INVESTIGATIONS PERTAINING TO TEXAS BEEKEEPING. 9 
The results of these five divisions are more readily compared by con- 
sulting the following table: 
Divided Into Colonies. 
Original With Ripe Queen-cell With Laying Total Production of the 
Colony and Field Bees. Queen. Two Colonies Made 
No. by_ Division, 
Colony Surplus Colony Surplus Pounds 
No. Produced, No. Produced, 
Pounds. Pounds. 
106 106 32 206 49 1 
107 107 36 207 81 117 
317 317 33 417 115 148 
319 319 73 419 is 129 
517 B17 32 613 63 96 
TOMAS os aleciade ane oe 208 Nxiveedwsanie 362 570 
Averages. .|........... 42 erties Welds veh aratspeed 72 ‘ 114 
The most apparent fact shown by the above table is that the colonies 
which had a laying queen from the start produced an average of 30 
pounds more per colony than the others, even though they were handi- 
capped at the beginning by being deprived of all fielders. It seems a 
safe conclusion that, had the ones which were provided with a ripe 
queen-cell at the time of division (Nos. 106, 107, 317, 319 and 517) been 
provided with a laying queen instead, their production would have been 
at least as great as the others, especially as they had the advantage of 
retaining all fielders at the time the division was made. The conclusion 
is justified that the purchase of queens for these colonies, even at a price 
of $1 each, would have been profitable, inasmuch as this would have 
increased the average production of these colonies by 30 pounds of ex- 
tracted honey, worth, at a net price of 7 cents, $2.10.* The average profit 
from purchasing queens for these five colonies would have been $1.10 per 
colony. 
The outcome of this experiment should also be viewed in another way; 
whether the production of the two divided colonies would have equaled 
the production of the original five had they not been divided and had 
their swarming been prevented. In the apiary there were sixteen colonies 
which did not swarm during the season, or which were prevented from 
swarming by the manipulations which they received. These sixteen 
colonies produced on average surplus of 127 pounds per colony. From 
the above table it is seen that the average production of each two colonies 
made by division was 114 pounds, or 13 pounds less than that of the 
colonies which did not swarm. Stated in another way, it may be safely 
assumed that the five original col&nies,.had they not been divided, would 
have produced an average of i127 pounds of honey each, as against the 
average of 114 pounds actually made by the two colonies which resulted. 
from each division. This would appear at first sight to indicate a slightly 
larger production (13 pounds per colony) in the case of colonies not 
*For the purpose of estimating the value of these productions we have arbi- 
trarily assumed a wholesale price of 8 cents per pound for extracted honey, to 
the beekeeper, and have deducted therefrom 1 cent per pound for cost of cans, 
leaving the net value of the honey 7 cents per pound. The profit or loss from 
the experiment, at any price for honey, may be readily computed from the data 
given. 
