One of the most important points in securing extracted honey is to have a large stock of surplus combs. These, with the strong colonies of bees to utilize them, and the honey extractor, are the great requisites of the producer of extracted honey. As fast as the bees can cover and utilize them, these combs are added to the colonies, one or two at a time from the opening of the season until the brood apartment is full. As soon as more combs than the lower story will hold are needed a second story filled with combs may be added, or but two or three may be placed in it at one side with a division board next to them. It is a good plan to sort over the combs of the brood apartment, removing several of the less regular ones, or if all are alike as regards regularity and in having worker cells only, but some contain considerable honey and little brood, these are to be removed and the empty space filled in with good worker combs. The removed combs should be placed in the top story, which, if the weather and the strength of the colony permit, is to be filled out with combs at once. The strongest colonies will, of course, begin work first, and can often spare partly filled combs to be placed in the top stories of less populous colonies, thus encouraging the latter to begin work in the upper stories. It is safe to say that in general more than twice the yield of honey can be obtained from colonies supplied during the whole honey flow, with all the completed combs they are able to utilize, than can be expected from colonies that have to build all of the combs for their surplus while storing. Completed combs not being available, comb foundation in full sheets should be employed. During the early part of the harvest this will be drawn out very quickly and aid greatly in securing the honey which otherwise might be lost for want of store combs as fast as might be needed. During a fair yield the foundation will pay for itself the first season in the extra amount of honey, and the combs, properly cared for, can be used year after year—indefinitely, in fact—for extracting. The best of them should be picked out constantly to replace less desirable ones that may be found in the brood apartment, or to give to new swarms destined to produce extracted honey. Some prefer for the surplus cases frames half the depth of ordinary brood frames, finding them easier to manipulate.
Whenever the combs of a top story are nearly filled, and before they are completely sealed, it may be lifted up and another story, filled with empty combs, placed between it and the brood apartment, and this may be continued until the end of the honey flow, and all may be left on the hive during the warm weather. It would, of course, be easier to add the new stories successively at the top—that is, above the partially filled surplus stories—and this plan works well as long as the honey flow is abundant, but when put on just as the yield slackens, even if but little, or when the weather is cool, the bees may refuse to begin work in the new super unless it is placed between the partially filled ones and the brood apartment. Leaving the filled top stories on the hives for some time permits the more complete evaporation of the moisture contained in the newly gathered honey, and by marking the stories the honey from a certain source, when the yield has been sufficient to get the combs filled and sealed, can be extracted by itself. If the supply of combs is insufficient to hold the whole amount gathered, it must then be extracted as fast as sealed, lest the bees, lacking ready cells in which to deposit their surplus as fast as gathered, hang idly about, or if space for new combs exists, only slowly provide these, losing meanwhile much of the harvest. When sealed the honey will generally be found fairly ripened, though it may improve by being stored in open buckets or cans in a dry, warm room.
Fig. 55.—Uncapping and extracting honey. (Original.)
The process of extracting is extremely simple, and a little practice will enable an observing person to do it well ([fig. 55]). As indicated above, some judgment is required in the selection of combs, regard being had to the future condition of the colony. The filled comb-, as fast as removed, are placed in a light case the size of a hive, or a tin can made specially for the purpose, covered closely to prevent the access of robbers, and taken to the extracting room, which should be bee-proof. It is not always necessary to use such care in excluding all bees, but the novice should practice it until he learns to distinguish by the actions of the bees when such precautions may be dispensed with. Whenever possible the stories containing surplus honey should be lifted up and honey boards containing bee escapes slipped between them and the brood apartment early in the morning of the day before the extracting is to be done, in case the bees are still gathering, otherwise the night before will do. The combs will then be free from bees, or nearly so, when the operator wishes to remove them, and will contain no honey gathered within twenty-four hours, the last day's gathering having also been ripened considerably during the night preceding the insertion of the escapes. When the queen has not been restricted in her laying to the lower story by means of excluders, this plan of freeing the combs of bees will fail in case the escapes are placed on lower stories above which the brood and the queen may be. The only way then will be to remove the combs one by one, after smoking the bees to quiet them, and shake or brush off the latter into the top story. Italians can not be shaken off unless their bodies are pretty well filled with honey, but they may be safely brushed off after smoking. For this a single large feather from the left wing of a turkey is best. Other races can be shaken off after smoking. Eastern bees should never be brushed from the combs when extracting, nor at any time unless they are gorged with honey. They can all be shaken off easily, and will need less smoke than the European races.
