March and April are the best two months for purchasing stocks, and May
for swarms. It is better to obtain them from such a distance only as
they can be conveyed by hand; conveyance by any other means is always
attended with danger to the Bees. Swarms require less care in carrying
from place to place than stocks. In purchasing stocks the weight
alone must not be relied on; a swarm of the preceding year should be
selected, and one that contains not less than 12 lbs. of honey. The
combs must be looked at, and if they are not of a yellow or straw
colour, and if at all approaching to blackness, it is not a swarm of
the last year, and must be rejected. The next best time to purchase is
May or June, at the time of swarming; but of this hereafter.