30 



complaint of great scarcity of pollen at this time. In such localities a substitute, in the 

 form of some kind of flour, should be provided, as described in the chapter on feeding. 

 Fruit-blooms are a great help in the latter part of the month. 



The end of April is a most important period in the development of the hive in most 

 regions, because the bees that will work on the honey-flow will be hatched from eggs 

 that are being laid now. They will become field- workers aboiit June 4th, at which date 

 white clover, snowberry, and rhamnus (cascara plant) are in blossom, the nectar in a 

 favourable season secreting freely about ten days later. 



Brood-raising at the end of April must therefore be encouraged. Should nectar 

 fail, feeding may be necessary ; on the other hand, it may have come in so freely that 

 the combs become honey-clogged, thus preventing the queen from laying. When this 

 occurs it is a good plan to take from such a hive a frame of honey and exchange it for an 

 empty one from another colony. The full comb should be placed next the side of the 

 hive, but the empty frame right in the centre of the brood-nest, so that the queen can 

 proceed to fill it at once. Drone-brood will probably be started this month. 



Scrape accumulations of wax and propolis from the top and end bars of the 

 frames. 



May. 



Colonies that are in good condition boom along this month at a great pace. Any 

 hive that on the 1st of May shows bees occupying six spaces between frames is in fine 

 condition. Early in the month one must attend to weak colonies if possible. If the 

 lack of numbers is due to a failing queen, the bees may endeavour to supersede her 

 during fruit-bloom, or she may disappear from the hive. Queens raised in a weak colony 

 at this time are of very little value, and are almost sure to be supplanted again in June 

 or July, provided they live that long. There is also great risk that they will fail to 

 mate on account of the cool weather. The writer has had queens hatched out in the 

 end of April and do all right, but the instance is rather unusual. Most bee-keepers 

 have little use for a queen that is not raised during the normal swarming season, or in 

 the time of the honey -flow. 



As fruit-blossoms cease there is often a dearth of nectar the last week of the month ; 

 in fact, up until the honey-flow starts, and unless feeding be resorted to, the colonies 

 will dwindle rather than increase. Where broom grows there is no lack of pollen. The 

 dry belt seems to be fortunate enough to have no break once nectar begins to come in. 



By the end of the third week of the month a good queen will have brood in every 

 frame, and is anxiou.-ily looking for more room. Many, on seeing the hive full of bees, 

 expect surplus honey right away and put on a super ; if it be of the extracting variety 

 it will have a (|ueen-excluder below it. Now, as a matter of fact, the honey-flow is not 

 due for several weeks, so the real aim at this date should be to get more bees. The 

 extracting super should go on, but the queen must not be kept out. W^hen given free 

 range she will occupy the new frames at once. The eggs she lays now will provide a 

 magnificent army of workers that will be ready for field-work right in the middle of 

 the honey-flow. 



Swarming often starts at the end of May, but this subject deserves a chapter all 



by itself. 



June. 



This is the great swarming month. Very strong colonies may send out a swarm in 

 the early part of the month, but most will start near the commencement of the honej'- 

 flow. 'J'he new colony has to build a set of combs, raise thousands of bees and provide 

 •ttjres for the winter; hence the best time to start housekeeping in a new locality is 

 when nectar is coming in freely. 



