The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1896-12-19
THE FARMING WORLD.
TAKING OFF n
Useful Hints Regarding the When and
How OF This Task.

Useful Hints Regarding the When and
How OF This Task.
Those persons 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 beekeepers call "travel-stained."
II left on even but a short time after
being finished, the bees, by travelling
over the delicate white comb with their
gummy feet. will darken it sc as to spoil
1t for exhibition purposes or for realiz-
ing q first class price for it when taken
to market.
Honey is much improved in quality
by remaining on the hives a few weeks
after being finished. 1t will become
more dense in texture, and almost all
experienced beekeepers agree that it
has a more delicate taste or favor, even
though II is somewhat darker and less
pleasing to the eye.
1t is best TO remove all white honey
that from clover and basswood-before
the dark honey, which is usually gath
cred from buckwheat, goldenrod, ETC.,
begins to come in. or you will have
wh:te and dark honey in your sections,
which would spoil ii for market. An
other thing for YOU to rcrrTub.r is that
the bees will not be idle If they can help
it. So when the honey flow stops they
will very o carry the honey from the
super to the brood nest. first from the
u%ncapped 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 az
il is all capped over; only in this way
can you get the whitest honey. Iprefer
10 remove a super at Il time, if the honey
= nearly all capped over. As bees are
more apt to finish sections in the CEN
ter of the super first, I make it a 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 viii induce the bees to more
readily go TO work in the empty case.
To remove the honey it will he neces-
saTy to have the smoker in good order,
using only the best clean smoker fueli 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 il can be
readily removed. Now raise the cloth
or cover at one corner and puff in the
smoke lightly, then drop it and raise
another corner of the cover, smoking
and Hrnnninr &c 1afa-a N1-- -,ol-oI
~ 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 nave not nearly
all left give them a little more smoke.
Now quickly remov the super, which
il loosened 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 a big
S'D 4 bAC ptCS IL Il ColH-
paratively 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 a 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 he
avoided.
Many beekeepers are using the bee
escape and have less trouble TO get the
bees from among the sections. 1t is
only necessary to place the escape be-
low the super, when in q short time thu
bees will have left the super, unless q
queen should happen TO be present.
George Splitter, in Ohio FaSmer.