Course Content

A Colony of Honeybees

The student will be:

• aware of the need for care when handling a colony of honeybees

• aware of the reactions of honeybees to smoke

• aware of the personal equipment needed to open a colony of honeybees

• able to open a colony of honeybees and keep the colony under control

• able to demonstrate the use of smoke

• able to demonstrate the use of the hive tool

• able to remove combs from the hive and identify worker, drone and queen cells or cups if present and to comment on the state of the combs

• able to identify members of the three castes, identify brood at all stages

• able to demonstrate the difference between drone, worker, and honey cappings

• able to identify stored nectar, honey and pollen

• able to catch a few worker bees and put them in a matchbox or carrying cage for disease diagnosis

Beekeeping Equipment

The student will be:

• able to name the parts of a modem beehive

• aware of the concept of the bee space and its significance in the modern hive

• able to assemble a frame and fit it with wax foundation

• aware of the reasons for the use of wax foundation

• aware of the various spacings of combs in the brood chamber and super for both foundation and drawn comb

Natural History of the Honeybee

The student will be:

• able to give an elementary account of production of queens, workers and drones in the honeybee colony

• aware of the existence of laying workers and drone laying queens

• able to specify the periods spent by each caste in the four stages of its life cycle (egg, larva, pupa, adult)

• able to give an elementary description of the function of the members of each caste if the life of the colony

• able to give a simple description of wax production and comb building by the honeybee

• able to give a simple definition of nectar and describe how it is collected and brought back to the hive

• able to name the main local flora from which honeybees gather pollen and nectar

• able to give a simple description how nectar is converted into honey

• aware of the use of nectar and honey in the life of the colony

• aware of the collection of water and its uses in the colony

• able to give a simple description of the collection of pollen and its importance in the life of the colony

• able to describe the origins, collection, and use of propolis in the honeybee colony

• able to give an elementary description of swarming in a honeybee colony

• able to give an elementary description of the way in which the honeybee colony passes the winter period

Beekeeping

The student will be:

• able to give an elementary description of the siting of colonies

• able to give an elementary description of the year’s work in the apiary and the management of a colony throughout a season

• able to describe how and when to feed bees and the preparation of syrup

• aware of the need to add supers and the timing of the operations

• aware of the use of the queen excluder

• able to give an elementary account of one method of swarm control

• able to describe how to take a honeybee swarm and how to hive it

• aware of the condition of queenlessness

• able to describe the signs of laying workers and a drone laying queen

• aware of the dangers of robbing and how robbing can be avoided

Bee Disease and Poisoning

The student will:

• be able to describe the Varroa mite, know how to test for its presence in the hive and be aware of the main methods of treatment

• be able to describe the signs of American Foul Brood (AFB) and European Foul Brood (EFB)

• be able to describe the appearance of healthy brood and how it differs from diseased brood or chilled brood

• be aware of acarine, nosema and amoeba and their effect upon the colony

• know how to obtain expert assistance if any disease or poisoning by toxic chemicals is suspected

Harvesting Honey and Wax

The student will be:

• able to describe the methods used to clear honeybees from supers

• able to describe the process of the extraction of honey from supers

• aware of the value of bees to farmers and growers and of the hiring of colonies for pollination services

• able to describe a way in which comb can be stored to prevent wax moth damage

• able to describe a way by which mice can be excluded from the hives in winter.

This course does not include the handling of live bees.