colonies should be given a second super as soon as work has been fairly
begun in the first. Colonies of medium strength may of course be
allowed to do considerable work in the first super before the second is
given, while a weak colony may have sufficient room for comb building
until the first super is almost completed. The first super should
contain some empty comb when given to the colony, and each succeeding
super should be given in advance of the time when the bees would be
in any way crowded without it. At no time should all the sections be
removed and new supers containing only foundation be given, but the
surplus apartment should contain sections in all the various stages of
development. In this way there is no break in the work in the supers,
and the critical periods, so far as the super room bears upon the
problems of swarming and energetic work, are largely eliminated.
During the latter part of the honey flow the reasons for further
expansion of the surplus apartment in excess of the immediate needs of
the colonies (p. 41) no longer exist. At the beginning of a good honey
flow the maximum of new work consistent with well-filled sections is
desirable, while toward the close of the flow the beekeeper desires
the minimum of new work consistent with sufficient room. The precise
period when further expansion of the surplus apartment is no longer
desirable and a concentration of the work already begun should take
place is sometimes difficult to determine, and to do so requires a
thorough knowledge of the locality and good judgment on the part of the
beekeeper.
It is usually desirable to remove the honey as soon after it is
finished as can well be done. If it is left on the hives too long after
it is finished, it is likely to become discolored or "travel stained,"
while if it is taken off too soon some of the sections are not
completed. It is desirable that the honey be removed by entire supers
instead of by individual sections, therefore conditions should be made
as favorable as possible for the completion of all the sections in a
super without the more advanced ones becoming "travel stained." The
bees are more inclined to stain the white surface of the combs toward
the close of the honey flow or during very slow flows. Trouble from
this source is at such time intensified because of the uneven progress
of work in the different sections, the more advanced sections therefore
being sealed some time before the super is sufficiently advanced to
justify its removal. Another form of discoloration is brought about by
the honey being sealed in close proximity to old and dark brood combs,
in which case some of the darker wax from the old combs is sometimes
apparently used for capping the honey.
During a good honey flow all except the last supers may be left upon
the hives until all or nearly all of the sections of honey are sealed,
since (1) there is little trouble from "travel stain" when work is
progressing rapidly, (2) all the sections in the super are ready to be
sealed at about the same time, and (3) when there are several supers on
each hive the one in which the honey is being sealed is at least one
super removed from the brood combs.
Toward the close of the honey flow all supers having most of their
sections finished should be removed and the sections sorted. The
unfinished sections should be graded according to the degree of
completion, the various grades placed in supers and given to such
colonies as are most likely to finish them. Every effort should be made
at this time to contract the surplus apartment, concentrating the work
upon the sections nearest completion. All supers in which work has not
yet been started should be removed and as soon as possible the surplus
apartment of each colony should be reduced to one super. Though little
room is necessary during the close of the honey flow, there should
always be some room for the storage of new nectar until it is ripened.
For such conditions extracting combs are valuable, since, instead of
giving the last comb-honey super in which little work would be done, a
set of extracting combs may be placed over the sections to afford room
for the incoming nectar and comb surface for its ripening.
=CARING FOR THE CROP.=
=Removing the Honey from the Hives.=
If the honey flow is of considerable duration the major portion of the
crop is removed before the flow ceases. At this time the removal of the
finished supers is comparatively easy because the bees can readily be
driven from them and also because the operator is not hindered in his
work by robbing bees. At the close of the honey flow all the supers
remaining upon the hives should be removed promptly, since to leave
them on would result not only in some of the honey being carried down
into the brood chamber but also in badly propolized sections. After
the honey flow has ceased, great care should be exercised to keep bees
from robbing. The use of bee-escapes (fig. 12) greatly facilitates the
removal of the honey at any time, but their use is especially desirable
in removing the honey remaining on the hives at the close of the honey
flow. By their use the honey may be removed and stored in the honey
house with little disturbance or excitement among the bees. The supers
of honey should of course be taken directly to the honey house or kept
well covered[8] from robbers.
[8] Honey from out-apiaries should be loaded for transportation in
such a manner that the bees can not get at it, then before the horse
is hitched to the wagon the load of honey should be drawn by hand some
distance from the apiary if the slope of the ground will permit doing
so. If this is not possible the horse may be attached by means of a
long rope and the load drawn to a safe distance before the horse is
hitched to the wagon.
