18G APEIL - 



The selected stock should be strong in bees, with dark straight comb 

 and not a last year's swarm, because m this is an old queen. One that 

 has swarmed the preceeding year is much to be preferred as this has a 

 young fertile queen. 



If attention is given regularly to feeding small quantities of syrup 

 every evening, from this time until flowers appear, you may expect large 

 stocks and much honey. This is especially desirable when red rasp- 

 berries are abundant. 



APRIL. 



This is the month in which bees need the most care. There are few 

 sections in which honey is gathered, except in the far South, though 

 bees are active bringing pollen, and raising young bees in abundance. 

 In any locality it is important that the queen should be laying rapidly 

 six weeeks before the fruit trees blossom, or before the first expected 

 yield of honey. 



During this month bees consume large quantities of honey in rearing 

 brood. If stores are scant but few bees will be raised, and, perhaps, the 

 abundant brood in the cells will be destroyed. Bees often starve at 

 this season of the year, because the honey is consumed more rapidly 

 than supposed. It is well to continue the operation of spreading the 

 comb and inserting an empty one, or comb-foundation, every eight or 

 ten days when the bees are doing well; being careful not to spread 

 more rapidly than the increasing bees demand. If combs on hand are 

 filled with sealed honey, clip the caps and place it in the centre. The 

 bees will rapidly use and remove the honey, and the comb be appro- 

 priated to brood-rearing. Be careful to place no drone comb in the 

 midst of the broodnest at this season, unless drones are desired very 

 early for the purpose of Italianizing. If this is desired a sheet placed in 



