The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1911-09-12
THE CARE OF EXTRACTED HONE


The invention of the moSabit
frame and of the honey-extracting
has afforded beekeepers the means OF
taking out of the hives the combs
loaded with honey, and Of returning
them to the bees when empty without
damaging them or injuring a single
bee.
Extracted honey comes nearer be-
ing a staple article than does conn.,
and / believe if We exert ourselves
more in the introduction of extracted
honey the future will see the greater
norton of our honey sold in the liquid
form. :.
IT costs so much less to produce It
and it for market n we
can produce 50 much more per col
ony that we can sell it for about nall
what we get for the comb money ana
give US the same profit.
1t is estimated that 1t takes ABOUT
Is mounds Of honey to make one
pound of comb.
If honey is extracted from the
combs without mutilating them and
the combs replaced in the hives, n
can obtain nearly twice as mucn
honey. =
Extract each variety Of honey by
itself. if possible, but it is not al
WAYS possible, for the bees will per-
sist in working On sumac when we
would likep clover honey.
I prefer to do the extracting in its
season as soon as it is tit. one must
be ugided by the of the
honey-it should be left with the bees
until ripe enough to keep.
believe all ~beekeepers should De
very particular about this in order TO
be able to have a reliable article.
If honey is extracted while raw or
very thin, it will soon take a rank,
strong taste arnd really is not worth
half the price.
My honey is all left on the hives
until the latter part OF september.
By this time the bees have thorough
w ripened it and it has become SO
rich and thick that it takes a gooo
right arm to swing it out OF the
combs.
When the combs are taken from
the bees they are carried to the honey
house and left there until evening.
Before beginning to extract, l tak,
the uncapping knife and hone it on
an oilstone until the edges are good
and keen.
This will prevent tearing the combs
to a. great extent when shaving the
cappings off. h knife is OCCASION
ally dipped in a pail of hot water
which greatly expedites the work
also.
Two frames of nearly equal weight
arc selected each time SO as to bal
ance nicely in the extractor. The
crank is turned rapidly for a minute
on so and the honey is whipped out
OF the combs.
1t is then drawn off at the honey
gate into an agate pail which has a
sieve oVer it to catch the bits OF
cappings which frequently get into
the extractor.
The honey is then poured into five
gallon tin cans, for the wholesale
trade; and some in Mason jars and
tumblers, for retailing.
Before extracting iS begun the
combs are held up to The light and
graded. The white honey is selected
and extracted first, next the amber
and then the dark.
The ~uncapping can is in two parts,
the top section telescopes into the bot
tom section. The top section has a
sieve bottom which catches the cap
pings as they fall into the an.
The honey drains from them into
the lower SETON and nothing is lost
or wasted. The appings, after drain
ing for a few days are rendered into
the most beautiful l~isht-yellow wax.
The empty ombs are set into the
home apiary and leaned up by the
bees and stored away until next
spring, when they are hauled to the
cutyardS and used there.
| think it is quite important that