HOWTb 
 PRODUCE 
 
 EXTRACTED 
 HONEY 
 
 PublishedBy 
 
 The a I Koot Company 
 
 A\EDINA,0 USA. 
 
•^, 
 
 ''. -<- 
 
 ?<■. 
 
 \ 
 
 i-- -^~ -v-fv <^- --i-- -•{■' ■^- --?'' -<'- -■^' -■^' -^- *"^- '"^ 
 
 The Best Book 
 For Beginners 
 
 OUR A B C OF BEE CULTURE was 
 written especially for beq-inners. 
 It is arrang^ed in the form of an 
 encyclopedia, so that any information 
 can be found instantly. The subject is 
 covered fully and has been brought com- 
 pletely up to the times by constant re- 
 vision. The book is beautifully illustrat- 
 ed b}' the finest half-tones and cuts. 
 1903 edition, 500 pages. 
 
 "I am greatly pleased with the new edition of the 
 A B C of Bee Culture. It is an invaluable work for 
 beginners; but I need not limit its usefulness to be- 
 ginners— a// can be benefited by its study.'" 
 
 Jxo. A. Bock, Farmington, W. Va. 
 
 "Whenever I come across a bee-keeper who wishes 
 to study up upon the rudiments of bee-keeping I 
 always recommend the A H C" and have sometinies 
 sold my own in order to accommo<late the seeker for 
 knowledge. I have about all the standard works, 
 but from the fact that the .\ B C is practical and up 
 to date I try to have a copy always near to hand, or 
 at my elbow, so to .speak.*' 
 
 John H. Martin, I.,os Angeles, Cal. 
 
 Price $1.00; Postage 20 Cents Extra. 
 Special Offer— A B C. and Gleanings 1 year, $2.00. 
 
 Foreign po.stage on Gleanings. 4S cts. per year extra. 
 For sale by all book-.sellers and bee-supply dealers. 
 
 THE A. I. ROOT COHPANY 
 
 HEDINA, OHIO, U. 5. A. 
 
 H CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES 
 
 llllllllllllllilllliiillll 
 
 -A^ <A> -i*J- 'A» --X- 'A 
 
 -/> <*- ">> --A- 
 
PI 
 
 The auth 
 Phillips, is 
 of years he 
 Jamaica, pre 
 consulted t'. 
 producers, a 
 methods in j 
 
 , April, 190 
 
 This book is due on the date indicated 
 below and is subject to an overdue 
 fine as posted at the circulation desk. 
 
 EXCEPTION: Date due will be 
 earlier if this item is RECALLED. 
 
How to Produce 
 Extracted Honey 
 
 I.— PREPARING COLONIES FOR THE FLOW. 
 
 To produce Iioncy one must have a big force of bees. 
 The honc.v-productiveness of an apiary is not to be 
 measured by the number of colonies it contains, but 
 by the number of bees in the individual colony. There- 
 fore the only way to achieve the best results in honey 
 is to see that each colony is in good working order 
 by the time the flow opens. To do so it will be neces- 
 sary to examine each separatel\- in order to ascertain 
 its condition. Special attenticjn must be given to each 
 queen. Every one that is in any way defective should 
 be replaced with another that is young and vigorous. 
 It will never do to hang on to a queen whose prolific- 
 ness is doubtful. The colony which she occupies will 
 yield Aery little surplus, or, in all probability, no honey 
 at all. Far better to replace her, c\en if >ou have to 
 bu}- another in order to do so. 
 
 The ne.xt thing that must be taken notice of is the 
 strength of each colony. If the flow be a month or 
 si.\- weeks ahead, and your weak stocks have young 
 prolific queens, you may make an effort to build them 
 up to full strength in time for it; but if it be near at 
 hand, a better wav is to unite them. 
 
HOW TO PRODUCE EXTRACTED HONEY. 3 
 
 In some localities the flow proper is preceded by a 
 light flow from some other source, while in others 
 there is a dearth of hone}^ until the opening of the 
 harvest. Where the former is the case, the bees will 
 make good progress in brood-rearing, and the colonies 
 consequently build up nicely to meet the general harvest. 
 In case of the latter, the bees will be in the poorest 
 kind of condition v>hen the flow commences. To 
 prevent this they should be given stimulative feeding. 
 This will bring about the same conditions as would 
 a natural flow. Every colony in your apiary should be 
 in good, prosperous condition by the time the harvest 
 commences ; and to have them so it may be necessary 
 to requeen, unite, and stimulate. 
 
 What kind of hive to use for producing ex- 
 tracted honey. — For localities where the honey- 
 flow is short and uncertain, we recommend the Danzen- 
 baker or eight- frame Langstroth ; but where the flow 
 is heavy and protracted the ten-frame Langstroth or 
 
4 HOJV TO PRODUCE EXTRACTED HONEY. 
 
 the Jumbo will give better results, as the queen has 
 more comb surface to lay in, and a correspondingly 
 larger force of workers can be reared. 
 
