APRIL.
Early in April—the first warm, sunny day—examine your stocks, and see if they have fertile, laying queens. If the queen is all right, there will be eggs and brood in the brood cells. Don't keep the hives open any longer than is necessary, as the cold air might chill the brood. At this time, if some stocks have a large amount of honey in the combs of the brood section, exchange such with some stock that has but little; as it is a disadvantage to have too much sealed honey in the brood combs in the spring. It sometimes happens that all the brood combs will be filled with sealed honey nearly down to the bottom, leaving but a very small place on two or three combs near the bottom for breeding purposes. In such cases, take out two or three combs, and exchange with other stocks having empty combs, leaving in each such as have brood and eggs, in every stock. Don't take out any bees. In this manner equalize your stocks, and all will be benefited. If any stocks are found queenless, or with diseased or worthless queens, take means to furnish them with a fertile, laying queen, as soon as possible. In the meantime, keep the entrances to such hives contracted very small, so but very few bees can pass at one time, to prevent attacks from robbers. Queenless stocks, or those which have diseased or drone-laying queens, will not resist an attack from robber bees with as much vigor as a stock having a fertile and prolific queen. .