I live in South Central Oklahoma USA.
 
Facts:  I use only one brood chamber per hive.  I rob the hives in late
october and also take the 2 side frames out of the brood chamber and extract
them.  I place 2 extracted frames back into the hive and place an extracted
super above for the bees to clean out.  The cotton bloom is not complete for
about 2-3 weeks after I do the extracting.   I place feeders and pollen
substitute on in late february and place honey supers on in late march.  I
will have 1-2 supers of extractable honey by June 1 if we have rain and wild
flowers.  I get a total of 3-5 supers per hive each year depending on summer
rain and the flow in the area.
 
I treat for mites in february with strips and putting peppermint oil in the
syrup I am feeding.
 
My bees are italians purchased from various suppliers.
 
Other beekeepers in the area that use 2 brood chambers claim their hives in
this area give swarms starting in early April.   My hives don't swarm until
late May or early June.
 
 I still get about the same amount of  honey as the other beekeepers in the
area.
 
Question:
 
Does my using smaller brood area and giving the bees less winter food slow
down the swarming by 1-2 months?
 
Richard Barnes
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