78. You will remember that in paragraph 58 we stressed the value and necessity of using full sheets of foundation in your hives with each sheet supported by wires. At this point it is well to take note of the extreme importance of having combs in the hive bodies in spring available for the queen that are made up of worker cells just as much as possible. Honeycomb constructed by the bees is normally built in one of two sizes of cells, one is called worker cells and the other drone cells. Only drone bees are ever produced normally in drone cells and only worker bees from worker cells. Therefore a comb containing any drone cells is useless to the beekeeper for each drone cell prevents the production of worker bees, and as drones are only consumers and never producers, the production of every drone is a real expense to the beekeeper. Therefore the use of full sheets of wired foundation is absolutely necessary to the successful commercial production of honey. It is of prime importance, then, at this season of the year when weather conditions are unfavorable for opening the colony and replacing any drone comb with worker-comb, that all of this shall have been provided by the use of the proper equipment in the first place.

79. The management of bees in spring may roughly be divided into two classes, the handling of bees that are brought outdoors in spring from the cellar and the building up of colonies that have been wintered outdoors altogether. We will discuss the cellar-wintered colonies first. As to the time to remove them from the cellar, this depends upon the seasonal prospects and the condition of the bees. The bees if properly prepard to go into their cellar winter quarters, should be in good condition if the cellar was a suitable place to winter them. Cellar-wintered colonies become more restless toward spring from not having had a flight and a chance to cleanse themselves. If their cellar, food and surrounding conditions have been nearly ideal, they will, for the most part, still remain quietly on the combs. Frequently through disturbances during the winter, improper food, an excess of moisture, too low or too high temperatures or too much light in the cellar, the bees will become restless. It is necessary to set them out for a cleansing flight in spring much earlier than it is advisable to do when they are wintering quietly. In some extreme cases when this is done it may be advisable to return them to the cellar again. In such cases the beekeeper by consulting the weather bureau nearest him may ascertain that a certain day may be mild in temperature and in that case may set the bees out of the cellar onto the temporary locations and leave them for the day, enabling them to have a good flight. At the end of the day when the cool of the evening has forced the bees back into the hives in a quiet cluster they may again be taken back into the cellar.

80. Under normal conditions bees may best be removed from the cellar about the time soft maple trees come into bloom. This is not a hard and fast rule and opinions vary. Many beekeepers prefer to take the bees out of the cellar shortly after sundown when the temperature will be cool. The bees will not be allowed an immediate flight to get badly mixed up by not having time to slowly locate the exact position of their own individual hive. By consulting with the Weather Bureau the proper day when the temperature is likely to go well above 57° F. may be ascertained and then the colonies set out the night before shortly after sundown. Entrances of such hives should be closed down at once to allow only a few bees to pass in and out. Any colonies that are found dead should be taken inside at once to prevent them from being robbed out by the other bees and to prevent the possible spread of the disease to which the dead colony may have succumbed. Weak colonies should have their entrances contracted until there is only room for one or two bees to leave at a time.

81. In setting out bees from the cellar one easily locates colonies too light in stores. These may be marked at the time so they may be identified next day and fed in the manner described in paragraph 14. An ideal way, however, to help these light colonies is to have a hive body well supplied with honey to give each colony as mentioned in paragraph 11. Sugar syrup should be fed only when such honey is not available.

82. The first warm day after the colonies are permanently set out they may all be examined to be sure they are queenright and to be marked so that failing queens may be kept track of. Probably it will be best at this season of the year not to attempt to requeen unless your main surplus honey flow is a long way off. In most localities it will pay to unite any weak or queenless colony at this season of the year and to give it no further coddling. The first day after setting out when the temperatures permit, each colony containing a vigorous queen and enough bees to cover 5 or 6 combs should be given the extra hive body containing honey mentioned in paragraph 11. This should be placed underneath the hive body in which the queen and brood are, as this places the brood in the warmest position in the hive. The honey being under the brood is in abnormal position and the bees set to work to move it above. This handling of the honey stimulates the colony to more rapid building up.