MONTHLY DUTIES. 139 



benefited. If any stocks are found queenless, or 

 with diseased or worthless queens, take means to 

 furnish them with a fertile, laying queen, as soon as 

 possible. In the meantime, keep the entrances to 

 such hives contracted very small, so but very few 

 bees can pass at one time, to prevent attacks from 

 robbers. Queenless stocks, or those which have 

 diseased or drone-laying queens, will not resist an 

 attack from robber bees with as much vigor as a 

 stock having a fertile and prolific queen. 



MAY. 



If surplus honey is your object the coming season, 

 early in this month put on the boxes at the sides, 

 and the last of the month, or as soon as the bees 

 commence work in the side boxes, remove the small 

 honey board over the brood section, and put on the 

 top boxes, except at the place occupied by the feeder. 

 It may be well to feed liberally for about ten days 

 before fruit blossoms appear, in order to get the 

 bees at work in the boxes. You can judge what is 

 best. If the stocks are backward in breeding, the 

 comb not filled with eggs and brood in nearly every 

 part, it will be best to defer liberal feeding until a 

 little later. You should have the brood combs filled 

 with brood and eggs before liberal feeding is begun, 

 else the bees will fill with honey what should be 

 filled with eggs and brood ; and thus the number 

 of bees will be reduced from what there would be 

 if the queen deposited eggs in all the cells. You 

 want all the bees possible to gather the ■ honey 

 harvest of June, July, August and September. 



