78 
THE AUSTRALIAN BEEKEEPERS’ JOURNAL. 
extracted every week or so ; then again I am 
not so sure about it. Of one thing 1 aru 
certain, more honey can be secured with less 
hives and fixtures where it is extracted when 
the bees first begin to seal it, than can be 
gotten by the other method. 
As to the labor there is little difference, 
except that when we extract often the labor 
comes at a time- of year when wo are the 
most crowded. To be sure the operation is 
gone through with oftener, but to offset this, 
there is little or no uncapping to be done, 
while the honey leaves the comh more clean 
with less than one-lialf the labor in turning 
the extractor. If the season is warm and dry 
I would just as soon have honey extracted 
as above, as that left on the hive the season 
through, but if cool and damp I prefer it 
ripened all that is possible by the bees, and 
even then it is not as good as the other. In 
my opinion the season lias more to do with the 
quality of the honey than the process of 
ripening. If we decide to extract oftener, 
the hive we have already added (if both con- 
tain two thousand or more cubic inches) is 
probably all the room the bees will need, but 
if left on during the season, one more and 
probably two will be needed. In putting on 
the third story I do not use the dummies, for 
by this time the weather has got so warm and 
the bees so numerous that they will spread 
out so as to occupy the whole of the extra 
hive. This hive should he put on when the 
bees have the combs in the second story sealed 
along the tops of the frames, or soon after you 
would commence extracting if working the 
other way. Many say raise up the second 
story and place this third hive between the 
two ; hut after repeated trials of both I prefer 
placing it on the top for I think the bees will 
occupy it just as quickly if tire honey flow 
continues, while if it from any cause should 
be cut off at this time or soon after, we are in 
much better shape in not having the honey 
scattered through the three hives with few if 
any combs full. If a fourth story is needed, 
put on the same as the third, when after the 
season is over you will begin to carry the 
honey to the honey house and extract. 
To get the honey off I find it is the best way 
to go to a hive and blow a perfect deluge of 
smoke down on the bees from the top of the 
combs, and as soon as the bees have run below 
take off that story and sot it on your wheel- 
barrow or honey cart, not attempting to get 
more than one story from one hive at t he same 
time ; for, if we do, the boos will return to the 
next story before you can get it off, when 
smoke is of little use to drive them. Before 
extracting save plenty of good} full combs for 
wintering and spring feeding. If the weather 
is cool, when you wish to extract, place the 
combs of honey in a small room for three or 
four hours previous, in which the temperature 
is kept as warm as 100 degrees, when you can 
take them out as you wish to uncap and 
j ext ract them, doing this work as easily as on 
■ a hot day in July or August. 
In the above I have given a brief outline of 
how I work for extracted honey, and as a proof 
that it is an average plan at least, will say 
that I have taken as high as 560 pounds of 
honey from a single colony in one season. 
Tn conclusion I will say that the getting of 
multitudes of bees, just at the right time, has 
more to do with the successful working for 
honey than anything else, and when all 
realise this and work for the same to the 
fullest extent, one-half of the colonies will 
gather as much surplus as the whole do under 
our present management. 
Borodino, N. Y. 
♦ 
An Experience with Swarming. — On 14th 
October three hives swarmed within ten 
minutes of one another, one first, and two 
second swarms ; they all united in one cluster, 
and were all hived in one hive. Two hours 
after they swarmed out, and separated in two 
swarms, but quickly united again, and were 
hived as one swarm. In half an hour they 
sallied out again, and re-entered the hive 
irom which the prime swarm issued, leaving 
a queen, and a handful of bees only, in the 
hive they had been placed in. Query — Which 
queen returned to old hive, and if one was 
destroyed, was it probably the oldest ? 
CHEAP LANGSTROTH FRAME HIVES. 
A CHANCE. 
E wish to Realise on our Stock of 
60 First-class, New Pattern 
LANGSTROTH BEEHIVES 
At TJnder Cost Prices. 
.A.. H.A.LST SZELLT c&c Go., 
20 FLINDERS STREET W. 
|icchcccpevs’ ^uppln Co., 
18 F1AKKI.IN ST., 
L. T. CHAMBERS, Manager. 
“ Langstroth,” “ Heddon,” “ Alley,” or any 
other style of Hive in stock or made to order. 
Foundation Honey Extractors, Solar Ex- 
tractors, Section Boxes, and all the requisites 
of the Apiary. 
Bees, Queens, Brood, Eg-gs, supplied in any 
quantities. 
