bee-keeper's calendar. 513 



drone comb for the purpose. Queenless colonies should 

 be given young brood to raise a new queen (489). 



883. May. — As the weather becomes more genial, the 

 increase of bees in the colonics is exceedingly rapid, and 

 drones, if they have not previously made their appearance, 

 begin to issue 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 (606), 

 and a little help from the stronger colonies (480), they 

 may become as strong as any tor the June harvest. In 

 some localities, the strongest colonies may already gather 

 much hone}', 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, vmless 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. June. — This is the great swarming month in all 

 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 Massachusetts, as in the vicinity of 

 Philadelphia. 



33 



