April: Boone Regional Beekeepers - swarm capture field day

Our April meeting will be an in person swarm capture field day at the Korschgen barn!

Saturday, April 19, 2025 at 1:00 pm.

6951 S. Lakota Ridge Lane, Columbia, Missouri 65203.
This is two miles south of Rock Bridge Elementary School, three houses from Highway K.

Topics will cover the population dynamics that drive honeybee colonies to swarm. We will demonstrate and discuss capturing swarms in bait traps and in open field situations, how to lure bees into traps, where to deploy traps, and how to best place bees into hives.

A DRAWING WILL BE HELD FOR A DOOR PRIZE -- ONE OF CARL'S SWARM TRAPS.

Agenda and presenters:

• Tom Coudron - swarm biology and colony decision making
• All - prevention of swarming
• Carl Korschgen--swarm boxes / bait hives and other swarm traps
• All - how to manage successful captures (verify queen presence, length of time to leave in trap, transferring to hive box)
• Carl Korschgen and All - capture of swarms in bushes/trees and on structures
• All - Bring you favorite and unique swarm capture techniques and gadgets to demonstrate.

NOTICE 1: PLEASE BRING BEE SUITS/PROTECTIVE GEAR TO WORK WITH BEES. IF SOME NEW BEEKEEPERS WANT TO INSPECT COLONIES, WE WILL DO THAT.

NOTICE 2: YOU WILL BE A PARTICIPANT IN A REGISTERED AGRITOURISM ACTIVITY CONDUCTED AT THIS REGISTERED AGRITOURISM LOCATION. A SIGN WILL BE POSTED. MORE INFORMATION WILL BE PRESENTED AT THE START OF THE MEETING.

Bring a lawn chair if you want to be comfortable sitting during the presentations.

Background reading:

Dr. Leo Sharashkin who lives in southern Missouri has provided comprehensive information about swarms and swarm trapping on his website. Especially note his suggestions about where to place and how to bait swarm traps.

http://horizontalhive.com/honeybee-swarm-trap/bait-hive-how-to-catch.shtml.

He also has excellent plans for building swarm traps.

Dr. Thomas Seeley’s classic EXCELLENT publication about swarm trapping is here: https://ecommons.cornell.edu/handle/1813/2653. Seely is the swarm guru so his other publications and books are very informative.

Host or Publisher Boone Regional Beekeepers Association