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Uncaprina Can. 
; Before the honey can be extracted the caps of the cells must be shaved off, 
and for this some kind of uncapping can is required. The one supplied by 
- dealers in bee-keepers’ supplies is made of strong tin and is in two parts, the — 
‘upper part'sliding into the lower, and has a screen of wire cloth on which 
the cappings fall and drain down below, from which the honey is drawn by the — 
tap. ‘he price is about 30s., but a good substitute may be made of a large- 
- sized tin dish and punching small holes in the bottom, and then stood inside & 
tin bucket. A strong bar of hardwood fastened across the dish, with a sharp 
_ spike in the centre of bar to turn the frames on, is sufficient for anything, and 
would only cost 5s. 
_ Honey-Tanks 
ey May be made any size, but those that hold about 2 cwt. of honey—which 
_ would be a tin 17 inches in diameter and 18 or 20 inches deep—are preferable. 
Barrels may be used, but are sometimes liable to leak, and are more trouble- 
~ gome to fill and empty, but they are strong and easily handled if not more 
than 15 gallons in capacity. The bottom of tin honey-tanks should have an 
- inclination of about an inch towards the tap to facilitate the flow of the honey. 
Uncappine KNIVES, 
Of which there are several kinds, are necessary to cut the caps off combs. 
_ They are made of good steel, and will last a lifetime. ‘The Bingham is a very 
- good one, and the price is 5s. A mason’s trowel, if ground sharp, will make @ 
_ fair substitute. 
Quren Excrupers or Zinc HoNney-Boarps. 
& On every hive between the super and brood-nest is placed a queen excluder 
or honey-board. Its object is to prevent the queen coming into the super and 
laying eggs there; also to kéep the drones down below, the perforations in the 
_ zine being too small to admit either queen or drones. [t is best to put a frame 
of wood round the honey-board, and a bee-space on each’ side is preferable, as 
the excluder may be put on either way. The price of one in a frame would be 
- 9s, Gd., and about 1s. without. : 
BEE-ESCAPES OR SUPER-CLEARERS 
Are used to clear the combs of bees when extracting. They are a great 
convenience, and save all the trouble of brushing the bees off each comb; they 
_ will only clear combs that have honey in them, as if any have eggs or young 
brood in them the bees will not leave the combs. The Porter bee-escapeis one 
of the best, and costs 1s., or, if fitted in a board, 2s. Gd. Anyone who Had once 
used them will never be bothered brushing the bees off the combs again, and 
that will last for several seasons. 
SMOKERS. 
To work with bees a good smoker is necessary, and there are several kinds 
to choose from, either on the hot or cold blast principle. In the hot-blast 
_ pattern the air is blown through the fire, and the Bingham smoker is one olny 
that kind, and with this sort a large volume of smoke can be obtained; but 
sometimes sparks will blow through as well, which is unsatisfactory. In the 
 eold-blast pattern the air is not blown through the fire; and the Clark smoker 
is a good example of one, and is the smoker most generally used, and also the — 
lowest priced, being about 4s. 6d. The latest smoker on the market is the 
-' Corneil, which has a bent nozzle and other improvements, but the price is rather 
high. or fuel for the smoker, rotten wood, saw-dust, rag, &e., is good; and 
_ for convenience in lighting, a small oil-can, filled with kerosene, is handy, as & — 
few drops sprinkled on the fuel will start the fire at once. 
