INVESTIGATIONS PERTAINING TO TEXAS BEEKEEPING. 11 
s 
Average income from colony not divided: 
127 pounds surplus, at 7 cents.......... ccc cece eee eee ees $ 8 89 
Differenes In, favor af Givisi0n. si 5.64 <ecaseaeekaea cess $ 3°19 
2. Increasing Size of Brood-Chamber. 
While swarming is but the natural response to an instinct calling for 
an increase in communities, just as brood-rearing is the response to the 
instinct for increasing the number of individuals within the colony, it 
has, nevertheless, long been recognized by beekeepers that a crowded 
condition of the hive is one of the conditions which induces the swarming 
fever and precipitates swarming. Many of the methods in vogue for 
delaying swarming, or preventing it entirely, are based upon giving the 
colony an abundance of room in which to store honey and to rear brood. 
Some of our experiments were conducted to determine the effect, in 
discouraging swarming, of giving additional room within the hive, either 
by increasing the size of the brood chamber or of the super-room. In 
some instances this additional room was given before the first queen-cells 
were started; in other cases, afterwards. 
Tn the case of Colonies 102, 103, 104, 320 and 321, the space in which 
the queen could lay was increased, prior to the appearance of the first 
queen-cells, by adding a super of empty combs above the brood-nest, with 
no queen-excluding honey-board between. As is readily seen, this in- 
ereased the size of the brood-chamber by about 50 per cent. The details 
of these experiments follow: 
Colony No. 102.—On March 31st, with the colony strong, the super 
of empty combs was added. By April 11th eggs had been laid in the 
super-combs and some honey stored in them, but no cells had been built. 
On April 21st the colony cast a swarm. 
Colony No. 103.—On March 81st the colony was strong andthe super 
of empty combs was given. By April 11th the super was well filléd with 
brood and honey and on April 22nd another super was given. The colony 
did not build any queen-cells during the season, and its total production 
of honey was 154 pounds. 
Colony No. 104.—On March 31st, the colony being very strong, a 
super of empty combs was given. A second super was given on April 
11th. after the first one had been well filled with brood and honey. The 
colony did not build queen-cells or swarm during the season. The honey 
vield, however, was but 69 pounds. 
Colony No. 320.—Received the super of empty combs on March 31st. 
On April 22nd the colony was building queen-cells and these were de- 
stroyed, another empty super being given at the same time. The building 
of queen-cells was abandoned by the bees until about May 12th, when 
they built cells again, and swarmed about May 16th or 17th. 
Colony No. 321.—This colony received its super of empty combs on 
March 31st and a second super on April 22nd. No queen-cells were built 
until early in May, and the colony cast a swarm about May 5th or 6th. 
Thus, of the five colonies, the queens of which were furnished with 
50 per cent more room for egg-laying prior to the appearance of thé 
swarming fever, two did not swarm and three cast swarms. 