 2.— SUPERING. '» 
 
 We will assume that j'ou have succeeded in getting 
 3'our colonies into good order for the honey-flow. The 
 next thing to do is to put on supers. Many make the 
 fatal mistake of waiting till the last minute before pur- 
 chasing their supplies. It is folly to go to the ex- 
 pense and trouble of establishing an apiary, and liien 
 when the time arrives for one to reap the rewards 
 of his labor to Jose it all simply on account of pro- 
 crastination. Long before the harvest opens, supers 
 should be put together and painted, frames nailed and 
 wired, and foundation put in, etc. ; for honey-flows wait 
 for no man. Unless this be done you are sure to be the 
 loser, and you will soon be mortified to see the bees 
 stick honey-comb in every available corner of the hive 
 ajul your honey crop go to waste. Take time by the 
 forelock and get your supplies in readiness. 
 
 When to super. — Don't put on your supers before 
 the bees are ready for them, as you gain nothing by 
 doing so, but only render it harder for the bees to 
 keep up the necessary heat. This must be especially 
 heeded in cold climates. Neither delay it too long, 
 and thus waste time. As soon as you see indications 
 of honey coming in from natural sources in such quan- 
 tities that the tops of combs in the brood-nest begin 
 to whiten, you may conclude it is time for you to put 
 on supers. The propensity of Italian bees is to store 
 honey in the brood-nest, in some localities to the ex- 
 clusion of brood. We have seen colonies whose brood- 
 
HOir TO PRODUCE EXTRACTED HONEY. 5 
 
 nests were packed almost to the total exclusion of brood, 
 while little or no work was done in the supers. It is 
 advisable in such cases to keep "swapping" combs with 
 the supers. This "swapping" serves a twofold pur- 
 pose; viz., the full combs placed in the super act as a 
 bait to induce the bees to enter, while the empty combs, 
 or, better still, frames of foundation, given below, give 
 the queen an opportunity to lay. When the bees get 
 well started in the upper stories, do as little handling as 
 .is consistent with the successful management of the 
 colony, as, every time you pull it to pieces, the bees 
 are hindered in ihcir work and honey is lost. 
 
 There are many who ad^'ocate the non-use of the 
 queen-excluding honey-board; but we strongly advise its 
 use in connection with the production of extracted honey. 
 If it is not used, the queen will soon make her quarters 
 in the upper story, and, instead of nice white combs 
 of honey, you will have a mixture of brood (in all 
 stages of growth from the hatching bee down to the 
 egg), pollen, drones, and possibly queen-cells. Instead 
 of being nicely and exL-nly sealed, the combs will 
 always contain (as long as the queen remains) un- 
 sealed honey and brood — a very unpleasant feature in 
 extracting time. Second, your queen will be in a most 
 dangerous position, and will stand a chance of being 
 killed every time you handle those big unwieldly ex- 
 tracting-combs. Third, there can be no certainty as to 
 her whereabouts; and when, as in the case of swarm- 
 ing, it is necessary to find her, there are so many more 
 combs to be looked over. The same is true with reference 
 to the finding of queen-cells. Fourth, it almost makes 
 it impossible for one to use that great labor-saver, the 
 bee-escape, and renders it an absolute necessity to re- 
 
6 HOJ\' TO PRODUCE EXTRACTED HOXEY. 
 
 FLATTED WOOD-ZINC HONEV-HOAKD. 
 
 move the combs from the supers and brush the bees 
 off them one by one. We recollect seeing on one oc- 
 casion, when in the height of extracting, a queen and 
 her attendants placidly located on a large honey-comb, 
 apparently taking in the situation. Her colony had had 
 on no honey-board, and she was in the super when the 
 escape was put on. It was next to impossible for ns 
 to tell what hive she belonged to, and the whole pro- 
 ceeding entailed extra work and worry. Put a honey- 
 board on each bottom story, and thus confine the 
 
HOJV TO PRODUCE EXTRACTED HONEY. 7 
 
 queen and attendant brood-rearing conditions to their 
 own department — the brood-nest. 
 
 As soon as the first super is filled and the process 
 of sealing is begun, put on a second one. To do this, 
 lift the one nearly completed ; place the empty one on 
 the brood-nest, and put on top the one nearly com- 
 pleted. The colony will then occupy a hive of three 
 stories. Always put the empty super nearest the 
 brood-nest, as the bees will start to work in it more 
 readily; and ^•v•h.■"n they do start it will be near at 
 hand, and the}- \vill haw but a short distance to travel. 
 After the first extraction, condjs can be used in these 
 empty supers, and it will be found that the filling and 
 sealing of them is done much more rapidly than Avlien 
 starters, or even full sheets of foundation, are used. 
 
