BEE-spoke-data/bees-v0 huggingface dataset:
Although there is a difference of opinion as to how many years such combs may be used satisfactorily for brood rearing, on account of the constant accumulation of the eocoons, causing the septum, or mid rib, of the combs to become thicker, thus lessening the length of the cells to a certain extent, it is well that they should not be used for brood rearing too long.
## rendering beeswax.
Beeswax is rendered by melting the combs and bits of wax that accumulate. It is a valuable by-product of the apiary, and there is always a good market for it at 20 to 30 eents a pound, according to quality. Every bit of comb and scrapings from the hives and frames should be carefully saved, as the wax from these pays well for the trouble. The wax in the general market is of all shapes and sizes of cakes and is of any color, from white, yellow, brown, and sometimes black, depending on the method employed and the amount of bleaching received during its rendering, or the amount of foreign matter and dirt incorporated with it.
Rendering wax in a small way does not require a complicated equipment. The combs, after being placed in a gunny sack, which is securely tied, are suspended in an ordinary wash boiler filled about two-thirds full of water. This is placed on a hot stove to boil. While it is boiling, the sack of combs is agitated and occasionally pressed, with considerable force, to the bottom and sides of the boiler by means of a stout board paddle, so that the pressure will force the melting wax out of the sack. The melted wax will rise to the top, and, when all possible is worked out, the boiler is set aside, several bricks put in to hold the sack down, and a solid cake of wax will form as it cools. It is well to see that the wax does not boil over, or that none is spilled on the stove, as dangerous results from fire may follow.
Old and dark combs should be put into a tub filled with soft rain water about twenty-four hours before melting, weighting them down with heavy objects of some sort. The impurities in the combs will be loosened by the water. soaking the cocoons left in the cells by the young bees, and will prevent these from absorbing wax during melting, which amounts to a great deal. After draining them, these may be melted in the usual way.
## 11 Sum Extractors and Presses.
Another method is the use of the sun wax-extractor, with which the heat of the sun is utilized to melt the combs. Such a solar extractor is one of the handiest and most valuable appliances in any apiary and, as they are inexpensive, considering the work they perform, and are easy to construct, every beekeeper should have one. Placed in the apiary, it is ready at all times, and every bit of comb can be immediately thrown into it, thus leaving no excuse for allowing the smallest bit of wax to go to waste. Its real value will be bound to be appreciated in our warm southern climate, where the wax moth larvae are a serious pest, in that the solar extractor will take prompt care of combs which would otherwise be destroyed by these moths if allowed to accumulate.
A strong box of suitable size may be supplied with a removable glass cover over its entire top. A false, good and solid bottom, three-fourths the inside length of the box, on which the comb is to be placed, is nailed about half way from the true bottom. A strip of coarse wire cloth
Solar wax extractor.
.serves as a strainer, as the melted wax runs down into a vessel of some kind placed in the lower part of the box. The extractor is placed in a slanting position and with the glass facing to the south so that the sun shining through it will melt the comb, which will then run into the vessel provided for it. This vessel, preferably a tin pan several inches deep, and with outward sloping sides, should be partly filled with water when the extractor is in use, to facilitate the removal of the cake of wax, which would otherwise stick to the vessel.
As not all the wax is removed by the solar extractors, the refuse, or "'slun gum' remaining, should be saved and later subjected to hot water extraction under pressure in the wash boiler, as already described.
Wax presses are used by more extensive beekeepers, and it is only by this means that most or nearly all of the wax can be obtained, especially from old, tough brood combs. These extractors are of two kinds, viz.: one in which the wax is boiled in separate boilers and then dipped from these into the press; the other, in which the press and boiler are in one, and the pressure is supplied to the combs while these are boiling. Directions for operating accompany each extractor.
Wax should never be rendered in iron reseeptacles, as this has a tendency to make it dark colored. Sometimes sulphuric acid is used to clarify beeswax, but this is not advised, as the wax may be easily spoiled by the use of too much acid. When beeswax is to be shipped it should not be wrapped in paper, a mistake made by many, but the eakes should simply be placed in elean double sacks, one placed within the other, and the openings sewed up just as grain sacks are sewed. The shipper should be sure to put his own name and address on the packages as well as that of the consignee, so they may be identified and trouble, such as frequently occurs, be prevented.
