MONTHLY DUTIES. 131 
nish them with a fertile, laying queen, as soun as possible. 
In the meantime, keep the entrances to such hives con- 
tracted 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 our 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, 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 isbest. 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 coombs 
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 depos- 
ited eggs in all the cells. You want all the bees possible 
to gather the honey harvest of June, July, August 
and September. 
If you want swarms, put on boxes early and continue 
feeding, and you can have swarms and a good crop of 
surplus honey also. 