 We have said before that, for some localities, the 
 eight-frame Langstroth or Danzenbaker, and for others 
 the ten-frame Langstroth or the Jumbo hive, is prefer- 
 able. In rlie brood-nest the full anionnl of frames can 
 be used; but in the supers, where it is desirable to 
 have thick combs, wide spacing may be done to ad- 
 vantage. Give seven frames in the eight-frame super 
 and eight frames in the ten-frame. See that your spac- 
 ing is done regularly, for if it is not, a portion of the 
 combs will be no thicker than the ordinary brood- 
 comb; others will 1)e veritable slabs of honey, and not 
 infrequently natural comb will be built between them. 
 Now, don't get hold of the idea that, in order to do 
 wide spacing, loose frames will be necessary. The 
 regular self-spacing Hoffman is the best under all con- 
 ditions. No beginner should for one moment enter- 
 tain the though of using loose frames. We are aware 
 that this style of frame is used and recommended by 
 
S HOJy TO PRODUCE EXTRACTED HOSEY 
 
 HOFFMAN FRAMES. 
 
 some of our oldest bee-keepers; but in our opinion the 
 Hoffman is so far superior that, could our old friends 
 be onh^ induced to give it a fair trial, the former would 
 soon be converted into kindling. 
 
 In some localities bees do their swarming before, in 
 some during, and in some after, the honey-flow. In 
 the latter case it is not as detrimental as in the two 
 former; but in any case, swarming is a hindrance to 
 the best results in honey-production. Bees which should 
 be working with concentrated energy in one hive, 
 divided into half a dozen diminutive swarms, in most 
 cases are of no use to themselves or the bee-keeper 
 so far as honey-production is concerned; and the 
 supers, which would otherwise have been well filled, 
 are almost entirely depleted of what they may already 
 
HOIV TO PRODUCE EXTRACTED HONEY. 9 
 
 contain in order to supply provender for the new 
 sv/arms. 
 
 Now it will be seen that, in order to get good results, 
 swarming must be kept under control, and at the same 
 time the colony must be kept strong. This may be ac- 
 complished by using the "shook" or brushed-swarm 
 system. This, briefly explained, is as follows : xA.s 
 soon as a colony swarms, or shows symptoms of swarm- 
 ing, take away the brood-nest and substitute another 
 with frames of foundation instead, putting the 
 honey-buard and supers of the same, if the colony 
 had these on originally. Now sliake the bees from the 
 old brood-nest in fiont of the entrance of the new one. 
 (Make sure that the queen runs in along with the rest; 
 for, if she is missing, the colony will be hopelessly 
 queenless.) The bees will then go right to work,- fiX 
 up their new brood-nest, and the storing of honey will 
 be continued as though nothing had happened. Never 
 give the shook swarm any brood whatever. The frames 
 of brood from the old brood-nest may be distributed 
 among weak colonies ; or they may be left near the old 
 stand with a few bees to take care of that which is 
 unsealed, the entrance of the hive containing them 
 turned in the opposite direction to that which it origi- 
 nally faced. At the end of three weeks (at which time 
 all the brood will have hatched) the bees may be 
 dumped in front of the old stand and made to unite 
 with the bees first shaken. 
 
 The following is another good plan for controlling 
 swarming : Remove the brood-nest of the colony that 
 is expected to cast a swarm, and place its upper story 
 or stories on a bottom-board in its place. Put the re- 
 moved brood-nest immediatelv behind the stand it 
 
10 HOll' TO PRODUCE EXTRACTED HONEY. 
 
 formerly occupied, and now occupied by the upper 
 stories, turning its entrance in the opposite direction. 
 The bees of working age, not knowing of the change, 
 
 FRAME OF SEALED HONKV. 
 
 will return to the old location. Thus we shall get 
 the wovkcrs just where they are wanted— in the honey- 
 
HOIV TO PRODUCE EXTRACTED HONEY, ir 
 
 apartment ; and, at the same time, the strength of the 
 brood-nest proper will be so reduced that all ideas of 
 swarming will be given up, and in most cases the bees 
 will destroy all queen-cells already started. In eighf 
 days the brood-nest can be returned to its former posi- 
 tion and the supers placed on top. In many instances 
 no further idea of swarming will be contemplated. 
 During the time that the colony is divided, a laying 
 queen should be caged in the queenless portion, in 
 order to keep the bees quiet. 
 
 3.— TAKING HONEY OFF THE HIVES. 
 
 We will assume that you have been so far successful 
 — that you have succeeded in getting 3^our colonies 
 
 THE 
 
 COGGSH.-V.LL 
 BEE-BRCSH. 
 
 THE 
 DIXIE EEE- 
 t BRUSH. 
 
 in good condition for the tiow ; have kept swarming 
 well under control; have done your supering judi- 
 
12 HOW TO PRODUCE EXTRACTED HONEY. 
 
 ciously, and now your attention must be turned to 
 extracting. Look over all of your upper stories, and 
 mark those which contain sealed honey. Bee-keepers, 
 especially beginners, often like to "rush" matters, and 
 extract honey that is unsealed. If you do this you 
 will be making one of the worst moves possible to the 
 bee business ; and such an action will in all probability 
 react against you individually, ruining your standing 
 with the wholesale honey-dealer, as well as with your 
 local trade. 
 
 COMB-BUCKET. 
 
