For the last ten years we have been uncapping the combs from 100 hives
using only a scratcher. It seems the simplest and most efficient method
for up to 500 hives. We used to use a jiggle knife extractor and then a
scratcher to deal with the low spots. The jiggle knife provided a large
volume of cappings which were troublesome to deal with. Use of the
scratcher alone minimizes the cappings and is simple, cheap, and totally
reliable. For more than a hundred hives you can hire high school students
to do the scratching. One of our more successful beekeepers in Alberta
used this method for an operation of over seven hundred hives. At the risk
of being accused ofsexism, I must relate that he says that female
students are great at this work but the boys are a complete disaster.
 
Best regards,
 
 
Donald Aitken
11710-129 Street
Edmonton Alberta Canada
T5M 0Y7