## 10 Comb foundation.
Without comb foundation, the frame hives would be worth little more than box hives, and to get the bees to build straight combs in the frames, comb foundation was invented. When the hives with their frames are to be used, each frame should be filled with a full sheet of comb foundation, which is a thin sheet of wax, having the impressions of the bottom of the cells of the honey comb on it. From this the bees build, or "'draw out," the cell walls and thus complete the combs. It is exactly like the septum or mid rib of the natural comb, and is made out of sheets of pure beeswax, which are passed through a comb foundation mill, resembling very much a clothes wringer with metal rollers. These rollers are engraved on their surfaces in such a way that the impressions of the cells will be left on the wax sheets. Comb foundation may always be profitably used, as it insures the building of straight combs in the frames, even if only a very narrow starter is used. A serious objection to using only starts is that it allows the bees to build too much drone comb under most conditions. Full sheets used at all times will insure not only the straightest combs, but will force the bees to build all worker cells. Foundation is made in several weights and sizes to fit the particular frames in use. Medium and light brood foundations are used in deeper frames, especially in brood frames, the light brood always with wires stretched in the frames. The wires are imbedded in the foundation with a spur wire imbedder, because the weight of the bees upon it would otherwise tear the sheets down. Thin and extra thin super foundation is intended for the supers with shallow frames, or in the section boxes. The thin foundation is more expensive, because there are more sheets to the bound, and it requires more labor in making than the heavy grades. Although some beekeepers make their own foundation on a hand mill, these are very few compared with those who buy their supply from large manufacturers, who make this a specialty and are, consequently, better prepared to furnish a superior grade of foundation.
Although the price of foundation seems high to the average beginner, and the use of it, especially in full sheets, appears expensive, he should not hesitate to use it at all times, as it pays to do so. All experienced beekeepers are so well aware of this fact that they use large quantities of foundation annually.
## 8 Why Comb Honey Costs More.
Those who are acquainted only with the old method of procuring "strained" honey can hardly understand why comb honey should be higher in price, since it requires much work and fussing to separate the honey from the wax and hence they opine comb honey should be the cheaper of the two. Under that method, the combs, often containing large quantities of pollen, and sometimes even young brood, are cut from the box-hives, then mashed up and placed in coarse cloths so the honey can be pressed out, resulting in a product more or less tainted in flavor and eolor. When it is practiced, it is no wonder that they can not perceive why comb honey should sell for more.
The extracted honey, however, is produced very differently. With extracted honey production the combs, once built, are used over and over again, the honey being removed from them by means of the honey extractor, and the combs returned to the hives to be filled again, thus saving all the time and honey that would have been consumed by the bees in comb building, and the human labor necessary with "strained honey," and securing the purest and clearest, fine flavored honey, free from impurities. In other words, extracted honey is thrown from the combs exactly as the bees stored and ripened it in them. Thus, very large quantities of extracted honey can be produced much cheaper than comb honey.
With comb honey production these large yields can not be obtained, for the main reason that the bees are required to build new combs in which to store honey. This delays the work materially, besides making it necessary for the bees to consume from twelve to twenty-four pounds of honey, out of which the wax is secreted, for every pound of comb built.
## 9 Artificial Comb.
Some people have the erroneous idea that artificial honey comb is manufactured ready for the bees to fill with honey. A few years ago at a cost of thousands of dollars, experiments were conducted in making comb foundation with extra deep cells, but were abandoned as futile. Not only was the matter of manufacture a difficult one, but the use of the foundation with the deep cells was objectionable for several reasons, chief among which were its toughness, due to the heavy milling of the wax, which would have been disagreeable in the finished comb honey; the extra trouble in packing for shipping, and the high price of such foundation.
The farthest step that has been taken in the direction of aiding bees in comb building is the manufacture of comb foundation with a very thin base and rather thick lines of wax which mark the begin ning of the cell walls. In thinning these when building the combs, the bees utilize the extra wax in lengthening out the cells. Such foundation can not, properly, be called artificial comb.
WORK SHOP AND HONEY HOUSE.
Every beekeeper needs to have a place where bee work may be done in a satisfactory manner. The beginner may manage to get along temporarily by converting a room of the residence, the attic, or a place in the barn or other out-building, into a work shop in which to nail up and store hives and dozens of other things, and in which to extract and pack the honey crop. Such an arrangement might do for a year or two, but it is more convenient and cheaper in the end, to construct, as soon as possible, a building for these purposes, be it only a small one to begin with. It is the next necessary essential, after the bees and supplies have been secured Too many beekeepers are making the mistake of trying to do their work in places entirely unfit for the purpose. A well arranged, commodious building permits a greater amount of, and better, work to be done, and, at the same time, much more agreeably.
UNDER ONE ROOF, BUT SEPARATE.
A building so constructed that one part can be used for a work shop, while the other is screened off to be used solely for a honey room, is preferable, for the reason that, unavoidably, there is more or less dust and trash in a work shop, and a honey room should be as tidy and clean as it is possible to make it.
Such buildings may be variously constructed. One that will answer the purpose most satisfactorily is illustrated herewith. It is covered entirely with galvanized, corrugated sheet iron, over a frame work made of cheap lumber, making it low in cost of construction and very durable.