 It is not always necessary to wait until the end of the 
 flow before extracting. It is sometimes advantageous 
 to extract all ripe honey before, as there will be no rob- 
 bers to contend with, and the combs extracted will come 
 in handy for putting on again and getting refilled. As 
 long as the flow lasts, extract only that which is well 
 sealed, leaving on the partly sealed combs until after 
 the flow, in order to get the honey in them ripened 
 as much as possible. We may mention here that some 
 large extracted-honcy producers prefer to leave all 
 
HOJV TO PRODUCE EXTRACTED HONEY. 13 
 
 honey on the hives as long as possible, claiming that 
 by so doing, they get a much thicker and better grade. 
 While this will insure a very fine article to the dis- 
 criminating connoisseur, yet it is not enough better so 
 that the public will pay more for it. When the flow is 
 over, and all the honey is removed, the combs should 
 be carefully sorted, all the unripe honey extracted by 
 itself, and used for feeding, or sold for manufacturing 
 or any other purpose where sugar syrup would be used ; 
 but it should never be sold for a table honey. 
 
 How to remove the bees from the super. — Some 
 practice remo\-ing- the full supers, bumping them around 
 on the ground, thus jarring the bees and causing them 
 to fall from the combs. This is far from being a good 
 plan, as bees are killed, heavy combs of honey are 
 broken down, the frames themselves are broken, and 
 
 Porter bee-escape, showing springs. 
 
 robbers soon make themselves heard and felt. Others 
 practice getting the bees from the supers by smoking 
 between the combs. This is another poor way of doing 
 it. Imagine the excitement caused by the excess of 
 smoke necessary in order to be effective — so much, 
 indeed, as to cause "unbidden tears" to flow from the 
 eyes of the operator. The colony sometimes gets so 
 excited as to ball its own queen, and becomes so 
 
14 HOW TO PRODUCE EXTRACTED HONEY 
 
 demoralized that it yields itself a prey to the first at- 
 tack of robber-bees. Again, the quality of the honey 
 taken from the hives is sometimes slightly injured on 
 account of being tainted with the smell and taste of 
 smoke. 
 
 Porter bee-escape on board in position for use. 
 
 Another way to get bees from the combs, and one 
 which is better than either of those given above, is to 
 brush them off comb by comb. For doing this, either the 
 Coggshall or the Dixie brush will be the right kind 
 to use. Have a couple of empty hive-bodies sitting 
 on a wheelbarrow or cart close at hand. Give a little 
 smoke; lift the super off and brush the bees in front 
 of the hive, putting the combs of honey into one of 
 the hive-bodies. Even this method is anything but 
 desirable. Be careful as you will, robbers will put their 
 noses in, and, before long, their tongues and stings, 
 too. Besides, there is nothing that aggravates the bees 
 more than being brushed, and they will demonstrate 
 their feelings in the most effective way. There is only 
 one satisfactory method of getting bees out of the 
 supers, and that is by escaping. Space forbids our 
 describing the several kinds of escapes. The mention 
 of the one we use and recommend will be sufficient. 
 This is known as the Porter, and is used in connection 
 with a l)oard as illustrated. Place this on beneath the 
 
HOJJ' TO PRODUCE EXTRACTED HONEY. 15 
 
 super you wish to get the bees out of late in the after- 
 noon, and by the next morning it will be found practi- 
 cally free of bees. The advantages derived from the use 
 of the .escape are apparent. There is no brushing nor 
 shaking, no stinging, no robbing, and no smoking. 
 Hundreds of pounds of hone}' may be remo\'cd from tlic 
 hives without receiving a sting or using a whiff of 
 smoke. Where a colony has on one super onh^, and it 
 is desirable to remove it, don't put the escape on top 
 of the honey-board and escape the bees into the brood- 
 nest, but put an empty super between and the cscane 
 on top C'f it. 
 
 Sometimes the sprjnrjs in a Porter bee-escape get 
 propolized, and stick so that the bees can not get- 
 through. When this is the case, rcmo^'e it from t!ie 
 board and place it for a few minutes in a kettle of boil- 
 ing water. This will remove the propolis, and make 
 it workable again. 
 
 After taking your supers of ripe honey off the hives, 
 remove the escape-boards also, and put on the covers. 
 Then place the sui)ers ow a \vheclbarrow, or some other 
 handy device, and remo\e them to the honey-house and 
 stack them up neatly. Before we proceed to deal with 
 the next step — extracting — we will give a few hints on 
 
 4.— FIXING UP THE HONEY-HOUSE FOR 
 EXTRACTING. 
 
