8 Texas AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATIONS, 
is particularly true of the time and duration of the honey-flow as well 
as upon how much time elapses between the time of division and the 
beginning of the main honey-flow. = = 
In the attempt to answer this question for the conditions prevailing 
in Brazos county, the writer undertook the experiments described below. | 
Five strong colonies were divided early in the season, making ten colonies 
in all. The production of these ten colonies was determined and com- 
pared with the average production of other strong colonies in the same 
yard which did not swarm and which were not divided. All of the colo- 
nies involved in this experiment were typical three-banded Italians. 
Colony No, 106—On March 31st this colony was very strong and 
building queen-cells. On April 2nd it was divided, the queen and five 
frames of brood and bees being placed on a new stand and thereafter 
known as “Colony No. 206.” On the old stand, No. 106, were left the 
other five frames of bees and brood and a ripe queen-cell. Both colonies 
were given a sufficient number of frames with full sheets of foundation 
to fill out the ten-frame hives. 
The total surplus production of No. 106 for the season was 32 pounds 
and of No. 206 was 49 pounds. 
Colony No, 107.—This colony was divided in the same manner as No. 
106, the division being made on March 31st, when the colony was very 
strong and had plenty of sealed queen-cells. In this case the queen and 
five frames of bees and brood were removed to a new stand known as 
“No. 20%.” ; 
The surplus produced by No. 107 during the entire season amounted 
to 36 pounds extracted honey, while No. 20% produced 81 pounds. 
Colony No. 31%7.—This colony was also very strong and had sealed 
queen-cells on March 31st, so was divided on that date in the same manner 
as Nos. 106 and 10%. The queen and five frames of brood and bees, 
removed to the new stand, were subsequently designated as “Colony 
No. 417.” 
The surplus production of No. 317 for the season was 33 pounds, and 
of No. 417 was 115 pounds. 
Colony No. 319.—On April 2nd this colony was very strong and had 
about a half dozen sealed queen-cells. On this date it was divided in 
the manner above described, the queen and five frames of brood and bees 
being moved tc a new stand and designated as “No. 419.” 
No, 319 produced 75 pounds surplus honey, and No. 419 produced 54 
pounds by the end of the season. 
Colony No. 517—On March 31st this colony was very strong and had 
plenty of queen-cells. Division was made as in the case of the preceding 
colonies, and the new colony, composed of the queen and five frames of 
bees and brood, was called “No. 613.” 
The season’s surplus production by No. 51% was 32 pounds and by 
No. 613 was 63 pounds. , 
In all of these divisions it should be noted that the portion of the 
colony deprived of the laying queen was left upon the original stand 
so that it had the advantage of all “field bees” belonging to the original 
colony. In other words, the part moved to a new stand had the advan- 
tage of a laying queen and the part remaining on the old stand, having. 
only a ripe queen-cell, had advantage of all fielders, as the latter all re- 
turned to the location of the old colony. 
