Full syllabus

Night 1: Introduction

1. Introduced to Beekeeping and the Organisations involved.

2. Know about the Irish Beekeeping Association and Beekeeping Insurance.

3. Name the parts of a modem beehive and their function.

4. Know the concept of bee space and is significance in the modern hive.

5. Know about Wax Foundation and the reasons for its use

6. Aware of the various spacing of combs in the brood chamber and super for both foundation and drawn comb.

7. Have an appreciation of wax production by the worker bee and the use of this wax in the hive.

8. State of the use of the queen excluder.

9. Know the Personal and other equipment necessary for Beekeeping and the impact of Honeybee sting.

10. Source the equipment and a colony of bees to start Beekeeping.

11. Know the costs involved in starting Beekeeping.

Night 2: Life Cycle of the Bee

1. Identify members of the three castes.

2. Give an elementary description of the function of the members of each caste in the life of the colony

3. State the importance of the Bee Lifecycle in Beekeeping

4. Know the Lifecycle of the Bee, Eggs, Larva, Pupa, Capped Larva to Adult Bee

5. Know the durations involved in the Bee Lifecycle of the different castes of bees

6. Identify brood in all stages:   Worker, Drone and Queen cells and include Queen Cups

7. Know the difference between Drone, Worker and Honey cappings

8. Give an elementary account of the production of Queens, workers and drones in the honeybee colony and the cell patterns of each type

9. Read the hive from an examination of eggs, larval age and cappings to estimate when the queen was last present

10. Describe the mating system and process of the honeybee

11. Aware of the conditions of “Queenlessness”

12. Give an elementary description of the way in which the colony passes the Winter period

Products of the hive

1. Give a simple description of nectar, pollen and describe how it id collected and brought back to the hive

2. Name the main local flora from which honeybees collect pollen and nectar

3. Give a simple explanation how nectar is converted into honey

4. Know the use of nectar and honey in the life of the colony

5. Aware of the collection of water and its uses in the colony

6. 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

7. Describe the origins, collection and use of propolis in the honeybee colony

Night 3: Practical Beekeeping

1. Know the need for care & attention when handling or disturbing a colony of honeybees

2. Know and understand the reactions of honeybees to smoke

3. Know how to open a colony of honeybees and keep the colony under control

4. Know the use of water spray as an alternative to smoke

5. Know the procedure for opening a hive

6. Demonstrate the lighting and management of a smoker and the fuels involved

7. Know some different hive-tools and be able to demonstrate the use of the hive-tool

8. Decide if the hive temperament is acceptable or should some action be taken

9. Aware of the dangers of robbing and how robbing can be avoided

10. Decide if the queen has enough room

11. Know the different types of brood organisation,   IE Brood Vs Brood and a half

Night 4: Practical Beekeeping continued

12. Aware of the need to add supers the timing and the different methods of doing so.

13. Identify stored nectar, honey and pollen and decide if there are enough stores.

14. Describe how and when to feed bees and the preparation of syrup.

15. Know the techniques of how to locate the Queen in the hive.

16. Know how to use devices to capture and mark the Queen.

17. Know the practice of clipping the Queen, its function and how it should be carried out.

Honeybee Pests and Pest Control in Ireland

1. Describe the pests of Honeybees in Ireland

2. Describe the Varroa Mite, its impact and its treatment control

3. Demonstrate the use of a matchstick, how a field test for American Foul Brood could be done

4. State where a comb sample containing the diseased brood should be sent for testing

5. Describe and identify European Foul Brood, its impact and its remedy

6. Describe and identify Chalk Brood, its impact and its remedy

7. Describe and identify Acerine, its impact and its remedy

8. Describe and identify Nosema, its impact and its remedy

9. Determine if larvae in the comb have the proper “C” shape, Colour, and segmentation that healthy larvae exhibit

Night 5: Swarming

1. Give an elementary description and purpose of swarming in a honeybee colony

2. State the reasons for swarming

3. Identify the evidence that the colony is preparing to Swarm

4. State a variety of methods to control swarming

5. State the pitfalls that can occur when controlling swarming

6. Describe how to take a honeybee swarm and how to hive it

7. Know what is a “Bait Hive” or Swarm trap and how to use it to attract and capture a swarm

Generating a new Colony

1. Split a colony using a variety of methods

2. Cut out a Queen cell from a frame, incubate it, prepare a nuke and insert a new queen

3. Create a nuke with eggs or a Queen cell

Requeening

1. State the reasons for requeening a hive

2. Describe how a Queenless hive may be requeened

3. State some methods of Queen rearing

4. Describe the signs of “Laying Workers” and a drone-laying queen

5. State some remedies for Laying Workers

6. State some remedies for a Drone-Laying queen

Frame structure and Assembly

1. Assemble a frame and fit it with wax foundation and properly nail the frame

Night 6: Harvesting

2. Describe the conditions under which we take honey from the colony

3. Identify the quantity of stores required after harvesting

4. Identify frames suitable for harvesting, both Capped & Uncapped

5. Describe the methods used to clear honeybees from supers

6. State the reasons for leaving supplies of honey ion the hive and the options for feeding at this stage    Include different types of feeders

7. Describe the process of extracting honey from supers

8. Describe the hygienic conditions that must be observed when extracting honey on one’s home

9. Know the rules for labelling and what information must be on the label for jars of honey

10. State the uses of Beeswax and Beeswax products

11. State the method of cleaning and purifying Beeswax

12. Know the procedure for exchanging recovered wax for new wax foundation

A Year in the Apiary

1. Give an elementary description of the siting of colonies

2. Give an elementary description of the Year’s work in the apiary and the management of a colony throughout a season

3. State the activities that must be carried out for “Over-wintering” of the colony

4. Know the value of bees to farmers and the natural environment

5. State the actions the beekeeper should do to prepare for Spring

Wrap-up

1. Beekeepers Code of Conduct

2. Questions & Answers

3. Revision for Basic Beekeepers Exam

4. Course Evaluation

DAY 7: Practical in the Association Apiary

1st Hands-on day with the bees

1. Put on Personal Protective Equipment properly

2. Light the Smoker with fuels provided

3. Use the smoker to calm the bees before opening the hive

4. Know some different hive tools and be able to demonstrate the use of the hive tool

5. Remove the roof and use the hive tool to remove the Crown-Board

6. Use the hive tool to remove a frame from the Brood Chamber

7. Know the procedure for allowing space in the brood box in order to remove frames without damaging bees

8. Stack Supers and the Half-Brood when removed from the hive

9. Know when it is necessary to add a super to the hive and the different methods for doing so

10. Able to read the hive from an examination of eggs, larval age & cappings to determine if the queen is present and when she was last there   (Queenright)

11. State the actions you would take if there is no queen present

12. Check and discuss the laying pattern of the queen

13. Determine the health of the hive by checking for any pests or diseases

14. Check the food storage in the hive and identify honey, nectar, pollen & propolis

15. Locate and identify the Queen if possible and the use of a systematic inspection process

16. Name the parts of the beehive and their function

17. Aware of the concept of bee space and its significance in the modern hive

18. Know what is wax foundation and the reasons for its use

19. Rebuild the hive

Day 8

2nd practice day in the GBKA Apiary

Hands-on day with the bees