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Extractor
The extractor is designed to remove honey from the combs with greater speed than by draining
under gravity. The combs are placed in wire mesh cages in the middle of a drum which is usually of
tinned metal sheeting.
A rotating movement, at the rate of a kilometre in three minutes, brings about a centrifugal force
on the comb. The wax is retained by the wire mesh, but the honey goes through the mesh and rains
against the sheet metal wall of the tank at the bottom of which it flows out through a special tap.
Without doubt an extractor saves the beekeeper time. That is its main advantage and it is that
which all inventors have sought to improve on.
Some people also see in the use of the extractor a means of re-using comb, or of saving work for
the bees, and saving honey and wax for the beekeeper. We disagree that this is an advantage as we
favour frequent renewal of comb.
Choice of extractor
I do not advise trying to make an extractor with a tank and gearing of some kind. It is better that it
is assembled by a professional who is a fairly good engineer and a bit of a beekeeper.
Moreover, commercial extractors are often no better made. The workers who make them do not
always know what they are for. Strength is not always where it ought to be. Or here and there are folds
that cannot be cleaned out. The first honey to enter them rusts them and contaminates all the honey
that subsequently passes through the extractor. It is therefore essential to choose an extractor that is
well constructed.
Several years ago someone invented a large number of extractors of different shapes, but always
intended for making a good yield.
We have ourselves made a double-sided, horizontal parallel extractor. This extractor, also of high
yield, has another advantage. Its parts enable the uncapping of combs without breaking them during
different procedures.
Despite its size it goes through the smallest doorways, which is a rare feature.
We are of the opinion that all these extractors, ours like the others, do not meet the needs of
beekeepers, but require of them a very considerable investment and encumber them the year round,
especially during transport.
Useful extractor
We are of the opinion that our ordinary single-sided extractor would suit all. It is taken to the
apiary with two or four cages according to the apiary's size.
A four-cage extractor can extract the honey from a hive-body box of the People's Hive in 12
minutes. It is sufficient for extracting in a single day the honey from 30 hives which is the maximum
number one can have at a single location.
This extractor can be placed on packing cases or hive-bodies. It is better to buy the three-legged
type.
A cover is also advisable. It helps the movement of the cages and protects the beekeeper from a
strong current of air.
However, it should be noted that this extractor is really designed for an apiary of 12 to 15 hives.
For a smaller apiary, we advise using another means of extraction.