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.
JUNE.
This is the month for swarms. It is also the month, in most localities, when the best quality of box honey is, collected. If you have arranged for swarms to appear this month, have everything in readiness for them. If you are arranging for surplus honey, remove the boxes as fast as filled, and replace with empty ones. Hive the swarms as soon as clustered. Be sure not to let them remain in the hot sun for any length of time. Have your hives all ready. This month is a good time to rear queens in the miniature hives. Keep the grass and weeds about the hives cut down. They harbor the moth miller, when suffered to grow about the hives.
JULY.
Continue to take off boxes as fast as filled. Keep a sharp lookout that the moth worms do not get in and injure the honey in the boxes which you have removed. If the supply of honey fails when the boxes are only partially filled, feed the bees liberally, until the boxes are finished. Do this as soon as honey fails, as the bees will store faster in boxes if fed as soon as the natural supply of honey ceases. It will be well to put on a few boxes—say, one side to each new swarm which has been hived early; and also on old stocks that swarmed early. Put the boxes on one side first; then if the bees go to work in them, put in the other side.
AUGUST.
If you have a market near home, the surplus honey in glass boxes will sell very well the last of this month, before honey is brought from away; but if you are to ship a great distance, the weather will be too warm in this month. Keep a close watch that the boxes you have taken off do rot get wormy. Eternal vigilance is the price of success.