Beekeeping Preliminary Syllabus IBA Clg
The course includes studies of beekeeping under the following headings.
Equipment
The student will be:
- able to name the parts of a modern 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 and properly nail the frame
- aware of the reasons for the use of wax foundation
- aware of the various spacing of combs in the brood chamber and super for both foundation and drawn comb
Manipulation of a Colony of Honeybees
The student will be aware of:
- how to approach the hive to open it
- where to place hive parts during manipulations
- how to use the hive tool and smoker
- how to manipulate frames
- how to interpret what is on the frame-living and non-living
- how to observe hygienic practice going from hive to hive
- how to check for disease in the colony or brood
- how to keep hive notes/records
- how to take care of bee suit /gloves and other clothing to maintain hygiene and safety
- how to observe hygiene and safety when moving between apiaries
The student will be:
- aware of the need for care and attention when handling a colony of honeybees
- aware of the reactions of honeybees to smoke
- aware of the beekeeper’s 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 cells,
- drone cells
- queen cells or cups if present
- to comment on the state of the combs
- check if any disease is evident
- able to comment on the state of the combs
- able to check if any disease is evident
- able to identify
- members of the three castes,
- identify brood at all stages
- able to demonstrate the difference between:
- drone cappings
- worker cappings
- honey cappings
- able to identify:
- stored nectar
- honey
- pollen
- if there is enough room for development
- able to decide if the queen has:
- enough room to lay brood and if more super room is needed
- able to decide if the hive temper is acceptable or should some action be taken
- able to catch/take a sample of:
- worker bees for disease examination
- brood comb for DAFM
Natural History of the Honeybee
The student will be:
- able to give an elementary account of production of
- queens
- workers
- 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 read the hive like a book: be able from an examination of eggs, larval age and cappings to estimate when the queen was present
- able to give an elementary description of the function of the members of each caste if the life of the colony
- Have an appreciation of wax production by the worker bee and the use of this wax by the bee
- able to give a simple description 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 and also its importance in our lives
- 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
Disease and Poisoning
The student will:
- know briefly how Varroa mites breed in the brood.
- be able to indicate on the comb which cells are preferred by the mite for breeding.
- be able to state at least one approved treatment in the students own country.
- identify signs of AFB and EFB and distinguish between them
- be able to indicate which cappings might look suspect.
- be able to demonstrate, using a matchstick, how a field test for AFB could be done.
- be able to state where a comb sample containing the diseased brood should be sent for testing.
- be able to discern, if larvae in the comb have the proper “C” shape, colour and segmentation which healthy larvae exhibit and eliminate suspect EFB signs
- be able to state where a comb sample containing the diseased brood should be sent for testing.
- check for other identifiable disease symptoms.
- be able to describe the appearance of healthy brood and how it differs from diseased brood or chilled brood
- be aware and know the appearance of
- 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
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
- be able to perform a test for queenlessness, in case the queen has stopped laying
- able to describe the signs of laying workers and a drone laying queen
- able to describe how a queenless hive may be re-queened
- aware of the dangers of robbing and how robbing can be avoided
Harvesting or Removal of honey from the hive
The student will be:
- able to describe the methods used to clear honeybees from supers
- able to describe the process of the removal of honey frames from supers
- able to describe what hygienic conditions which must be observed when extracting honey in one’s home
- the preparation and labelling if the honey which is intended for sale
- 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
Adapted from the original syllabus devised by Prof. Breandán Ó Cochláin