294 
Beekeeping 
clean and heat it, while the other is in use. Recently a 
steam-heated knife (Fig. 117) has been put on the market 
which is highly recommended by those who have tried it; 
Steam is generated in 
a small boiler (such 
as a one-gallon honey 
can), passes through 
a hose into a hollow 
space in the knife 
Fig. 117. — Steam-heated uncapping knife. 
blade, escaping through a small hole in the tip. Some 
European beekeepers use an instrument like a comb (Fig. 118) 
for uncapping, but this is too slow for American beekeepers. 
In uncapping, the lower end of the comb is placed on some 
support and the comb is slightly tipped so that as the cap¬ 
pings are cut off they fall away from the surface of the 
comb (Fig. 119). If the 
knife is first inserted at 
the lower end of the comb 
and brought upward with 
a sawing motion, the cap- Fl °- 118 - — Comb for uncapping, used 
pings fall away easily and 111 Europe ' 
cause no inconvenience or smearing. Some beekeepers pre¬ 
fer to begin cutting at the upper end, thereby utilizing the 
weight of the knife in cutting the comb. The upward cut 
is practiced by most extensive beekeepers. 
Cans for cappings. 
The uncapping should be done over some sort of receptacle 
into which the cappings will fall. Hutchinson used a simple, 
cheap and satisfactory outfit, consisting of a barrel hung 
with bent wires on the edges of a galvanized iron tub. Across 
the top of the barrel is nailed a board through which is 
driven a nail with the point upward. One of the end bars 
of the frame is placed on this nail point and after one side 
is uncapped, the frame is turned on the nail. Some bee¬ 
keepers prefer to bore a one-inch hole in the cross piece 
into which the projection on the bar of the frame is inserted. 
