Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1896-12-26
THE FARMING WORLD.
TAKING oFF HONEY.


ussful Hlnts Regarding the when and
How 81 This Task.
| Those persona who wish to have a.
very fine article of comb honey in sec
tons. something to please the eyee. viii
be very particular to not leave their
honey on the hives until It becomes
what beekeeperss call '.travel-stained."
If left on even but short time after
being finished. the bees. by travelling
over the delicate white comb with their
gummy feet, will darken it SO as to spoil
1t for exhibition purposes or for realiz-
ing a first class price for it when taken
to market
Honey is much improved in quality
by remaining ON the hives q few weeks
after being finished. It will become
more dense in texture, and almost all
experienced beekeepers agree that it
has a more delicate taste or flavor, even
though it il somewhat darker and less
pleasing to the eye.
It is best to remove all white honey
that from clover and basswood-before
the dark honey, which is usually gath
cred from huckwheat. goldenrod. etc,
begins to come in, OF you will have
white and dark honey in your sections.
which would spoil it for market. An
other thing for you to remember is that
the bees will not be idle if they can help
it. So when the honey flow stops they
will very soon carry the honey from the
super to the brood nest, first from, the
uncapped cells, after which they will
uncap the cells and spoil the sections.
If the object is to get honey to please
the eye, it should be removed as fast as
II is all capped over; only in this way
can you get the whitest honey. prefer
to remove super at time, if the honey
IS nearly all capped over. AS bees are
more apt to finish sections in the CEN
ter of the super first, I make it point
| to place the unfinished sections on the
outside of an empty super to take the
| place of the one removed, if one is need
ed; this will induce the bees to more
readily go to work in the empty case.
| To remove the honey it will be neces-
sary to have the smoker in good order,
using only the best clean smoker fuel if
you would avoid soiling the sections
with SCOT or smoke. Puff a very little
smoke into the entrance of the hive to
throw the bees off their guard, then be
/ sure to remove the super so it can be
| readily removed. Now raise the cloth
| OF cover at one corner and puff in the
| smoke lightly, then drop it and raise
| another corner of the cover, smoking
and dropping as before. Now gradual
ly remove the cloth, smoking the bees
down while SO doing. If the smoking is
| well done almost all the bees will leave
| the super. If the bees have not nearly
4 all left give them little more smoke.
Now quickly remove the super, which
! if 1oosened as directed can be readily
done.
| The super can now be carried to some
room, to the honey house, if you have
one, and the bees, if any are left, will
soon leave the sections and they can be
| released through a window or screen.
This removing of the super must be
done eNpeditiously or the bees will re-
| turn to the super, and the result will be
the uncapping of the honey and big
| Job to drive the bees down. 1t is COM
paratirely an easy matter to remove the
section honey while bees are gathering
honey rapidly, but when bees are idle
| the removing of honey is more of task,
and unless great care is taken robbing
| is apt to result. If no honey is dropped
| about the hives or yard, or if bees are
| not allowed access to the honey re-
moved from the hives, robbing will be
| avoided.
Many beekeepers are using the bee
bees from among the sections. It is
only necessary to place the escape be
| low the super, when in short time the
| bees will have left the super, unless a
queen should happen to be present
George Splitter. in Ohio Farmer