BEE-KEEPER § CALENDAR. 513 
drone comb for the purpose. Queenless colonies should 
be given young brood to raise a new queen (4:89). 
883. May.— As the weather becomes more genial, the 
increase of bees in the colonies is exceedingly rapid, and 
drones, if they have not previously made their appearance, 
begin toissue from the hives that have been allowed to 
retain a notable amount of drone comb, and this is the 
time to raise queens for increase, or for improvement 
(489). 
The breeding space of weak colonies, which has been 
previously reduced, should again be enlarged as their needs 
may demand (349). If their combs are judiciously in- 
creased with a proper amount of stimulative food (G06), 
and a little help from the stronger colonies (480), they 
may become as strong as any for the June harvest. In 
some localities, the strongest colonies may already gather 
much honey, and it will often be advisable to give them the 
spare honey receptacles (724); but in some seasons and 
localities, either from long and cold storms, or a deficiency 
of forage, hives not well supplied with honey will exhaust 
their stores, and perish, unless they are fed. In favorable 
seasons, swarms (406) may be expected in this month, 
even in the Northern States. These May swarms often 
issue near the close of the blossoming of fruit-trees, and 
just before the later supplies of forage, and if the weather 
becomes suddenly unfavorable, may starve, unless they are 
fed, even when there is an abundant supply of blossoms in 
the field. 
884. Junz. — This is the great swarming month in «ll 
our Northern and Middle States. As bees keep up a high 
temperature in their hives, they are by no means so depen- 
dent upon the weather for forwardness, as plants, and as 
most other insects necessarily are. We have had as early 
swarms in Northern Massarhusetts, as in the vicinity of 
Philadelphia. 
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