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

• 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

• Observe hygienic practice going from hive to hive

• Check for disease in the colony or brood

• Keep hive notes/records

• Take care of bee suit /gloves and other clothing to maintain hygiene and safety

• 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,

  • drone

  • queen cells or cups if present

  • to comment on the state of the combs

  • 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,

  • worker

  • honey cappings

• able to identify

  • stored nectar,

  • honey and

  • pollen and

  • enough room for development

• able to decide if the queen has enough

  • room to lay brood and

  • if more super room 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

 

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

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

  • • 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 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