Project Archive Page
Spring 2023 | Swarm Monitoring Project
Learn about the issue…
We cherish them in our gardens.
We value them as pollinators.
We enjoy the honey they produce.
Honeybees are the foundation of a multi-billion dollar component of the Australian economy.
But they don’t belong here!
Introduced into Australia in 1822, honeybees - apis mellifera - are now endemic and regarded as part of the landscape. But what nobody knows is the damage the honeybee has caused by its presence in this country during the past two hundred years.
Swarming: A Natural Phenomenon
Every spring there is the potential that a honeybee colony will divide. This natural phenomenon creates two colonies where there was only one before. The colony’s queen will leave the hive with thousands of her worker bees in a swarm to seek a new home. A new queen will emerge in the original colony and it will continue to survive in its original location.
Honeybee Swarms: Aggressive house-hunters
The swarming bees are particularly aggressive at setting up a new home. They look for any sheltered, protective space where they can begin to build comb to establish a new colony. Tree hollows, wall cavities, chimneys, nesting boxes and compost bins are just a few examples of where a swarm may set up its new home. The problem is that throughout the bush and in urban areas tree hollows are prime targets especially in old Eucalypt trees. Bees often out-compete native birds and small marsupials. Nobody knows the extent to which the honeybee has had a damaging effect on our natural environment. This is especially so in regions like the Macedon Ranges that still have considerable forested land.
Managed Hives vs. Feral Colonies
Managed beehives in the care of experienced apiarists are not the problem. Like any other skilled profession managing livestock, beekeepers have strategies to reduce the propensity of honeybee swarms escaping into the wild. The environmental problem is mainly from feral colonies already in the bush and from backyard beekeepers who are inexperienced in managing the Spring swarming phenomenon. Many feral (wild) colonies of honey bees have existed in unmanaged hives for over a hundred years and the impact of swarms from these wild hives continues to be a problem.
The presence of large numbers of feral colonies of European honeybees also presents problems for the control of pests and diseases, for example the recent incursion of the varroa mite.
Learn about the project…
The Woodend Bee Friendly Society is leading an innovative project to respond to the issue of feral and unmanaged honeybee swarms and colonies.
Here are the objectives for this project:
Discover the amount of swarm activity within a designated area during the spring 2023 season.
Gather data on the number of feral colonies of European honeybees within a designated area.
Determine the effectiveness of “bait boxes” as a tool for capturing feral swarms and thus limiting the number of swarms escaping into the wild.
The Society is planning a study from September to December 2023 in an attempt to gather data on honeybee swarms in the Macedon Ranges. We want to know the extent to which honeybee swarms are impacting the natural environment with a view to possible future strategies to address the problem.
We also want to develop management skills to enable our members to capture swarms before they escape. Since feral colonies of honeybees can harbour disease the data we obtain has the potential to help to control outbreaks.
The Woodend Men’s Shed has started making over a hundred bait boxes for the project. We have received funding from several community groups and private donors. The success of the project will depend on how many and how widespread bait boxes can be deployed in the Macedon Ranges region.
If you would like to be a participant in this ground-breaking project email the Woodend Bee Friendly Society at wbfs@mrsg.org.au and put Swarm Monitoring Project in the subject line. You can also complete our Expression of Interest Survey. (Button above right)
We would like to thank the following organizations and individuals for their contributions to this important initiative:
Highways & Byways
$3,000 (Small Grants Program)
Macedon Ranges Shire Council
$1,500 (Smarty Grants Program)
Macedon Ranges Sustainability Group
$2,000
Woodend Men’s Shed
Partnering with WBFS to build and paint the bait boxes.
Private Donations: $570
Our project has attracted local interest. You can read the articles here:
Midland Express 02 May, 2023
ABC Central Victoria 28 May, 2023
New Woodend Star June 2023 (Page 15)
Learn how you can help…
Take our Participant Registration Survey
If you are participating in the project, please take this short six-question survey. It helps us gather critical data from all participants that will make the project’s final reporting more meaningful and useful.
Bait Box Distribution Dates
Sunday, 20 August 2:30pm - 3:00pm
4:30pm - 5:00pm
Distribution before and after the monthly WBFS meeting.
Location: Woodend Neighbourhood House
Tuesday, 22 August 12:00pm - 2:00pm
Thursday, 24 August 4:00pm - 6:00pm
Location: Woodend Men’s Shed, 988 Black Forest Drive. (Old sawmill site)
If you can’t make any of these collection times, email tino.corsetti@mrsg.org.au to request an alternate pick-up/delivery.
Participant’s Guidelines
We have drafted a document that outlines the swarm monitoring activities for participants who volunteer to observer during the spring 2023 season. You can download the document here.
