I have found that this can be accomplished with a heat gun. The kind that is
held in hand like a blow drier and generally used to remove paint. Got mine
at Wal-Mart for around $20. It takes a while to get the technique down but
just heat the cappings enough so that they melt and pull away starting at
the center. Don't heat too much or the cell walls will melt and recap the
cell with melted wax. It works only if the cappings are up off the honey -
that's to say that there needs to be a gap between the capping and the honey
in the cell below. On traveled combs where cappings set against the honey
the capping never pulls away and the cell remains sealed when the wax
hardens. These I get with a capping scratcher. If your combs tend to be
mostly tramped down like this then this method will probably not work for
you. I have used this method for the last couple years with my 7 hive
operation and I like the fact that I don't have to deal with the cappings
and the bees don't have to make as much wax the next season.


Billy Smart
Rock, KS




it seems to me that removing the cap with the least damage to the comb would
allow the bees to refill the combs quickly.

david