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 [log in to unmask]