CHAPTER XXIII. 
SPRING MANAGEMENT. 
Tux prosperity of the bees during summer depends very much upon 
the attention they receive in the spring. A small amount of labor 
bestowed upon an apiary at this time will be well rewarded during 
the season by the production of early swarms, and amount of surplus 
honey produced. During the month of March, or as soon as the snow 
has disappeared—and the weather will admit of the bees going abroad, 
(some seasons earlier, some later, and earlier in a southern than a 
northern climate,) the hives should be arranged for the season, as it is 
an injury to the bees to be removed after they have commenced their 
labors in the spring, and become accustomed to the location of the 
hive; as by so doing many will be lost. ‘The floors should be cleaned 
of all filth and insects, and a little fine salt sprinkled under the edges 
of the hive, and the hives set down upon their floors, and if any addi- 
tional amount of ventilation has been afforded during winter, it may 
now be dispensed with, leaving a small aperture either at the rear or 
bottom of the hive, sufficient to admit a small amount of ventilation, 
but not large enough for the ingress and egress of the bees. It is dur- 
ing March and April, and in some seasons until the middle of May, 
that the bees require all the heat in the hive that they can possibly 
generate, to develop and mature the young brood, and the warmer 
the interior of the hive is kept at this season of the year, the earlier 
swarms will be thrown off. Each hive should be examined also as to 
the amount of honey it contains, and those colonies having but a 
scanty supply of honey should be fed immediately, both to preserve 
the lives of the bees, and invigorate and encourage them. And even 
strong and populous colonies that have sufficient honey to sustain them, 
may be very much benefited by feeding a trifle, as it encourages the 
‘queen to commence laying earlier in the season than she otherwise 
would, for she will never Jay to any great extent until some means are 
provided for the support of the young brood. 
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