MAY.
If surplus honey is your 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, remove the small honey board over the brood section, and 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 is best. 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 had the brood combs 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 deposited 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, don't put on any boxes.
About the time fruit blossoms appear, or a little before, open both entrances to their full extent, in all strong and healthy stocks.