=Feeders.=--There are many varieties of feeders in use among
bee-keepers, and to attempt to give a description of them all would
occupy far too much space. It would, moreover, be unnecessary,
for, after all, the method of feeding is one to be decided by the
bee-keeper's own convenience and resources. Several feeders are on
the market to meet the requirements of quick feeding; these are made
either of tin or wood and include the "float feeders" and the Canadian
pattern, both of which find considerable favour. Another type covers
the so-called "slow feeders," in which the supply can be regulated by
turning the food vessel round to allow a larger or smaller quantity of
food to escape at the option of the bee-keeper.
_A cheap and serviceable feeder_ may be made by filling a glass jam jar
or pickle bottle with syrup and stretching a piece of bleached calico
over the top and tying it securely round the neck. The jar is then
placed in an inverted position over the feed-hole of the hive. Should
the syrup escape too quickly another thickness of calico can be added.
Glass jars should always be used as inverted feeders as the quantity
and condition of the remaining food can be seen at a glance.
_Scrupulous cleanliness_ is necessary with all feeders, or the food is
liable to turn sour or ferment.
=Uncapping Knives.=--Used for the purpose of removing the cap of wax
from the cells when extracting the honey from the combs, these knives
should be made of good material and be kept perfectly clean and bright.
Blades which discolour quickly should not be used, and where large
quantities of honey are extracted at a time it is advisable that two
knives should be available. This enables the process to be continuous,
as one knife can be heated--in hot water--while the other is in use.
In using the knife it is better to give it a sawing motion when
uncapping, for by so doing the chances of injuring the cells are
considerably lessened. It should be so arranged that the cappings fall,
as they are removed, into a tray or dish.
=The Extractor.=--This is a machine which should be included in the
outfit of every bee-keeper who is working with a view to profit. The
initial outlay may seem large, but by its quickness and efficiency a
good machine soon pays for itself and contributes to the credit side
of the account. The extractor is usually cylindrical in shape and
contains two cages, each sufficiently large to hold one standard frame
of comb. These cages are attached to a spindle which runs through the
centre of the machine, and is worked either direct by a handle or by
a simple chain or cog gear at the top. A lid and a honey tap complete
the outfit. The advantages of the extractor are many, but the chief one
is that the honey can be separated from the combs without breaking the
latter.
Hints for working the extractor are given on page 98.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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