EXTRACTING 
321 
much as possible. It may be mentioned 
here that some large extracted-honey pro¬ 
ducers prefer to leave all honey on the 
hives as long as possible, claiming that by 
so doing they get a much thicker and bet¬ 
ter grade. This is a very good plan for 
localities where there is no dark honey 
flow soon after the light flow. Where dark 
honey comes in soon after the light, or 
where there is a mixture of honey, it is 
better to extract the combs as soon as they 
are sealed in order to keep the different 
kinds of honey by themselves as far as 
possible. When the flow is over, and all 
the honey is removed, the combs should be 
carefully sorted, all the unripe honey ex¬ 
tracted by itself and used for feeding, or 
sold for manufacturing purposes. Such 
honey should never be used for the table. 
If the honey is extracted after it is 
sealed there will not be so large an amount 
taken from the hives at one time as if it 
had been extracted while still warm and 
uncapped, so that in the extractor it will 
be thrown out of the cells cleaner. On 
the other hand, if it is allowed to remain 
on the hives until the end of the flow, 
then removed, stacked up in the honey- 
house and extracted at a later date, it will 
be colder, and will consequently take more 
time to extract. 
Moreover, if the supers are stacked up 
on the hives until the end of the flow it 
requires more extracting-combs, and more 
supers to hold them, than if the combs are 
extracted about as soon as sealed. How¬ 
ever, it is the opinion of some of the larg¬ 
est producers that it actually pays to ex¬ 
tract, the honey all at one time after the 
honey flow, since at that time work is not 
so pressing, and more time can be given. 
The employment of this plan may result 
in a somewhat smaller crop the first year 
because of the necessity of the bees draw¬ 
ing out so much foundation; but it should 
be remembered that the same combs may 
be used year after year, probably for the 
remainder of one’s lifetime. 
HOW TO FREE THE COMBS FROM BEES. 
Since the invention of the ventilated 
escape-board and double bee-escape, it is 
not advisable for any one, whether be¬ 
ginner or expert, to free the combs of bees 
bv means of the smoke, shake, and brush 
11 
method, which is too slow and troublesome, 
and during a dearth it is quite certain to 
start robbing. However, since the great 
majority of extracted-honey producers 
used this method in the past, and many 
still use it, it will be discussed briefly. 
When brushing bees from extracting- 
combs a serviceable brush is necessary. A 
The bristle bee-brush. 
makeshift is never economical. Either the 
bristle or the Coggshall brush answers 
every purpose, and, what is of prime im¬ 
portance, they may be washed when they 
become sticky with honey. 
In case any disease is suspected the 
combs should never be brushed or shaken, 
for if robbers gain access to the smallest 
drop of diseased honey, the disease would 
be certain to spread. 
How to hold the Coggshall bee-brush. 
There is no question but that it is easier 
to get the bees from shallow combs than 
from those of full depth. Smoke may be 
used in either case, altho better results fol- 