Before finally storing the supers of honey in the honey room those that
are but partly filled may have their sections removed and sorted. The
unfinished sections that can not be disposed of at a profit locally
are usually put back into supers and the honey they contain is fed to
the bees. This feeding is done by simply exposing the supers where the
flying bees can have access to them. If there are few supers compared
with the number of colonies they should be placed in piles and only
a small entrance allowed, since if free access were given to a large
number of bees they would tear the combs to pieces. When the bees have
finished removing the honey from these unfinished sections the latter
may be stored for future use as "bait" sections.
=Care of Comb Honey.=
In the honey room the supers of honey should be placed in piles in such
a manner as to allow a free circulation of air between them. This may
be done by "sticking them up" as lumber is piled to dry or by placing
alternate supers crosswise. The air in the honey room should be kept
as dry as possible. This is usually accomplished by means of a high
temperature, the honey room being located on the sunny side of the
building or directly under the roof. The windows should be opened only
during dry weather. Ventilation of the honey room is of no value except
when the air that is admitted contains less moisture than that already
present. Otherwise ventilation may be a positive detriment. If a
protracted period of rainy or damp weather should occur while the honey
is in this storage it may be necessary to use artificial heat to dry
the air in the honey room. Any great variation in temperature should be
avoided, since it may cause a condensation of moisture on the surface
of the cappings which will be absorbed by the honey.
Some beekeepers find it necessary to fumigate comb honey to prevent
damage by the larvæ of the wax moth. For this purpose sulphur fumes or
bisulphid of carbon may be used. If bisulphid of carbon is used, great
care should be taken not to bring it near a flame, as it is highly
inflammable.
=Scraping Propolis from Sections.=
Before being packed for market the sections of honey should be removed
from the supers and the wood scraped free of propolis. A convenient
bench should be provided for this work, with a large shallow box or
tray to catch the propolis as it is scraped from the sections. This
work is usually done by hand, though a few producers have designed and
are using machines for this purpose.
=Grading Comb Honey.=
The importance of properly grading and packing comb honey does not seem
to be well understood by the average beekeeper. Some extensive buyers
of comb honey find it profitable to regrade and repack practically all
the comb honey they receive before sending it out to their trade. The
producer of this honey of course bears this extra expense by receiving
a lower price for his honey. The lack of uniformity of grading is to
some extent a result of differences of opinion as to what should be the
standard for the various grades. Grading rules have been of material
aid toward greater uniformity, but various producers may use the same
set of grading rules with very different results. It would be well if
a single set of rules were in use, since honey from various localities
may be sent to the same market. The grading rules in most common use
are given in Farmers' Bulletin 447, page 39.
After scraping the propolis from the wood, each section of honey may
be placed in a pile with others of its grade. Some put the sections
directly into the shipping cases as fast as they are scraped, but
better grading can be done if each grade is put in a separate pile
and the final grading all done by one person. By thus having a large
number of sections in each grade from which to select there is greater
opportunity for making the sections of honey in each case more nearly
uniform as to weight and the various shades of finish. Such uniformity
is especially desirable from the standpoint of the retailer. Sections
containing only a few cells of pollen should be placed in a lower grade
or sold as culls, while those containing a considerable amount of
pollen should not be marketed in the form of comb honey. An excessive
amount of pollen in the sections is usually caused by the use of very
shallow brood combs, extreme contraction of the brood chamber, or
hiving swarms on narrow strips of foundation in the brood frames with
partly drawn comb in the sections (p. 32).
=Packages for Comb Honey.=
Comb honey is usually packed in cases holding 24 sections (fig. 20).
Other sizes are sometimes used to meet special market requirements. The
markets have become accustomed to cases with glass fronts, by means
of which the contents are displayed to advantage. However, in keeping
with present practice in other package goods, considerable comb honey
is now placed on the market having each section inclosed in a carton.
This practice, while losing the advantage of displaying the honey, has
a decided advantage in insuring security from dust and insects while
in the markets as well as greater safety to the fragile comb when the
package is finally delivered to the consumer.
[Illustration: Fig. 20.--Shipping cases for comb honey. (From
Phillips.)]
=Marketing.=
Many beekeepers are able to dispose of their entire output of honey
in their local markets, sometimes, creating quite a demand for their
product by advertising and demonstrating. Comb honey that is to be
sent to a distant market should be shipped before cold weather, since
the combs become extremely fragile when cold. Small lots should be
crated in "carriers" holding several cases to prevent breakage by rough
handling of individual cases, while in larger shipments the cases are
simply packed in the car in such a manner that the individual cases can
not be thrown about by the movement of the car.
* * * * *
Transcriber Notes
All illustrations were moved so as to not split paragraphs.
Irregularity in hyphenation (for comb-honey vs. comb honey and some
others) has been retained.