 The first requisite is a bee-tight house, having wire- 
 cloth screens with Porter honey-house bee-escapes oti 
 the windows and doors. Whatever bees intrude when 
 the supers are being carried in will soon make for the 
 light, and eventually get out through the escapes. For 
 
'r6 HOJP' TO PRODUCE EXTRACTED HONEY. 
 
 a little while after commencing to extract, robbers, at- 
 tracted by the smell of the honey inside, will loaf 
 around; but, finding no means of ingress, they will 
 soon cease their futile attemps to enter, and turn their 
 attention to some more profitable and honest employ- 
 
 ITlf 
 
 "^^^ll 
 
 # 
 
 
 
 :.^m 
 
 Escape in iJOsitioTi on honey house window. 
 
 nicnt. One who does not own a bee-tight honey-house 
 must do his extracting at night, covering up everything 
 snugly when he gets through. If not, bees will take 
 possession of the house the next morning, and get 
 into everything that contains honey, and he will find it 
 
HOW TO PRODUCE EXTRACTED HONEY. 17 
 
 Reel of four-frame reversible Cowan extractor. 
 
 almost impossible to drive them out and restore the 
 normal conditions of quiet. 
 
 Well, presuming that your bee-house is in good order, 
 and that the windows and doors are all nicely fixed up 
 with Porter honey-house escapes, the necessary inside 
 fixtures, for an apiary of about 100 colonies, will be — 
 an extractor, two tanks (one for light and one for 
 dark honey), an uncapping-can, two honey-knives, and 
 two stout pails. Extractors are made in different sizes 
 — from two to six frames. For an apiary of the size 
 mentioned above, or smaller, a two-frame Cowan re- 
 versible will do nicely; but if you contemplate going 
 into the business to any greater extent, we advise you 
 
i8 HOir TO PRODUCE EXTRACTED HOKEV 
 
 to buy one of the larger sizes. These are set on ball- 
 bearings, and the pockets are connected with a chain 
 and sprockets, so that reversing one reverses all. IMake 
 a strong platform about 2^ feet high for your extractor 
 to rest on, and fasten the same to it by means of the 
 lugs at the bottom. Screws for doing this are supplied 
 with each extractor. In addition to these, a pair of 
 stay-rods and screw-hooks with each of the four-frame 
 machines are furnished. Screw the hooks in the stand 
 on each side of the extractor; attach the stay-rods to 
 them at one end and to the handles of the extractor on 
 the other, and screw the turn-buckle until the desired 
 tension is reached — don't overdo it. Oil tlic ports of 
 your extractor every time it is to be used. We have 
 visited apiaries in California in which the ])arts of ex- 
 tractors had literally worn out for want of lubrication. 
 
 Tanks. — Large casks with a faucet in the bottom 
 of each might be used; but these give more or less 
 trouble from leaking; especially is this the case in warm" 
 climates. In dry climates like that in Colorado or 
 California they could not be used at all. Large gal- 
 vanized-iron tanks with suitable honey-gates will be 
 more satisfactory in all places. We don't keep these 
 in stock, but can make them to order of any given 
 size. Put in two tanks or from 80 to 100 gallons 
 capacity in a convenient position in the honey-house 
 on stands like that upon which we advised you :o 
 mount your extractor. These are for storing and set- 
 tling the honey, and obviate, to a great extent, the dis- 
 agreeable necessity of straining. 
 
 Honey-knives. — These are used for cutting the 
 cappings off the honey-combs. See that they have a keen 
 edge, such as would be given by a very fine whetstone. 
 
HOW TO PRODUCE EXTRACTED HONEY. 19 
 
 '''\.-^'''/0^^:'-:;''§^ 
 
 Bingham uncapping-knife. 
 
 and are thoroughly clean before commencing opera- 
 tions. The Bingham knife is the one we recommend 
 for heavy extracting. Some advise using the knives 
 hot. This is done by keeping one in water slightly 
 warmer than luke-warm on a small oil-stove near by 
 while the other is in use. Others object to this on th"fe 
 ground that it entails more trouble, and the knife, if 
 it gets too hot, melts the cappings and makes a mess, 
 the wax congealing on the edges and rendering it hard 
 to use. Whether the knives shall be heated in water 
 or not will depend upon the character of the honey. 
 In California we have used the heated knife, as the 
 honey is so thick. 
 
 Pails, — These are for taking the honey from the 
 extractor, and pouring into the tanks for settling. Thej' 
 should be of good, stout material, and have handles 
 •capable of bearing the necessary strain. 
 
 5.— EXTRACTING. 
 
 In order to do the work expeditiously, not less than 
 two people should attempt it — one to do the uncapping 
 and the other to extract. Take the comb from the 
 super and place it on the frame on top of the uncap- 
 ping-can. The projecting screw-point in the frame 
 will absolutely prevent any slipping, and act as a 
 pivot upon which the frame can readily be turned from 
 side to side. In commencing the operation the top of 
 
20 HOIV TO PRODUCE EXTRACTED HONEY. 
 
 the frame should lean as much to the left of the perpen- 
 dicular as it does to the right in the illustration. Gradu- 
 ally tip it over to the right as the flakes of cappings 
 begin to peel off. This will prevent their sticking to 
 
 The Dadant Uncapping-can. 
 
 the comb and having to be scraped off. As is shown in 
 the illustration, the knife should begin at the bottom 
 and work upward. The fewer bits of cappings you get 
 
HOW TO PRODUCE EXTRACTED HONEY. 21 
 
 on the surface of comb uncapped, the cleaner the honey 
 extracted will be. In uncapping combs, don't try to 
 press the knife along through the cappings, but pro- 
 ceed with a forward and backward motion, the same as 
 if you were using a saw. Don't be content to peel off 
 the cappings a little at a time, but make a practice of 
 uncapping as wide a surface as you can; and if you 
 practice in this Avay, ere long you will be able to take 
 off the entire surface of a fully sealed comb without 
 once removing your knife. It is now that the advantage 
 of wide spacing will be seen. The combs that have 
 been widely spaced being thick, it will be both easy and 
 pleasurable to uncap them. 
 
