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 en 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. 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.