When much extracting is to be done, top stories of hives or light cases with cloth covers, weighted with a rod sewed into the loose edge, may be used to hold the full combs as fast as taken from the hives, and these, placed on a wheelbarrow, cart, or car, can be easily transported to the extracting room. The uncapping knife, kept in hot water when not in use, is passed rapidly under the capping of the sealed combs, the point of it being used to reach depressed surfaces. The loosened cappings drop into a sieve resting over a pan, or into the upper part of a can specially designed to receive cappings. The small amount of honey removed with the cappings drains through the strainer and is drawn off below. The uncapped combs are placed in the extractor at once. As the cells generally slant upward more or less, especially those built for store cells outside the brood nest, the throwing out of the honey is facilitated by placing each comb in such a manner as to bring the top bar at the right hand, the basket being revolved in the most natural way—that is, from right to left. A little practice will enable the operator to note the speed required in order to free the combs entirely from honey, which will depend, of course, upon the consistency of the honey and the length of time combs are revolved. While it is, in general, best to avoid extracting from combs containing brood, cases will arise where it is necessary. If the brood is sealed, there will, be less liability of injuring it than when open cells containing larvæ are placed in the extractor; but a moderate degree of speed continued somewhat longer will usually bring the honey out without disturbance to the immature bees. Three persons can work together very advantageously—one to remove the surplus cases or combs from the hives, free them of their bees, and bring them into the extracting room, where two assistants uncap and extract the honey. If the bees are not gathering honey and are therefore prone to rob, the person who removes the combs from the hives should be assisted by an active boy who can cover hives or cases quickly or lift the latter when necessary. The combs when emptied may be returned at once to the hives if the bees are still engaged in storing. The slight damage which they have sustained under the uncapping knife or in the extractor will soon be repaired; indeed, with a little experience the uncappers will be able to smooth and trim irregular combs in such a way as to render them straighter after they have been through the extractor. It is particularly desirable, in order to straighten the combs of transferred colonies and get them in good working trim, that they be run for extracted honey during the first year or two; moreover, a good yield of extracted honey is more likely to be obtained from recently transferred colonies than comb honey, especially if the manipulators are beginners in the work.
When the extracting is done after the close of the gathering period, the greatest care should be taken not to start robbing. The surplus combs should be returned to the hives just before nightfall, and not even a taste of sweets of any kind should be left exposed. The object in returning the combs is to have them cleaned up, and also to have them under the protection of the bees until cool weather puts a stop to the destructive work of wax-moth larvæ. When sharp frosts occur, the surplus combs may be removed from the hives and placed in a dry, cold room. An open loft (if not infested with mice or if the combs are protected from the latter) is a good place, and it is much better to place the combs so they do not touch each other.
COMB HONEY.
The general directions given in the preceding chapter on spring manipulation to secure populous colonies apply as well to those designed for comb honey as to those which are to produce extracted honey. If any difference is to be observed it is even more important that the former be brought to the opening of the honey flow with the brood combs compactly filled with developing bees to the exclusion of honey, than that the latter should be so; and colonies not strong enough to enter sections readily, if at all, may still be utilized, and often do fairly well in the production of extracted honey.
The old-fashioned surplus boxes holding 25 to 30 pounds are regarded quite as relics of the past by those who use frame hives and produce comb honey in fine marketable shape, and even if for home consumption the pound ([fig. 50]) and 12-pound sections are always preferred, since they are so cheap, permit the use of comb foundation, and are in neat shape and of convenient size for the table.