 How deep should we cut in removing the cappings? 
 You will find it difficult trying to remove the bare cap- 
 pings. Cut a little below them. If the combs have been 
 spaced as recommended before in this, you may cut al- 
 most even with the top-bars. If they are thin, you w^iil 
 not be able to cut as deep, but any way, you should 
 remove enough comb to hold the cappings together. 
 
 Don't extract with the pockets of the extractor hang- 
 ing in such a manner that their ends come together 
 (see illustration of wrong position), neither attempt to 
 extract one conib at a time. In either case the extractor 
 will bump and jolt in a miserable fashion. Put a comb 
 in each pocket and see that they are exactly opposite 
 each other. A few revolutions will be sufficient ^o 
 throw out the honey from one side of each. After this 
 is done, reverse the pockets so that the sides of the 
 combs full of honey come toward the side of the ex- 
 tractor, and turn again. With a little practice the re- 
 versing can be accomplished without stopping the ex- 
 tractor, merely slowing it down. As soon as the combs 
 
22 HOW TO PRODUCE EXTRACTED HONEY. 
 
 Two-fraine reversible Cowan. Pockets in wrong position. 
 
 are extracted, pack them in an empty hive-body in a 
 corner of the honey-house where they will be out of 
 the way till evening. The reason for this will be ex- 
 plained a little further on. 
 
 The directions given here are for a two-frame Cowan 
 extractor. In a Novice the combs and not the pockets 
 are reversed ; and in a four or six frame Cowan the 
 chain gear keeps the pockets always in a right position 
 toward each other. These big machines can also be 
 reversed without stopping. 
 
 Keep the honey-gate of the extractor closed until 
 the honey extracted reaches nearly to the bottom of the 
 pockets, and then draw it off and throw it into the 
 
HOJV TO PRODUCE EXTRACTED HONEY. 23 
 
 Two- frame reversible Cowan. Pockets in right position. 
 
 tanks. Don't attempt to strain it before putting it in, as 
 this only entails additional and unnecessary work. 
 Honey should always be allowed to get high enough to 
 lubricate the bottom pivot of the extractor reel ; otb.er- 
 wise this part should jje oiled like the rest. 
 
 If you attempt to put the extracted combs on hives as 
 soon as the honey is taken from them you will find 
 that the bees will take advantage of the opportunity to 
 enter the house every time the door is opened, and soon 
 they will make the job of extracting very unpleasant for 
 you. Besides this the combs put on will, in all like- 
 lihood, incite robbing, and you will thus have two jobs 
 on your hands at once. We advise putting on extracted 
 combs in the evenings, as the bees will have time to 
 
24 HOJV TO PRODUCE EXTRACTED HONEY. 
 
 clean them during the night, and by morning the chances 
 of robbing will be very remote. 
 
 If you have to do several extractings within a few 
 days of each other, don't put the fresh cappings on top 
 or that which is half drained; but before you begin to 
 uncap, remove them from the uncapping-can and pat 
 them in a receptacle of some sort (one that won't leak) ; 
 and when you are through with extracting the honey you 
 have on hand, put them back in the can on top of the 
 fresh lot. The honey must be drawn from the uncap 
 ping-can before it gets too full, and treated the same 
 as that removed from the extractor, and the cappings 
 rendered into wax when sufficiently dry. 
 
 6.— PACKAGES FOR EXTRACTED HONEY. 
 
 Now we have got our honey extracted and put into 
 the storage-tanks, and the next thing that confronts 
 us is to put it into suitable packages for market. But 
 you may ask, "What is the necessity for putting the 
 honey into tanks? Why not strain from the extractor 
 and uncapping-can directly to the vessels in which it 
 is to be sold?" Well, you will be better able to grade 
 honey by putting it into tanks, but we advise using 
 them chiefly as a means of settling the honey. You 
 must remember that this, when taken from the extractor, 
 contains particles of comb and other foreign substances. 
 If you attempt to strain it then, you will find it a slow 
 and tedious job; but twenty-four hours after remain- 
 ing in the tanks the honey will precipitate, being of 
 greater density, and the substances that are of lighter 
 consistency will rise to the top. It can be then drawn 
 oflf at the bottom without straining, although, to make 
 
HOJV TO PRODUCE EXTRACTED HONEY. 25 
 
 assurance doubly sure, it may be well to let it pass 
 through a cheese-cloth strainer. This should be placed, 
 not over the honey-gate, but into the hole in the honey- 
 receptacle. If the honey be allowed to settle for some 
 thirty-six hours, it will be quite clean, and the strainer 
 
 Glass Packages for Honey. 
 
 will not get foul. Of course, it should be drawn to 
 within only about an inch of the honey-gate; if lower 
 than this, straining will be an absolute necessity. 
 