The cross-section view is self-explanatory. It shows the arrangement of the various floors, there being four of these, each used for a different purpose. The honey room floor is elevated, so that all heavy loading of honey to and from wagons is done without any high lifting, through a side door. This is a great convenience, especially where much honey is handled. The space underneath this floor is open into the work shop and is used for storing many things desired
to have in easy reach, besides affording an excellent place for honey vinegar making. The upper floors are used as indicated, the honey cans being in immediate reach when needed for packing the honey, and the highest floor being stored with things seldom needed.
To give ventilation and thus keep the house cool in summer, as well as to supply much light in the work rooms, the entire walls toward the south are arranged in shutter fashion, so they may be easily opened by simply pulling a small rope. Extending out from the building, these provide shade, in addition to ventilation, making the building a cool one in hot weather, while giving protection when the weather is bad. These shutters are hinged with folding extension arms by which they are easily opened or closed.
## Everything in its place.
One of the main objects should be to have a place for everything and everything in its place, so that necessary tools and appliances may be found without having to hunt all over the premises for them when they are needed. Good tools mean half of the work done to start with, and all work done better than with bad tools. Suitable shelves and tool boxes should be arranged in the shop and in the honey house.
For nails of various sizes, of which every bekeeper should have a supply, since they are always needed, nothing answers better than small boxes that can be hung against the shop wall. They can easily be made and the size of the nails be indicated on the front of them. There are dozens of other things just as convenient that can be easily made by the beekeeper during spare moments,that will help make work during the busy season much more agreeable and easier to do.
## 7 Where to keep honey.
One of the most serious and most common mistakes is to store honey in the eellar or in a cool, often damp, room, or in the case of consumers, with only a small quantity, to keep it in a refrigerator. This mistake is made by many inexperienced beekeepers, as well as others, and is the reason why attention is called to the matter here.
Honey readily absorbs moisture if kept in a cool, damp place, and, besides consequently losing in quality and flavor, it may sour and ferment if not properly cared for, thus spoiling it entirely. Honey should always be kept in a warm, dry place, during all seasons, because it thereby keeps from absorbing moisture and remains liquid much longer.
For small quantities no place is better than the kitchen cupboard, or a place behind the stove. The warm temperature does not only keep the honey well, but it improves in density and flavor, as it becomes very thick and heavy in body. It is a good plan to inform consumers of honey of these simple facts. Beekeepers will gain by giving such information to their customers. The beekeeper himself should strive, of course, to keep his own honey, if he has any large amount of it, in a convenient dry place in his honey house, or otherwise, so that moisture may not affect it. Honey that has absorbed a great deal of moisture and is very thin, can be heated slowly, to evaporate the surplus water, by setting the vessel containing it on some thin boards to prevent scorching, inside a larger one filled with water. Honey that has become sour can not be restored and is only fit for making vinegar.
## 8 Honey as a food.
Comparatively few people know the true value of honey as a food, and to what extent it is used for medicinal purposes. Honey was much more generally employed in olden times, before sugar came into use. It was probably the only sweet then. It is mentioned many times in sacred and early profane history. The honey of today is nature's purest sweet. It is much more wholesome than eane sugar, since it does not need to be changed by the digestive process, like sugar, before it can be assimilated, nor tax the kidneys like sugar does; hence it has a tendency to prevent such ailments as diabetes and Bright's disease. It is already inverted by the bees. Especial care should be paid to children for they crave sweets, and too much eane sugar, or candies and other things containing it will have a tendency to overtax their kidneys from an early age. Satisfying this longing by the use of the more healthful, natural and already prepared sweet, honey, is indeed a wise part of the parent's duty, and the desire for other sweets will be abated, to quite an extent.
As a natural food, honey, while the price may seem high at first thought, goes farther and contains more nutritive qualities than other sweets. A tumbler of honey will spread more slices of bread than the same amount of preserves, jellies, or the many syrups on the market, most of which are adulterated and hardly fit for consumption. Yet these are used the country over instead of good honey. It is to be hoped that the time is not far removed when the true value of honey as a healthful, nutritious food, will be better understood.
For baking, especially by commercial bakeries and the large biseuit factories, immense quantities of honey are used, and eakes and cookies, in which it is employed, are not only more delicious, but keep soft and fresh longer, instead of drying out and becoming stale like those baked only with sugar. In confectioneries honey is used extensively, also in numerous ways in cooking, and in various summer drinks. Many persons use it entirely in place of sugar in drinks of hot water, coffee and tea. It is well, however, to be careful about substituting honey wholly for sugar, as this can not be done satisfactorily in all eases. By carefully trying the addition of a little at a time, the right proportion may be easily ascertained, and honey used to advantage, especially as regards health.
