APIARY.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1199, 22 February 1895, Page 7

APIARY.

GATHERING HONEY. The honey which is the most enticing, on account of its fine look, is, unquestionably, comb honey. It costs and it is worth about twice the price of the extracted. But to get its full value, this honey ought to be in onepound sections, entirely sealed in the cells, light in colour, and the sections ought to be well cleared of all the propolis, with which bees varnish them. TO GET RID OF THE BEES.

To get rid of the bees who are in the boxes in which are the sections, these boxes should be removed from the hives and entirely closed, save a small hole through which the bees can escape and return to their hives. Yet, when bees do not find any nectar in the fields, the boxes cannot be left outside, for their entrances would soon be discovered by robber bees. Then they should be placed inside a well closed room and the bees should be driven away from the windows on which they will conglomerate. This operation of getting rid of the bees is now greatly facilitated by the invention of the bee-escape. To use this implement the box containing the surplus comb is raised, if two persons work together, or removed if the bee-keeper works alone. The floor or honey-board in which the bee-escape is encased is then placed on top of the hive and the surplus box is returned on the hive. The bees enclosed in the box search how to return to the hive, and as soon as one of them has found the hole of the escape, she flaps her wings to all the others ; and, in warm weather, six or seven hives are sufficient to clear away the box of all the bees, or of nearly all, for but less than a dozen of young and inoffensive bees have been unable to get away. The sections of honey, after having been carefully cleaned, should be placed in a dry and warm room, for dampness would settle on the honey, and cold would break the cells of the comb. EXTRACTED HONEY.

Extracted honey is more easily harvested than honey in sections, especially since the bee-escape has been invented. To drive away the bees which covered the combs of the surplus boxes, these boxes weie removed, the cap or cover of the hive was replaced, and each surplus comb was brushed with a bunch of asparagus leaves. This operation was long and tedious y with the bee-escape it is easy and takes very little time. When the boxes are free of bees they are carried to the extracting room, where the combs are uncapped and emptied by the extractor. The bucket which receives the honey from the extractor is emptied in a barrel, on which is a funnel furnished with a fine wire cloth sieve. As soon as the combs are emptied, they are returned to the surplus boxes, which are piled upon on< j iino'hiT, on a lar£jp tin box, which receives th«ir dripping*. Never extraet unripe honey, tor it sours. Honey can be held as ripe when

at least two-thirds of the cells are sealed, or when the crop has ended for a week. To return the boxes of emptied combs to the hives we wait till after sundown to avoid the robbers ; for bees, during the night, will put everything in good order, and the next morning they will be ready to protect their stores.