs are heavy, and if turned rapidly 

 at first they will break. When a portion of the honey has been 

 extracted from one side, the combs are reversed, and the other 

 side treated in a similar manner. After this, both sides can be 

 extracted completely by revolving the cage more rapidly. As 

 the cells of the comb have an upward inclination extraction 

 can be expedited by so placing the combs in the cage, that 

 when tui-ned, the bottom bar leads. 



When the honey in the extractor reaches to the cage, it is 

 drained off, by means of the tap at the bottom, and passed 

 through a muslin strainer into 28 lb. tins, or other suitable 

 vessels. 



The wet combs are ^ow given back to the bees to clean down. 

 To do this neatly and without inciting robbing, the clearing 

 board is left in position over the colony, and the tin slide 

 over the hole seen on the front side of the board is withdrawn 

 so that the bees can pass freely up into and down out ol the 



