316 
EXTRACTING 
the fall to last until the main flow begins 
in the spring. 
At this point the reader should read 
carefully the article on Building up Colo¬ 
nies. If the colonies are strong enough at 
the right time the crop will not be a fail¬ 
ure if there is any honey in the fields. 
WHAT KIND OF HIVES TO USE FOR PRODUC¬ 
ING EXTRACTED HONEY. 
Eor most localities the best results will 
be secured with ten-frame hives of Lang- 
stroth dimensions. There are, perhaps, 
some who would prefer the ten-frame 
Jumbo hive with an extracting-super of 
Langstroth depth; and there are a few 
who would consider a twelve or thirteen 
frame hive, Langstroth depth, most suit¬ 
able. But the objection to these very large 
hives is that they are very heavy to handle; 
and where the individual units are smaller 
it is easier on the beekeeper. 
Either the eight or ten frame Langstroth 
hive is standard. Either is light enough 
so that any one can pick it up, transfer it 
to a wheelbarrow or cart, on which it is 
then carried to the extracting-house. If 
the time ever comes when the beekeeper 
wishes to sell out he will get a better price 
for something that is standard than if he 
has some freak or odd equipment that the 
prospective purchaser is not used to and 
would not like. 
Another thing in favor of the Lang¬ 
stroth dimensions is the fact that they are 
just right for the brood-nest or for the 
extractor. Where one uses hives of extra 
depth like the Jumbo he is compelled to 
have a super of • shallower dimensions, as 
it is not practicable to extract from the 
large deep frame. By adopting the Lang¬ 
stroth depth thruout, one not only has a 
standard equipment, but his supers and 
frames are interchangeable, either for 
breeding purposes or for extracting. This 
one fact alone should decide the extracted- 
honey producer in favor of the Langstroth 
dimensions, even if there were no other 
considerations. Moreover, when brood-nest 
and super are one and the same the cost 
is less. 
If one is well advanced in years, or a 
person happens to be a woman, an eight- 
frame is a little easier to handle. But the 
ten-frame is much more of a standard, and 
the authors strongly advise adopting an 
equipment that is not only uniform but 
universal in this country. 
There are some few extracted-honey 
producers who prefer the ten-frame Lang 1 - 
stroth brood-nest and a shallow extracting- 
super having frames 5% inches deep. This 
equipment is standard, and has the further 
merit that the supers are much lighter 
than the full-depth Langstroth brood-nest. 
Shallow frames are very easy to uncap, 
and require a little less wiring. On the 
other hand, it should be clearly understood 
that nearly two frames must be handled to 
take the crop in place of one. This makes 
extra manipulation in uncapping, in tak¬ 
ing the frames out of the supers, and put¬ 
ting them in the extractor. 
HOW FAR TO SPACE THE FRAMES FOR PRO¬ 
DUCING EXTRACTED HONEY. 
Most of the Hoffman frames in use are 
made on a spacing of 1% inches from cen¬ 
ter to center. But there are many bee¬ 
keepers who space even these combs in 
their extracting-supers 1% inches, or about 
eight combs to a ten-frame Langstroth 
super. Many prefer nine combs to the 
super or a spacing of almost 1%. One 
would think that a self-spacing frame 
would have to be spaced in the hive so 
that the projections of the end-bars would 
come in contact. As a matter of fact, they 
can be spaced as far apart as the old-style 
unspaced frames, the bees bulging the 
combs in proportion to the spacing. The 
fat combs are a little easier to uncap be¬ 
cause there will be no low spots. Further¬ 
more, it is perfectly evident that one can 
uncap eight combs in less time than he can 
do the work on ten spaced the regulation 
distance. 
It is for these reasons that the wide 
spacing, eight combs to the ten-frame 
Langstroth super, is almost universal 
among extracted-honey men. If it is de¬ 
sired to use these combs in the brood-cham¬ 
ber again, the uncapping-knife cuts them 
down to their normal depth. Large num¬ 
bers of extracted-honey men believe that 
it is good practice, and that it pays, to cut 
off thick slices during uncapping. The 
combs are then as smooth and level as a 
board either for brood-rearing or for ex¬ 
tracting in a year or so of such treat- 
