322 
EXTRACTING 
low from its use on the shallow combs, 
since there is more of a chance for the 
.smoke to go down thru. Some follow the 
plan of giving a vigorous smoking, and 
raising the supers and blowing smoke thru 
between the combs to get out the last few 
bees. The combs then need but very little 
brushing to render them practically free. 
If any comb should chance to have many 
bees on it, it is held by the top-bar or end- 
bar as preferred, and given a sharp jarring 
shake so that the bees will be jarred off on 
the alighting-board in front of the hive. 
If they are shaken back into the super they 
collect on the other combs and have to be 
shaken again. After shaking, the few re¬ 
maining bees are brushed off. When 
brushing, the combs are held in the left 
hand by the end of the top-bar, both sides 
being brushed without turning the frame. 
As fast as the combs are brushed they are 
placed in an empty super near by; and 
finally, when the combs are all out, the 
super just emptied should be taken to the 
nest hive to use in the same way. There 
is more or less objection to the use of 
smoke, one being that the bees are likely to 
uncap the honey to some extent, altho this 
is not so important in extracted-honey pro¬ 
duction as in comb-honey production. The 
greatest objection to the use of smoke is 
that it is quite slow, and uncertain in re¬ 
sults, and, furthermore, the honey is some¬ 
times tainted a little by the smoke, espe¬ 
cially that which is sliced off with the cap¬ 
pings. On this account some prefer to use 
practically no smoke, depending almost en¬ 
tirely on brushes for getting the bees off, 
each comb being taken out by itself, both 
sides brushed quickly, and then set into the 
empty super waiting. A large feather is 
sometimes used; but feathers irritate the 
bees, and it is better in the long run to use 
a brush especially for the purpose. It is 
probable that a combination of both the 
smoke and the brushing is better than 
either one alone; but it must be remem¬ 
bered that all this work, if done during a 
time when no honey is coming in, must be 
carried on very rapidly, and the super and 
all the honey kept covered up every instant 
in order to be kept away from robber bees. 
When robbers once get to following the 
operator around the yard it becomes very 
troublesome indeed, and the best way is to 
work quickly and go from one place to an¬ 
other so rapidly that they do not get a 
chance to start. 
To shake hees from a comb, hold it as shown and give a sharp .ierk. Most of the bees will he 
dislodged at the second or third jerk. It does not pay to try to shake off every bee. The few remaining 
should he brushed off. 
