So if we assume all commercial operators have a desire to reduce swarming
(not eliminating it) in the most time and labor efficient way possible, and
we assume that large colonies will be much more likely to swarm, and we
assume large colonies produce more honey and pollinate better than the same
population divided among more than one colony, where do most commercial
operators find that balance?

To produce more honey per colony, you need stronger colonies. But the
stronger a colony gets, the greater the chance they'll swarm during that
time period and leave you with a reduced honey crop. Plus, stronger
colonies typically require greater labor output to maintain swarming, which
at a certain point the increased labor offsets and potentially eliminates
the gain you would get by having a greater increase in honey production.

I understand where the balance is found on the sideline operation: keep
colonies as large as you can comfortably control. If you're spending too
much time controlling swarming, or you aren't controlling swarming enough,
reduce your colony sizes. But does the same mentality apply to commercial
operators, or is it more of a "number of frames of bees" thought process,
where you work the averages and if the odd colony swarms so bee it?

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