Swarming, an often misunderstood phenomenon, is how honey bees reproduce at the colony level; one honey bee colony splits and becomes two independently functioning colonies. In this short course, you will explore this fascinating process from how colonies prepare to swarm through the democratic process of choosing a new nest location. You will learn to recognize the internal and external stimuli that lead a colony to swarm and you will explore the practices that are available to help beekeepers prevent swarming in their colonies.

This short course includes the following lessons:

1. Colony Level Reproduction
2. Swarm Preparation
3. The Honey Bee Colony Swarm
4. Choosing a New Nest Site
5. Swarm Management Techniques

Important Information

• Software requirements: For the best user experiece use Chrome when accessing this course. Some features in this course are not be compatible with other internet browsers. 
• Lessons in this course overlap with lessons in the Apprentice and Master Beekeeper online course, part of the UF/IFAS Master Beekeeper Program.
• bee-Learning Short Courses are completely self-paced, although must be completed within 60 days of registering.
• You will receive a certificate of completion for this course via email after you have passed the final assessment and completed the course exit survey.
• No refunds will be granted for this course after the course has been accessed.