 For local retail trade, honey-jars, tumblers, and 
 Aikin's paraffined paper bags can be used (the latter for 
 candied honey) ; but for shipping to the wholesale dealer 
 or commission man, barrels of five-gallon tins should 
 be used. In dry climates the wooden receptacles should 
 never be used. 
 
 In procuring honey-packages, every precaution should 
 be exercised to see that they are clean and sound. You 
 may pick up second-hand barrels and tins at half-price 
 very often, but you will, in nine cases out of ten, find 
 it more profitable to use a good new article. Our honey- 
 
>6 HOJV TO PRODUCE EXTRACTED HONEY 
 
 clerk has just informed us that the quality of what was 
 a truly fine article of clover honey just received has 
 been seriously damaged by being shipped in a second- 
 hand dirty cask. Unless you learn to do better than 
 this you will always run the bee business at a los>, 
 and, in fact, had better not touch it at all. 
 
 In using barrels, see that the hoops are driven on 
 firmly before the honey is put into them, and, after fill- 
 ing, thoroughly examine, and, if necessary, recooper 
 
 AIKIN'S PAPER BAGS FOR CANDIED H()Ni:V. 
 
 again; but don't soak a barrel with water to make it 
 tight. Never attempt to ship a leaky barrel, hoping that 
 the joints of the wood will swell in time and the honey 
 stop leaking. Water and many other liquids may have 
 this effect, but honey never causes a stave to expand. 
 Jn fact, on account of its weight and peculiar con- 
 sistency it will find a leak where hardly anything 
 else can. Coating the inside of the barrels with par- 
 
HOW TO PRODUCE EXTRACTED HONEY. 27 
 
 affine or wax will help matters greatly. Some use 
 second-hand alcohol-barrels. These are usually well 
 made, and contain a coating of some sort which pre- 
 vents leakage. If one head be taken out, and they be 
 thoroughly cleaned, they will answer the purpose well 
 enough. 
 
 Fill each barrel to within about an inch of the bung- 
 hole. Wrap the bung with burlap and drive it in as 
 far as it will go without splitting the stave. If any of 
 
 Case with two 5-ganon cans. 
 
 it projects above, shave it off, so as to bring it level with 
 the stave. When this is done, tack a strip of tin nearly 
 over it ;^ also put a few tacks around the hoops to pre- 
 vent them from falling off, and your barrel of honey 
 is ready for shipment. 
 
 In some localities (such as California for instance) 
 the climate is so warm and dry that it is next to im- 
 possible to make barrels work with any degree of sat- 
 isfaction. In such places the sixty-pound square can 
 
28 HOJV TO PRODUCE EXTRACTED HONEY. 
 
 should be used. These are shipped generally two in a 
 case. It is well to fill them nearly full and press against 
 the sides in such a manner that the air is excluded and 
 the honey comes up flush with the top of the holes. 
 Then put on the corks and screw down the caps very 
 firmly. This has a tendency to prevent bulging on the 
 part of the tins. Tins are somewhat more expensive 
 than barrels, but the difference in price is offset by the 
 non-leakage of the former and the extra price obtained 
 for the honey put up in them. 
 
 To sum up briefly the subject of honey-packages: 
 For local retail of liquid honey, use glass jars or 
 tumblers nicely labeled; for candied honey, use the 
 Aikin paper bag; for dark honey sold for manufactur- 
 ing purposes, use good barrels (where locality permits 
 their use), and for the best grades use square cans. 
 
 RENDERING WAX AND HONEY WITH THE 
 ROOT-GERMAN WAX-PRESS. 
 
 In some parts of the world — as, for instance, in 
 Scotland and Germany — certain kinds of honey are so 
 thick that bee-keepers waive the question of extract- 
 ing, and squeeze it out of the combs with a press. We 
 advise none of our readers to do this, but simply quote 
 this to show that the squeezing of honey out of pieces 
 of broken comb and half-drained cappings is practical. 
 A wax-press of some sort is an absolute necessity in 
 an apiary. Now, when cappings and broken pieces of 
 dry comb are to be rendered, the solar wax-extractor 
 is all right; but when bits of comb with honey are put 
 into them, the market quality of the latter is destroyed. 
 The Root-German wax-press takes away the difficulty. 
 
HOW TO PRODUCE EXTRACTED HONEY. 29 
 
 The^Root German Steam Wax-Press, 
 
 Place the combs or cappings in the basket, and squeeze 
 out all the honey without the application of heat in any 
 form, then melt the remainder of wax by generating 
 steam in the compartment beneath. 
 
 Full directions for using are supplied with each ma- 
 chine ; and if these be carefully followed, it ought to pay 
 for itself easily by rendering into wax such refuse as 
 would go to waste when other forms of wax-extractors 
 are used. 
 
