Wednesday, July 06, 2005

Capping scratcher...

This is one of the best tools for the hobbiest, and even the guy that has a few hundred colonies. Until you graduate up to an automatic uncapper, this is the best tool to use to release that treasure the bees have buried under those wax cappings. No sense in using one of those hot knives or planes that leave behind a smoking trail of burned slime. They never finish the whole frame in one swipe anyway, you have to drop the plane, and pick up the capping scratcher only to finish off the low spots, not real time efficient when you have to constantly switch tools to get the job done. With the scratcher alone, all you have to do is drag the tines across the cappings of the cells and it pierces them. Three passes on each side of a medium frame, and your done. Then throw the frames in your spinner and sling out the liquid gold.

You don't have to have one of those fancy heated knifes or uncapping planes, and don't bother with trying to slice off the top layer of wax capped cells with a cerrated knife. This is the best 5 dollar tool you will find to make your harvesting a pleasure.

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