From the beekeeper's standpoint, it is a good idea to preach these truths at all times, especially through the home newspapers, thereby not only doing a great work for the health of his fellowmen but also advertising his products. Presenting the editor of a newspaper with a nice sample of honey, and furnishing him with the facts of its healthfulness and usefulness as a food, preferably in a written article on the subject, so he can print it as news, is of a mutual benefit to both. It will mean a greater demand for honey of the beekeeper, and his advertisement in the paper, so it may be known where such good honey may be obtained, profits the editor. To increase the demand is to create a better price for the product, and is to be encouraged.
## Honey vinegar
The most healthful vinegar can be made from honey, and many beekeepers make this, not only for their own household use, but to sell as well. It has not been found profitable to make honey vinegar on an extensive scale, on account of the many cheap grades of vinegar on the market, some of which ought not to be used at all, but with which the better honey vinegar must necessarily come into competition. It is for this reason that it is not manufactured to any extent. Every beekeeper ought to save all waste honey that otherwise would be lost in the washings, and turn it into vinegar. With a little advertising it is possible to sell, quite easily, several barrels of this vinegar every year.
Poor grades of honey, the washings from theappings and combs, when these are washed, drained and dried preparatory to melting into wax, and all rinsings from honey cans and utensils, may be used for making honey vinegar. It is understood that only _clean_ honey washings are to be used, soft rain water being preferable for this purpose. To test the solution for the proper sweetness, a fresh egg must float therein so that only a small part of it, the size of a silver dime, will be exposed, or a hydrometer may be used to make the test. A pound and a half of honey to a barrel of rain water is about the right proportion. To destroy all undesirable germs that may interfere with proper fermentation of the liquid, or the honey used, it is previously heated to the temperature of 180 degrees Fahrenheit, the proper precaution being taken not to scorch it.
The sweetened water is placed in barrels, filling them about three-fourths full and covering the bungs with a double thickness of cheese cloth. The barrels are kept in a dry warm place, not below 70 degrees, to undergo the first, or alcoholic fermentation. When this is completed, and all the saccharine matter is used up, the acetic fermentation begins which turns the liquid sour. This can easily be detected by smell, and, if it has not begun within ten days, a small quantity of good vinegar should be added, or if it can be obtained, some clean "vinegar-mother" from an emptied vinegar barrel at a grocery store, would be better. From now on, all that is necessary is plenty of air, and a sufficient amount of warmth. The barrels should not be placed outside, unprotected from the sun and weather, as many beekeepers do.
To hasten the process of vinegar making, after the acetic stage is reached the barrels may be so arranged on an elevated scaffold that the vinegar may be allowed to drip from them into, and slowly pass down through, a trough filled with oak shavings, into another barrel at its lower end. This must be repeated several times and in a warm atmosphere. The acetic acid bacteria multiply very rapidly on the shavings after the vinegar has passed through them, and if the work is properly done, good vinegar can be obtained within three to four weeks. After it is well matured it should be transferred, by drawing it off carefully, from one barrel into another several times, for this assures a much clearer product. When finished it should be bunged up.
COMPARATIVE PROFIT IN COMB AND EXTRACTED HONEY.
Since the market demands both comb and extracted honey, both forms are produced. It is rather difficult to say just what the relative net profits would be in each case. Granting that an average yield of extracted honey is 100 pounds, at 8 cents per pound we would have the sum of $8. In this case, after the extracting combs are once constructed by the bees, they are used over and over again. This saves the bees much labor and makes its production easier for the bekeeper, besides reducing swarming to a minimum. Another advantage is, that extracted honey can be kept over from one season to another in case of low prices or other reasons, if desired, without danger of deterioration. If it does granulate during cool weather, it can be reliquified quite easily, and then sold as readily as if it had always been fluid. This can not be done with comb honey, as the combs would be spoiled by heating.
Figure that, under the same conditions, the average for comb honey, in one pound section boxes, would be 50 pounds per colony, and that it would sell for 16 cents per pound, we would also have $8. However, the cost of preparing the comb honey supers every year with new sections and foundation, and the extra labor of getting these ready, and further labor and expense of putting the comb honey in expensive shipping cases, and crating these before the honey can be marketed, increases the expense and lessens the profits of section
honey production over the extracted honey. Besides, the bees do not like to build in the small compartments of the section supers, and hesitate to enter them readily. This causes further delay, loss of time and honey, and, as this condition results in the bees becoming more or less crowded in the main part of the hive, which is conducive to incite the swarming fever, the bees swarm instead of gathering honey when the main flow comes. The result is, a great deal more work for the apiarist, and a smaller average of honey per colony, ranging from 25 to 75 pounds of section honey per colony.