 THE A. I. ROOT CO.. Medina, O. 
 
 April, 1904. 
 
^!. ■^ -•^ -c^ -:^ -^ --<?■ <$^ <^ <^ -^ <v> <^/- -J^/- ^ -^ -<??- -■4'/- l^i 
 
 A A Journal Devoted to Bees, 
 
 Honey, and Home interests 
 
 4 
 
 
 
 VOL. XXXII. JAN. I, 1904. No. 
 
 Published by 
 
 The A. I. Root Company, 
 
 Medina, Ohio, U. S. A. 
 
 4 ^,j;:&^^Ts.''''^'^2^^j^^^i^^^si?'? FER.rEAfu 4;, 
 
 "^ Thirtj'-secoud Volume. vSenii-monthly. v 
 
 *^ One Dollar per Year. ^^ 
 
 Foreign Postage 48 cents per Year. 
 
 Sample Copy Free. v 
 
 Special Offer. f 
 
 ■A Gleanings for one vear and the CO AA k* 
 
 A B C of Bee Culture .pwi,. W 
 
 4 ^___^___^__^^^^___^^__ '^^ 
 
 4 ¥ 
 
 4 Some of Its Departments. ^* 
 
 4 stray Straws— Z)r. C. C. Miller. ¥ 
 
 ^ Pickings from Neighbors' Fields — Stenog. .^ 4(, 
 
 Notes of Travel—^. /. Root. ^ 
 
 4 Editorial— ^. /?. y?D0/. 1=* 
 
 ^ Conversations With Doolittle— G. M. Doolittle. 
 
 General Correspondence. 
 
 4 ¥ 
 
 •^ -!»■ 'X:- 
 
 i^^ ^j^ -i^ <^ -i^ <^ -ij^ -i^ ^j^ -^ 'i^ -'j^ -^ Jji 
 
K -^ <$5- <?5- -v^ -<yj- <J> <y> ^ <J5. <^ ^ <Jj. <{><{?. -C??- -?v?- <fc- t,^ 
 
 4 ^* 
 
 ^^ THE ADVANTAGES OF BUYING 4,^ 
 
 4 ROOT'S BEE-KEEPERS' ^! 
 
 4 SUPPLIES. ^^^ 
 
 4 =— : - ^^ 
 
 4 Quality — The^- are well made from good ^* 
 
 ♦^ material. You are never disappointed ^* 
 
 ^ and disgusted by receiving goods in- ^ 
 
 4 accurately cut, and roughly made, from "^^^ 
 
 ♦^ inferior stock. 45. 
 
 4 Interchangeableness— This ac- ^. 
 
 A curacy with whichgoodsaremadeallows a 
 
 ' a customer to order goods 3'ear after ^ 
 
 4 year, and each lot will fit the others as ^^ 
 
 A new parts fit in repairing an Elgin 4. 
 
 ^ watch. ^' 
 
 [ Promptness— "^^'ith our immense ^" 
 
 4 manufacturing facilities, the adoption '^* 
 
 *^ of standard goods, and the establish- 
 
 ^^ ment of agencies and branch houses ^ 
 
 4 throughout the various parts of the "^^ 
 
 ^ country', we can get goods to you wdth 
 
 , wonderful promptness. 
 
 -k - ^- 
 
 ^, Cost — No goods of like quality are sold , 
 
 at lower prices than we sell them, while ^ 
 
 *Ij^ the shipping of them in car lots to the ^- 
 
 ^^ branch houses a.nd agencies allows the ^^ 
 
 ^ customer to get them at factory prices ^ 
 
 *^ within a short distance of his home. ^"" 
 
 ^^ Send for a catalog, and list of dealers, 
 and save freight and time by ordering 
 
 4 from your nearest dealer. 
 
 THE A. I. ROOT CO., 
 
 MEDINA, OHIO. 
 
 T 
 
 ?♦ 
 
 §- 
 
 t^ -i*> -i*C- -i*> -iA.- -i\- -C^^- ^- -X- -i*> -i\- r»> -i«> 
 
 J^ "^ "=^ "^ JR 
 
HONEY LABELS 
 
 and Rubber Stamps 
 
 Clover ^ 
 
 HONEY 
 
 ^*~N^ APIARY OF t^W^ 
 
 S. S. PIERCE, 
 
 SEND FOR FREE SAMPLE BOOK WITH PRICES 
 
 THE A. L ROOT COMPANY 
 Medina, Ohio, U. S. A. 
 
■^ #^ s^ 4' 2^ 1 tf^ c^c All of our catalogs con- ^ 
 
 J VxXiaXOgS tain much valuable in- L 
 
 -y] formation for beginners, under the respective ^ 
 
 ,^ subjects. We will be pleased to mail free any y 
 
 -^ of the following catalogs. ^ 
 
 .^ Bee-keepers' Supplies. I Queens and Bees. ^ 
 
 ^ Facts About Bees. Rubber Stamps. I*- 
 
 ^ Honey Isabels, | Books for Bee-keepers K.